Signatures Vol. XVIII: Junior Kelly

If you were lucky, someone told you about it and you skipped it altogether; for the rest of us, however, veteran Junior Kelly's most recent set, "Care For Me", has left a bad taste with us that simply must be washed away. It is time for us to begin rebuilding! If you are not familiar with Kelly's music, at its best, he makes one of THE most catchy and infectious brands of Roots Reggae that we've seen in the modern era. If you're looking for songs that you can sing along with and move to and just really tune into, Junior Kelly should be amongst your top options. You didn't get that on "Care For Me" in the slightest so, I'm going to give it to you now! Here're some (let's see if I remember to change this to an actual number when I'm done with this) really, REALLY good Junior Kelly songs. Signatures: Junior Kelly

{Note: This was probably THE hardest one that I've done so far}

{Coming soon: Mark Wonder, Cali P & The Silver Surfer}

1. 'Love So Nice'

Tell me why it hurts so bad. Junior Kelly & producer Spanford struck gold more than a quarter of a century ago when, across a cut of Bob's Stir It Up Riddim, they sent out a song which would become and remains his undeniable SIGNATURE moment, 'Love So Nice'. The kind of hard-luck/jilted lover tune found a massive audience in the late 90's/early 2000's and listening to it all of these years later, 'Love So Nice' has not lost a single bit of its shine. It has become SO deeply rooted in my memory that the drum pattern at its beginning, ALONE, is more than enough to set my mind into singing it and my neck starts moving. 'Love So Nice' is Kelly's most popular songs and you could argue that it's one of the entire genre's most well known over the last thirty years or so. This list would be useless without its presence. EVERY other song on this list is a matter of opinion... this one is not. 

2. 'Burdens Heavy'

Hold dung I. I wanted to go from the clearest choice for this list to what is likely its least obvious. 'Burdens Heavy' is a tune that has HAD ME from the very first time I heard it, which would have been as a part of a relatively obscure album from over twenty years ago now by the name of "Creation" (can't sit here and honestly say that "Creation" was GREAT to any degree but, along with 'Burdens Heavy', it had some pretty nice tunes and was probably at least a little better than most of us remember it as being). This song is so damn interesting for several reasons, not the least of which is the unique combination of its often ultra-heavy subject with its downright DELIGHTFUL riddim. That thing -- produced by Christopher Miller -- is an utter joy just to hear. Take both of those and add in Kelly's own brilliant delivery of this sort of darting in and out (bobbing and weaving!) style with his words and you have a tune that has not left my radars completely in a very long... well, like ever, really. 

3. 'Dem A Wonder' featuring Smiley

PROSPER! I can kind of vaguely remember now the brief rise and run of Smiley. If I can recall correctly, he was originally from out of Aruba and living in The Netherlands and he came up with a couple of big tunes with a very nice and PLEASING style, one of which (arguably the most memorable, because I can't name any other one off the top of my head at the moment) (just remembered 'Distance'! ["I JUST CAN'T TAKE THE DISTANCE NO MOOOOOOOOOORE!"]) was the Al.Ta.Fa.An produced GEM, 'Dem A Wonder', a combination with Junior Kelly. Along with the full SOUND of this tune, I've always appreciated its direction. It's about overcoming obstacles and... the standard fare, really but also things like IMPROVEMENT, hard work and taking constructive-criticism and turning it into positivity and it did so in a way that, as you can see, was damn unforgettable. 

"I'm stepping up stronger with each and every stride

Da one yah fi alla di youths dem out deh weh ah get a vibes"

4. 'Living Hell'

You think that all is well. It is absolutely killing me that I can't recall WHO it was alongside Junior Kelly on 'Living Hell' to the point that I'm starting to wonder if I ever even actually knew and it didn't actually slip my mind but was never in there (and, of course, Jet Star and Penitentiary kept such fine records that such things are easy to look up since I have a disc that the song was on.... and there's NOTHING). Regardless of its origins, however, 'Living Hell' was one of the very first tunes that came to my mind when putting this list together, despite the fact that it's been some considerable time since I laid ears on it. 'Living Hell' was CANDY. It was an absolutely DELICIOUS Roots tune that almost had a slight crawl to it -- with the obvious connection being to Bob's 'Time Will Tell' (which I would presume, at least in part, helped to inspire this track) that had a more substantial type creep to it-- but was EXCITING. Kelly's song partner has this big, bellowing voice (which sounds exactly like someone whose name continues to elude me) and he was in fine form. Along with its intoxicating sound, 'Living Hell' was mightily clever and, MAYBE, one of the strongest written songs that you'll read about today. Magical.

