Greg Even & YT – The Greatest Escape

If you feel like you sometimes need to escape from the world (and the toxic system we’re all forced to live under), then what better way to do this (and take inspiration at the same time) than by listening to the latest track from a British Roots icon?

The Greatest Escape, released via Raider Records, sees UK-based artist YT team up with producer Greg Even in what is a great collaboration.

The track is a glorious and forthright Roots-heavy track – which focuses on some classic elements while being perfectly up to date.

Overall, the composition is in an attractive minor key predominantly, but major chord progressions do feature – and the overall arrangement is pleasing and evocative.

The rhythm section is key to the sound, here. The bass dominates in many respects, running a drop-beat rhythm that skips beat one on one bar, and then beat three on the next – creating a winding sound. It runs a melody around a riff as opposed to arpeggio (broken) chords, and its sound is rich and rounded, low-down its register. Keys run a bubble rhythm in their mid-range but with some nice deviation from this at points. Then, the drums run a rolling arrangement, avoiding a one-drop as the kick hits the downs, but snares do hit the ups while hi-hats regimentally tinker in between. Finally, a distant guitar skanks on and off – which cements the Roots sound.

There’s some nice additional instrumentation as well. Horns run a quality accompanying line – almost providing responses to YT’s main calls. They’re often staccato in their delivery on the verses, punctuating the main vocal – but then on the chorus revert to something smoother and lilting. In the background, an electric organ runs heavily involved stuttering chords that are on a kind-of skank. Background vocals are call and response – replying to YT’s main calls on the chorus.

There’s also some well-placed engineering here from Even – bringing Dub elements in like sudden rhythmic reverb across the keys on the bridges, where the instrumentation is also stripped back to build to the chorus. Overall, Even has created an impressive wall of sound with The Greatest Escape – and then YT plays off it perfectly.

Here, he is forthright in his delivery – not holding back in terms of the dynamics, instead focusing on rhythmic and melodic intricacy. On the latter, the verses are pleasing, working in the mid-range of his register before he builds to a higher level on the choruses (which then also create a memorable melody). Rhythmically, YT has delivered a brilliant performance: taking a basic rhythmic stanza and then expanding on it to ensure it fits with the constantly moving composition. He employs good use of varying degrees of staccato and then legato notes; delivers perfect enunciation and provides and overall impassioned performance. Lyrically, too, YT provides a rousing account of how we must individually then collectively fight back against Babylon/the system’s toxicity – telling us that if we free our minds and break out mental chains then that is ‘the greatest escape’.

Overall, The Great Escape is powerful work from Even and YT. The composition is tight, honouring traditional Roots elements while still feeling fresh. YT brings his unique vocal style to proceedings while delivering a veritable sermon – and overall, the track pleases in droves.

Greg Even & YT The Greatest Escape Review by Mr Topple