At TwoPointNine Records the roster of artists is big, with names like Jay Sean, Juggy D and Rishi Rich it must be hard to compete. You must feel sorry for their lesser known and assumed weaker artists, like the Mentor Kolektiv who have got to stand next to such big names in the game.

But they encompass everything that makes the British Asian music scene move forward. In Des-C they have a singer whose English verses match those of his native tongue, an ingenious emcee named A.C. who is lyrically both comical and political at the same time all over Mentor's versatile, worldly and cutting edge beats. These are the characteristics which will get the ball rolling again with the crossover to mainstream music; it's music to dance to, it's got a message at times and is marketable as British Asian.

The album kicks off with the Kolektiv's first hit, that bhangra anthem 'Pasand'. The complete 4 mins 20 seconds of the unchanged from the version on the Mixtape which was just under 3 mins, Des-C's vocals and A.C.'s lyric are still mere parts of a command to rock your body. Mentor's production is spot on with the flutes, percussion and bass fusing a big, big tune. Major let down is the outro where A.C. yells "2.9 on the Richter scale" which doesn't carry much weight, when I burp it registers 3.4.

Track two is madness…another complete version regurgitated from the Mixtape, 'Kaalja' is a grimey garage beat which suits A.C.s flow down to the tee. Pure speed lyrics from the mic man, and Des-C's input is also technically on a high level, mixing up a slow chorus with a pace change to reiterate the hook to make speed cameras flash. Only criticism is that the limited Panjabi lyrics make the tune a little monotonous. Had A.C. been on the tune from start to finish it would've been a massive garage hit.

The title track is next. 'Broke' is A.C.'s story of an everyday hustle and struggle, and he holds it down with the comedy ("You wont find me munching in Maccie D's, I'm only here to use the facilities", "Watch her breasts bounce like my cheques") and the final verse in Costcutter's is pure joke. Des-C's English hook is soulful through its simplicity and the adlibs are commendable, with noticeable supporting vox from Angela. The beat is plodding, and suits the nature of the track but is this the type of thing you should be representing with? With urban music fuelled by bling culture, to say you're brasic doesn't really cut it.

Another regurgitation is next, with Hard Kaur grabbing the mic for 'Party In Bombay'. The dancehall stomping beat is a mover, and the Soho Road rapper represents. I'm not feeling the hook though; it seems to go on for a long time, but in a club that don't really matter. This was Hard Kaur's return to the scene and dates back to over a year ago since it was first heard.

'Pardes Di Kuri' is next and is another big tune. There's nothing I don't really like about this. A.C. is spitting about how religion, class, caste or colour shouldn't come between boys and girls. The hook is awesome, with singalong words from Des-C and shoutalong words from the man A.C., its simply off the hook. Beats are strict and bashy, and Mr Mac's scratches are good as well. But it's another throw back from the mixtape…so far we've had five tunes and only one is totally fresh.

The tones slow and settle for track six, a love duet between Des-C and Angela called 'Dharkan'. The latin-esque guitar tickles are cool, as are the strings, but there are times when Des-C loses his way a little, but Angela grabs the bull by the horns and holds it up superbly. Amazing performance from the 23 year old.

Bashiness returns with 'Please' which is the first track where the beat is louder than A.C! I don't reckon this track would merk a dancefloor but it's a big tune all the same. The hook seems a bit Demon-esque (grime aficionados will recall the "You Don't Wanna Bring Arms Out" flow) but for those that don't know, this is a good lyrical performance from one of the top boy rappers in the Asian game at the moment.

I still haven't made my mind up about track eight. It's called 'Seven Seven' and tackles what happened with the London Bombings in July. It features Blitzkrieg and Basix from Canadian crew 22K over Mentor's production. I love the flute melodies and the b-line hit, but I don't know about the percussion, it seems too bouncy for issues based track. As for lyrics, the two Canadians recall their personal experiences on the day, but I'm not sure this is the best line of thought as this is the first track to come out about am event which has changed the way many white people regard Asians in Britain. I like the questions asked in Blitz's final verse ("does this turn atheists into believers?") and his opening retort about people dying in Sierra Leone, but I think it would've been a check mate move if A.C. had a 16 at the end talking about the sudden increase in stop and search of Asian youths in London. He's a politically aware Londoner, so surely this should've been his track?

Anarchy takes over on the rock-fuelled 'Has The World Gone Mad', with A.C. voicing his complaints about what's mashed up in the world. He chats a lot of sense, and it's a well-constructed piece.

Number ten is 'Sharam Ohndi', which is more like what we're used to. Reggae induced beat, with Panjabi vocals riding and flying all over it. The beat is drama and intricately put together and when Kartik enters the fray, the vocal sounds spot on, and the 22K influence from Blitz is standard and faultless.

I hope that track eleven sets a new trend with album tracks. 'Saada Haal' is the first Panjabi power ballad I've heard and I love it. It begins slow and stays soft for a while but when the beat kicks in towards the end it's like a poppy throwback. Brilliant. The questions Des-C couldn't answer on the first slow track he outsmarts here over John Bailey's soft guitar flows. I love this from start to finish, and Angela's voice is simply breathtaking. She breathes the lyrics and the flows are enchanting. We've got a real talent here in good hands, who can become a star if people back her.

The final tune is 'Deewana' and it's the only track on the album I really dislike. Kartik drops the desi vocal over a cheesy guitar flow straight out of a film and it wrecks one of Blitzkreig's major flows. A.C. fails to hold it down as well, and it's a shame that a good album ends on such a sour note.

You may have guessed it already, but I really like this album. Mentor has successfully dropped an array of styles to high levels, and not just lame attempts we sometimes see. A.C. kills it and I hope to hear much more from him on some more ghetto beats, and Angela and Des-C are both very talented in their own rights. However, (sorry guys!!) if you bought the mixtape then you're being slightly shortchanged here as all the big tunes were on there but I suppose you are getting the complete songs this time round. I look forward to the next album which hopefully will be totally fresh and will do a lot of damage. 'Broke' gets 8.1 out of 10!!