"You think that all is well

But I know you're living in hell, living in hell 

I MAN MUST BREAK DEM SPELL

Can't afford fi dwell when so much prophet before ah fell"

5. 'Receive'

TAKE! THIS! LOVE! Kelly once again caught fire alongside Al.Ta.Fa.An. (this was actually before the previously mentioned 'Dem A Wonder') (do you remember who produced "Care For Me"), when he blessed their triumphant Tsahai Riddim with another of the undeniably biggest hits of his career to date, 'Receive' (to the point where you'll often see the Tsahai referred to as the Receive Riddim). Looking back now, while it wasn't out of the ordinary in pretty much anyway what 'Receive' definitely did have in its favour was just how BEAUTIFUL of a song it was. It was a pretty straightforward love song but it was IMMACULATE. It was so well done by everyone involved and, sometimes, the masses rewards that. You don't need a gimmick or something that no one has ever heard before; GREAT music can do the trick ["I got no trick up my sleeve"]. 'Receive' was great music. 

6. 'What Will It Take'

Same blood. Along with being just a WONDERFUL song to listen to, 'What Will It Take' also stands as one of the finest WRITTEN songs of Junior Kelly's entire career, in my opinion. Combine the two standout qualities and you have a unity track for the ages. 

"Well I no judge no man or condemn no one

Through you no inna mi plan and you no join mi gang

Coulda Bobo, coulda Binghi

I no give a damn

BOTTOM LINE: MI A RASTA MAN!

So if you bun Jesus, you will bun Leviticus

And Deuteronomy, Numbers ahgo bite di dust

SOME PUT DEMSELF OVER JAH, BUT MEMBA - JAH COME FUSS

SOME AH FIGHT FI BIG SLICE, BUT GIMME DI CRUST!"

7. 'Smile'

Never let them see you frown! Junior Kelly enlisted the help of some top notch talents behind the scenes to score a wondergoal on the self-produced hit, 'Smile', as the likes of George 'Dusty' Miller, Lenky, Rohan Gordon and Shane Brown all played a role in the song which was recorded at the legendary Tuff Gong. On paper, that, alone, is enough to virtually guarantee success and what came out of that session did not disappoint. 'Smile' is basically an instructional piece. Kelly is telling you to put a smile on your face even in the face of some bad things that you may be going through in life and he's correct. Even when stuff is fucked up, if you can just muster up a smile some kind of way, it'll probably make you feel a little better. The song was delightful, it made a big impact and VP liked it so much, they named an album after it; one of the strongest (and most colourful) Kelly has ever done. 

8. 'Black Am I'

It's mah colour! It's mah colour! It's mah colour! The most entry on this list (with respect to 'Purified' which was the most recent cut) is the mightily memorable 'Black Am I' from the "Smile" album, another significant personal favourite of mine that has withstood the test of time. The tune has that signature BIG sounding Junior Kelly sound (courtesy of George 'Dusty' Miller) that initially and immediately draws you in and... then this shit happens:

"Black male

Black guy

Black coat

Black heart

And when mi ah wrap mi head, mi use a black piece of cloth

Black up

Black down

Black strong

Black weak

Mi Black from mi birth, a Black skintone a dweet

Some of dem mussi crack - bleach out dem black

BUT AS DEM STOP YOU SI DI BLACKNESS AH COME BACK!

Some a dem run lef di flock, waan fi be what dem not

WOLF INNA SHEEP CLOTHES, DEM OWN CULTURE DEM FORGOT!"

Kelly absolutely DESTROYS this gorgeous riddim with a tune on African unity and, specifically, one of the many characteristics that she gave to her children. I'm going to tell you about my favourite Junior Kelly tune in just a bit (I already wrote it, it's at #10) but as for the question of what would be my second favourite [?] 'Black Am I' is FIRMLY in that conversation. EASILY one of the best he's ever done, whether you realize it or not. 

9. 'Boom Draw'

What I brain require. Of course one can't have a Roots album without a ganja tune and the clear choice for my collection is the stellar and THICK 'Boom Draw' from the "Love So Nice" album. Kelly dazzles completely atop a riddim named after the song from the Front Page Crew (who produced three other BEAUTIFUL tunes from that same album; 'Jah Nuh Dead', 'Hungry Days' and 'Go Down Satan' - all of which were relatively late snips from this list), pinnacling in its latter stages where he both thrills his listeners and... kinda makes them laugh as well. 

"FOUR CHALICE LOADS!

Then I'll go, then I'll go

THREE CHALICE LOADS!

