With his last two singles stalling outside the UK top 20, his Third Strike album yet to threaten the UK top 40, and the Brits panel forgetting conveniently that he exists, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that pretty much every clap of his grime-pop crossover thunder has been stolen by another fashion-conscious MC from our fair capital whose semi-comic nom de plume begins with "T".
This latest album spin-off is likely to help him grab it back. Stryder's Made-it-through-against-the-odds rhymes are as earnest as ever, and Canadian soul belter Melanie Fiona turns in a fairly mighty vocal, but, as midtempo electro-R&B tunes go, 'Let It Rain' is a bit like a family saloon that's due its MOT: perfectly serviceable but not terribly exciting. Not half as exciting, it has be said, as a similarly-themed recent offering from a certain Mr Tin... .