Then I'll go, then I'll go

TWO CHALICE LOADS!

Then I'll go, then I'll go

ONE CHALICE! ONE, ONE CHALICE!

And then, my head explode!"

10. 'God Bless'

Cleanliness & Progress. Wayyy back in 2002, Junior Kelly put out an album on Penitentiary and Jet Star by the name of "Conscious Voice". Let me just tell you, if you're unfamiliar: "Conscious Voice" was fucking fantastic. It was REALLY good. It has some truly excellent songs on it (you'll find another one in these ranks as well, maybe even two if the list stays as it's currently looking) and I best recall it for having carried 'God Bless' which is, MOST LIKELY, my absolute favourite song in Junior Kelly's entire catalogue. 

You go and listen to 100% of "Care For Me" -- ALL OF IT -- and you won't hear anything even approaching these grounds. 'God Bless' was so beautiful and infectious and HEAVY, all at the same time and just a GORGEOUS presentation of music ["Cause a wi got di gift fi mek heads rock & shift"]. These days, I hear just the intro and my ears immediately tune in: Truly a personal classic and, again, probably the best Junior Kelly tune that I've ever heard. Period. 

11. 'Juvenile'

I'm on your side. 'Juvenile' was another early hit from the chanter and, just as was the case with 'Love So Nice', someone picked it up and named an album after it. This time (even prior to VP, actually), it was Jet Star and, just for an idea of how good "Juvenile", the album, was - both the previously mentioned 'Living Hell' & 'What Will It Take' were also on it). As for the song, nearing thirty years later, the reason for the attraction to 'Juvenile' is still quite easy to see. It was just brilliant. It had this very light (almost too light) sound to it but Kelly roughed it up. He gave it some dirt and some 'character' and pushed a social commentary, specifically for the younger people who are struggling their way through, saying that they had an advocate and a friend in him. 

12. 'Push A Fire' featuring Roger Flames

CALL PON JAH NAME! I knew 'Push A Fire' would be somewhere in here when I started putting it together (just started naming songs, like I always do, it was probably one of the first five or six) but I hadn't heard it in a minute and actually had forgotten that it was a combination. Kelly linked with underknown Roger Flames on what just has to be Flames' most known tune to date and, fortunately, it was also one of Junior Kelly's finest so 'Push A Fire' is well remembered (by me, at least, if by no one else). You listen to this song and if it's the first time you've heard it or the hundredth, I'll challenge you to have no physical reaction to it whatsoever. Don't rock in your seat; son't sing along; don't do any damn thing. It's impossible! 'Push A Fire' was gloriously entertaining modern Roots Reggae. Junior Kelly wasn't exactly as prolific a lyrical arsonist as many of his peers but he saved, arguably, what was his biggest fireball for this fantastic track.

"Fyah weh wi ah push bun up all who stoosh" 

13. 'Clean Heart'

Inity & Respect. Let's talk about 'Clean Heart' for a second. This is a song about first impressions (it's not, REALLY, but hear me out) as it was the very first tune on Junior Kelly's most popular, well known album.... which I've mentioned several times and won't insult your intelligence by naming here. So if you were caught into the rapture of its immortal title track and picked that album up, as so many were, the very first thing you would have run into would have been 'Clean Heart' (provided you didn't just immediately skip ahead to track #2, of course) (and you may have). If you think about that, especially in regards to more casual heads (and this was twenty-five years ago. YOU may have been one of them twenty-five years ago), I think there's a decent chance that 'Clean Heart' could have been one of the first songs that a lot of people heard from Kelly, not named.... that other one. 

As for the actual music that was 'Clean Heart'. As I was trying to trim this down to fifteen songs, I got stuck between this one and something else. Listening to them back-to-back and despite the fact that I LOVE that other song and it would have been on this list if there were sixteen songs, there was no comparison. 'Clean Heart' is miles ahead. You know what this song did? 'Clean Heart' made behaving good and having a positive attitude sound FUN. It glorified BEING NICE and decent and having your heart in the right place.

"Remember, it's not di place where yuh live, it's how yuh live

REMEMBER IT'S NOT WHAT YOU RECEIVE AND GET, IT'S WHAT YOU GIVE

Ah hice di positive and then yuh dash weh negative" 

14. 'Be Blessed'

UPFULNESS! My final decision for this list was another struggle between a pair of tunes from "Rise", Junior Kelly's debut album from a quarter-century ago now. While I won't tell you what the other one was (because I've already mentioned it) (it came back in the conversation), when you get into the SUBSTANCE, 'Be Blessed' slightly outpaces it (the chorus on that other song is absolutely divine). While I can't say it goes as far as 'Clean Heart', in terms of downright glorify good behaviour, 'Be Blessed' comes from that same core, in my opinion ["If you wanna be blessed, gi di gun a rest. Put di artillery pon pause"] . The certain topic here is one of anti-violence, which Kelly covers sprawlingly, dealing with both the pros of living an upright life and the cons of falling into the trap ["Remember, inna di grave there is no repentance"]. He deals with it all on such a high level that common sense won out for a change and 'Be Blessed' became mandatory for a list like this one. 

15. 'Satan Throne'

MARCH! Hard to believe that it's been TWENTY-ONE years since Junior Kelly dropped the wonderful "Tough Life" album and while we've already mentioned, arguably, the biggest hit from it ('Receive, with respect to... nope, 'Receive' it is) my longtime favourite tune from that wonderful set has been 'Satan Throne' which closes out this edition of Signatures ("Tough Life" was awesome; it's probably just two or three steps away from being a modern classic). Again, you go and listen to "Care For Me" and try to even approximate ANYTHING that shines the way 'Satan Throne' does. You feel [GOOD] emotions listening to this one and, just speaking for myself, I love the harshness and abrasiveness of it and it should be. There should be a little spite behind the tune when you hear what he's saying and what Junior Kelly is talking about. 

This was a call to action against negativity in all of its disgusting forms and Junior Kelly, at his angry, raspy best, put his best foot forward and a song like 'Satan Throne' REALLY exemplifies what sets him apart from the giant pack... and even if it doesn't, isn't it just so nice! 

Ras Shiloh & Norris Man??!

You know what? This song isn't the greatest but the very fact that we get a song, 'Victory', bringing together these two is damn newsworthy... just thought you'd like to know. 

Amongst High Company: A review of Dwelling Place by Dan Gio

Gems. I know that I don't do as good of a job of it these days that I used to but I do pride myself on at least attempting to cover music that I feel goes overlooked by the masses and I always have. There is a certain aspect of publicity and.... just general human interaction called "word-of-mouth" that can be very powerful, in my opinion. YOU have something in your mind right now that you probably LOVE that someone else told you about. It could be an artist or just a song or even something like a restaurant that now is one of your favourites that someone once told you about; you gave it a shot and nowadays you make a point of making the same recommendation to others when you can. That's what I try to contribute to here and I cannot even begin to tell you how many times it's happened over the years that someone tells me that they picked up an album or started listening to someone based on something that I said and how much they've enjoyed it. That person will now pay it forward by telling someone else about it and just playing it for others and the work of said album (and whoever made it) has now just gone forward in my own, small little way. We've been very fortunate to have stumbled upon some incredible works from some incredibly talented people over the years that you probably won't find much written about elsewhere. I'm talking about people such as Jah Marnyah, AMBUSH, Jah Turban, Ras Mac Bean, the great Harry Mo, First Born and the list goes on and on; where, if you look around, a large chunk of the material written about them comes from here. I can go back to a band from out of St. Lucia, called Meshach & Wevolusion, who had an album called Awake which was probably one of the most reacted to and viewed reviews that I did in the earlier days. Furthermore, I've had situations, like Jah Marnyah's, Harry Mo's and definitely that of Sara Lugo where I would eventually become just a massive fan, of outside of just checking for their work occasionally (less than a week of August is left. I don't think there has been a single day this month where I haven't listened to SOMETHING from Sara Lugo). Of course I could be wrong -- I usually am -- but I think we've just come across a new name and a new album to add to that wonderful list.

Meet Dan Gio. There is a certain quality that is difficult to describe (but I'm going to try to do it anyway, of course) which I absolutely LOVE in an artist. It's a matter of... combining a certain level of raw, unfiltered ability with just a DASH of refinement. The greatest example I can come up with two demonstrate this is maybe prime Sizzla Kalonji. I can't even begin to comprehend where that man, at that age, got some of those concepts and how they ended up evolving was, arguably, even more impressive, but Kalonji spoke like someone well beyond his years, who had three or four times the amount of life experience you would imagine someone in his 20's having. He delivered these messages in a way that was often messy, unkempt and off-key but you could also hear a certain level of evolving cultivation. It came to no surprise to me when, later on, having spent so much time learning from the likes of Philip Fatis Burrell, Sizzla would get involved in things such as publishing and producing his own work. Someone else who has that is Jah Mason, prime Natural Black and DEFINITELY Spectacular (the opposite side of these would be Tarrus Riley, Alaine, Luciano, Mark Wonder...). These're people who are capable of doing things and making them work that no music teacher with a dash of sanity would ever teach but do so with a level of experience that shows that they, themselves, could teach that music teacher a thing or two of their own. 

Dan Gio is from THAT^ class, in my opinion. I've actually been listening to the music of the "Roots Warrior" for a number of years now as, along with a few strong singles, he's had a few complete bodies of work that I've enjoyed bits and pieces of but I don't think I've ever actually mentioned any of his music up until now... time to make some changes! As far as I know his backstory, Gio is basically a music junkie and he does have formal music training (I THINK), having used it to produce some of his own material. However, when you listen to him, at his best, what he shows is something that he came up with all on his own. He did not learn that from a classroom, he started chanting and that is what came out. Previously, the Portmore native has worked on various projects with strong producers such as House Of Riddim (it was called "Proactive Revolution and I didn't LOVE it but it had a few nice tunes on it such as 'Truths and Rights', in particular); he's also worked with Little Lion Sound & Derrick Sound, Filomuzik and Soulrock Collective. Dan Gio now adds to that with King Solomon Records and Acoustic Vibes out of Sweden for his latest release, "Dwelling Place", with Magnus Hjalmarsson, "Daddy Natural", running the show. I had no idea at all that this album was forthcoming as "Dwelling Place" squeezed itself into what has become an extremely CRAMPED release schedule for Reggae in the month of August and I'm thinking there're many fans who may be in the same boat but, like me, are also going to get a very healthy and HAPPY jolt from what they hear on this one. I just caught myself going through clips and hearing some... BEAUTIFULLY rough around the edges, modern Roots Reggae music and the more I listened, the more convinced I became that maybe Dan Gio and KSR had PERHAPS delivered one of the biggest surprises of 2026. I also appreciated just how simple and humble it was put together. The cover is a very simple photo with basic graphics for the name and titles. It seemed like whoever put it together really felt what they had on their hands and after getting into... what they had was GORGEOUS. 

I saw an old interview of Dan Gio's where he mentioned that his absolute favourite was I Wayne. They're both from Portmore so perhaps that has something to do with it but his style is very much similar to chanters from I Wayne's era (no, he doesn't adopt the 'Can't Satisfy Her' singer's high-pitched approached) and Gio delivers in a similar nature to the aforementioned Sizzla Kalonji and Jah Mason. He has a slight singing to him which kind of reminds me of someone else as welll and I'll make the connection I GUARANTEE you you no one else will here: If you start at Revalation and travel to Ras Indio - somewhere in between you'll find Dan Gio's house (also hear a bit of early Turbulence in there as well). I'm almost certain neither has had a direct influence on him (though I could be wrong, who knows) but his sound is from that arena, in my opinion. That sound is best realized on his brand new album, "Dwelling Place", which begins fittingly, with a prayer, 'Chant A Psalms'. The opener is about as straightforward and basic as it gets on a Roots Reggae album and there's nothing wrong with that at all... because I kinda love it. 'Chant A Pslams' is damn near outstanding and it breaks no new ground challenges me in some way I've never thought about it; it's just a lovely way to give thanks to The Almighty and a pretty much necessary way to get things started ["Di more mi grow locks, babylon dem ah fret!"]. The title track is in next and it, so perfectly exemplifies my basis for this review. The chorus on this song is excellent. It's joyous to listen to, it's sung just fine and it's catchy. The rest of 'Dwelling Place', even down to the straight chanting at its end, features several moments which are cluttery, random and, seemingly, built on emotion - and I mean that in a good way. It strikes this great balance between what you expect to hear (a song should have a nice chorus. You'll hear it several times during and it'll stand out the furthest) and something that is unique to that artist and a powerful showcase of what THEY do well. That is what 'Dwelling Place' is as Dan Gio reminds us all to seek the absolute HIGHEST power in times of need (and in times of happiness). The infectious 'Chalice Load', is exactly what you think it is as the obligatory ganja tune from "Dwelling Place". When I first heard this one, I wasn't crazy about it outside of the beautiful riddim behind it but it has grown on me considerably since then. In addition to everything I've said about him so far, Dan Gio is also a pretty good writer and, like Jah Mason, sometimes you have to slow things down to really focus on what he's saying because of his dynamic delivery. After observing that, 'Chalice Load' grew. I still don't love the occasional spots of "GANJA!" being chimed in but I now have a healthy appreciation for most of the tune, including very solid backing singers. Rounding out the album's first third is 'Dirty Deeds' which is the single best tune on the whole of "Dwelling Place" and it begins a stretch of four consecutive ABSOLUTE KILLERS on the album. 

"Di respect for di elders get exterminate

HUMBLENESS DEPRECIATE WHILE VANITY APPRECIATE

Guns and ammunition mek di youths dem life get wasted

Puppet master laugh cause everyday it is di same thing

IF YOU SLEEP WID DESTRUCTION A CORRUPTION YOU WAKE WID

Mankind full of hatred"

There're alotta people doing really fucked up things and they need to be called out for it. 'Dirty Deeds' is Dan Gio placing a few calls and HOPEFULLY your phone isn't ringing because he covers acres and acres (biggup Capleton) of ground. Also, I definitely should mention the riddim on this one. It isn't AMAZING or SPECTACULAR but it is almost PERFECT for what's going on and the nature of the song. There is a beautiful dub in there somewhere but Gio uses it to a special degree for 'Dirty Deeds'.

Things remain piping hot on the call to action, 'Burning Fyah'. You've seen this title on dozens, if not hundreds, of songs to date and they're usually pretty broad and I suppose this one is as well on a certain level but it is also somewhat specified as the chanter speaks about having "a burning fire within my soul", and having the feeling that he needs to be involved in some way. He needs to be doing something positive and progressive. Fortunately for himself and the rest of us, Dan Gio has found his outlet in making things that sound like this and... he uses it to 'Spread Jah Love'. I know that I'm probably going to overthink it but 'Spread Jah Love' is a gorgeous tune. I put it into two directions and one would be the straight up way in which we're receiving it: Dan Gio is doing his part in bringing songs like this to us and getting the word out there but, no matter what road you walk in this life, it's important to be nice to others and have a positive attitude as well. Those things, ALONE, can really help someone.

"Spread Jah love, don't let it go to waste

Spread Jah love, eradicate grudge and hate"

Some bigger picture and smaller - 'Spread Jah Love' earns its stripes in any category as one of the finest "Dwelling Place" has to offer. Also check how they let that SWEET riddim BOUNCE at the back end of the tune. While there are those who choose to 'Spread Jah Love', others still 'Show No Love' and, once again, that is who Dan Gio addresses on the following track, rounding out the aforementioned splendid stretch of four that I alluded to. I suppose that you could say that the direction here is not to dissimilar of that on 'Dirty Deeds' and it also follows it not too far behind interms of quality as well. For the most part 'Show No Love' registers on the broad side of things but Gio TUNES IN later on and gets very specific in identifying nastiness that he sees in the world ["babylon yuh access denied!"]. There is also (maybe only for me) a very subtle amount of intensity in the track on this one. Gio, of course, goes hard on his vocals but the riddim, which comes off, cursorily, as fairly simple, has DEPTH to it; that expansiveness leads to different sounds and different emotions which is a fine touch to an already huge moment. I styled 'Garden Flower' as simply a 'love song' the first time that I heard and I still think if you do call it that, it's a fair assessment, in part, but there is something more to it. 'Garden Flower' is kinda GREEN. You take the title as an analogy as something beautiful as a flower in a garden but.... you can also take it literally. It took me a minute [and hour] to disengage the overthinking and realize that Gio wasn't attributing these qualities to a human being. 'Garden Flower' is an appreciation of NATURE and the environment. It is a love song - for Mother Nature! 

"She means so much to me"

Most appropriately, right behind 'Garden Flower' is 'Plant Food', another environmentally conscious type. This time, Dan Gio focuses more on the farming aspect and the importance of living a more natural type of life ["Mek yuh food be yuh medicine; yuh medicine yuh food. Never stray from agriculture"]. This song, like most of them on this album is saturated in passion but I point it out, specifically in this instance because you can really hear the respect that Gio has for farmers and the works that they do. I get the feeling that if music didn't work out for him, he'd be quite content on a farm of his own. 'Take My Love' is the album's actual love song in the normal sense of the phrase. Though it most certainly is not a great song and the weakest on "Dwelling Place", it isn't necessarily bad on its own merits or completely without worth. In fact, the second half of 'Take My Love' is actually pretty good [!]; it just lacks when compared to the rest of the songs on "Dwelling Place", particularly in its first half. For what it is in full, however, 'Take My Love' is a relatively decent love song. Somewhere out there farrrrrr beyond "relatively decent" is the relatively HUGE 'Wrong Order'. This tune is so nice that I'm seriously considering revisiting my choice as the album's finest altogether because Dan Gio SCALDS on 'Wrong Order'. 

"Cause inna babylon di corruption well steep

Di devil dem will distrub yuh frequency

Cause inna babylon di corruption well steep

Di devil dem will disturb yuh frequency

Nuff inna di wrong chronology, dem no respect nobody

Dem caan get no ratings from I

Modern day Judas, dem time deh you cannot trust nobody

Dem words no accurate, dem a lie!

Some ah flash locks and sip coffee and dem life fulla folly

A Jah Mercy seat dem ah cry!

Nuff a dem caan look inna Melchezidek eye!

Dada ahgo hit dem wid a big piece of ply!"

BOOM! BREAK SOMETHING! If you haven't figured it out by now (shame on you!), Dan Gio REALLY hates it when people aren't behaving well and are, perhaps even more so, treating others poorly. It's literally one of the things he despises the most in the world and he has ample passion on the subject. Thankfully that passion isn't misguided and it also isn't broad to the point where he is lyrically just regurgitating tried and tired banalities of Roots Reggae music. His passion is focused and it's coming from someone who has a knack of making his point in a colourful, entertaining way. Lastly is the triumphant 'Bongo Man', which almost sounds like something out of the catalogue of the great Burning Spear. The song is a celebration of Rastafari and all who walk the path in life ["Never negative, I always keep it positive - in the hills of South Manchester, where I live"]. 'Bongo Man' is glorious music and I call it a "celebration" and it is but of a most and, though not necessarily RAPTUROUS, it is everything you'd want from such a musical experience and a LOVELY way to end this album.

Musically, I do want to make the point that Daddy Natural and co. do an excellent job here. If you enjoy Roots music, particularly that of an older era, you will be delighted what you hear throughout "Dwelling Place". King Solomon Records has done Dubs before and I would LOVE to see, later this year, a complete Dub release of this album. And I do have to mention that I would have really liked to see a combination on this album... maybe next time. 

Overall, I think I've found another diamond in the proverbial rough and Dan Gio has DEFINITELY made a fan out of me. Like I said, what stands out is this awesome combination of someone who has musical training and experience and someone who is just giving us what The Almighty gave to him! That's a quality and a talent that I'm interested in hearing here and following going forward. I don't know how many people have heard and are going to hear "Dwelling Place" - probably not a great deal but for everyone who does, what they take away, at least in my opinion, is a BEAUTIFUL modern Roots Reggae set from a very interesting talent in Dan Gio, who reminds me of some very special people. One of the best albums I've heard this year. 

Rated 4.3/5

King Solomon Records

2026

{Also available on vinyl}

Not All That Glitters...: A review of Care About Me by Junior Kelly

Ab normal. It requires some very satisfying diligence but the reward for paying attention and keeping track of certain things can be downright life-changing at times. In this particular medium, I'm so happy to say that writing for this blog has both forced me to attempt to stay up with things going on in music but it's also long brought me to a place where people will help me. I've gotten so many fine suggestions over the years from readers and people in the industry alike that have stuck with me and will continue to for the rest of my days. We've talked about some truly talented individuals who, as they develop and ply their trades, have supplied the world with some absolutely amazing sound that I probably wouldn't have stumbled across otherwise as, seemingly, the more they work, the greater the possibility of something truly special occurring. On the other side of that: The tag counter on this blog currently says that I have written 663 reviews. Over the years, I've found some that haven't been labeled correctly and I've written quite a few other review-like articles as well. I have a secret for you: Some of them are trash. Some of them (probably a few dozen at this point) are extremely poorly written and repetitive and bland and that's just the way it is. If you do something often enough, eventually you'll do it badly (if you walk enough, you'll stumble; talk enough, you'll say something dumb), regardless of how talented and good at it you may be. Even the greatest athlete has a bad game and the greatest actor has turned in a few duds in their career for whatever reason. Sometimes we try to [over]analyze and find out the reason and sometimes we're able to do it but, maybe, the ultimate, underlying reason is that we are human beings - therefore we are INCREDIBLY FLAWED and that's just fine (well it isn't but... it has to be because we can't do anything about it). So while I have no concept of certain others paths, I'm definitely full of empathy when I come across something that may be less than what I expect. I'm a Sizzla fan, he remains my absolute favourite and, specifically given the ridiculous size of his output, Kalonji has probably had more BAD full albums than several of his peers have albums altogether (and it's been a minute since he's had a good one in his current form). And despite that, I'm still a fan. At his pinnacle, that man made music that changed my life and I wouldn't be doing this at all if not for what he's done.

So the good news is that, after today, I will still be a Junior Kelly fan. There is bad news though, unfortunately. On the surface, in continuing the beautiful run that we've been experiencing in 2026, throwing yet another log on this fire is a great thing. Specifically in sticking with his peers -- in terms of decorated and celebrated modern Roots Reggae artists -- Kelly joins the likes of Capleton, Queen Ifrica, Buju Banton (even though that was a Dancehall album, he still counts), Anthony B, Gentleman and others (Torch) in releasing an album. Furthermore, I was pretty happy when I learned what, or WHO, the circumstances behind the new release was (<that makes no sense at all but stay with me, I'm going to clean it up). A Junior Kelly album in 2026 produced by Al.Ta.Fa.An is downright appetizing as the outfit has been amongst the most reliable of the era (and they still are after this) but.... something happened fairly on in listening to "Care For Me" and it... just never quite recovered.

2013

Right after I finish this, I'm going to get going on the next Signatures feature which will have Junior Kelly as its subject, so I won't spend a great deal of time on his background but the probable pinnacle of him, on the album side at least, came during his time with VP Records. 2001's "Love So Nice", so named after what remains the biggest hit of the Kingston native's career, is the single finest set of his Junior Kelly's entire career but artist and label also produced magic two years on with "Smile"; another two years on, in 2005, with "Tough Life" ["Buckle up mi belt; lace up mi boot. Ready fi kill di devil; ready fi slew di brute"] and then again in 2010 with the criminally overlooked "Red Pond". So, he has FINE efforts to his credit and I could go half a step back for pieces such as a "Rise", "Juvenile" and a personal favourite of mine, "Conscious Voice" (I'm going to have so much fun putting together a Signatures for Junior Kelly!), all from the just around the turn of the century. You'll also find a pretty solid and very interesting release in Kelly's catalogue, dating back to 2013, by the name of "Piece Of The Pie". That album was distributed through a wing of VP Records, VPAL, and was produced by a little label that went by the name offfffffffffff Al.Ta.Fa.An. I enjoyed "Piece Of The Pie from the first time I heard it and it's grown in stature in the subsequent years as it features a pair of bona fide personal classics for me in 'Creator' and 'Dem A Wonder', the latter featuring our old friend, Smiley (who just up and retired one day) (biggup Smiley). "Piece Of The Pie" is just a very solid slice of modern Roots Reggae music and it showed (as if you need proof of such a thing) that Junior Kelly could get on quite well with Anthony Senior, Taffari and co. at Al.Ta.Fa.An. On top of that, Kelly and "ATFA" have a direct history going all the way back to the early 2000s which would include a relatively sizable hit he scored atop one of their very popular riddims, the Tsahai, 'Receive'. And just in case you're unfamiliar and don't know their history, ATFA has worked alongside.... pretty much everyone including.... yeah, pretty much everyone you can think of and have made full albums with several of them as well. So with all of that in consideration, it goes to make it even stranger that in 2026, Junior Kelly & Al.Ta.Fa.An do an album together that is.... pretty bad, actually. This is an ugly job and it will not be fun. Let's just get it over with. 

When he's in the vicinity of his best form, Junior Kelly has a very dynamic and exciting style to him. He combines this big, beautiful and BOOMING chanting voice with a strong sense of melody and it results in a catchy, infectious brand of Roots Reggae music. He also has some a little spite to him as well. He has this RASP to his voice which he uses liberally to strong effect (Determine also had something similar but was less talented, vocally, and more talented, lyrically, than Kelly) (Determine, lyrically, was more talented than damn near everyone). I say that to you as a reference; what to look for when you are actually hearing him doing well, because you'll find very little [virtually none] of that throughout "Care For Me". This album is odd; it's messy (in a bad way) and it's... just... not pleasant to listen to which is a damn tragedy in regards to a piece of music from Junior Kelly. I'll give you a good example of precisely what I mean as the very first tune on Junior Kelly's new album, "Care For You", 'Biginning Of Wisdom', shows it off perfectly. Two things before we even get into the actual music: First of all, I don't know if that's an intentional misspelling of the title or a typo but it's very strange; even stranger is the fact that it's the title at all. It has nothing to do with what is actually behind it and I didn't hear "beginning [or "biginning"] of wisdom" in the song at all, as a statement. As for the song, once upon a time, before I had actually laid ears on the complete tune and was just listening through [chorus heavy] clips of it, I had earmarked it as a/THE potential winner for this album. It most certainly is not and, again, it largely shows what the problem with the entire album behind it is.

Besides the chorus, it almost seems like Junior Kelly's headphones are not working properly because it often appears as if he... doesn't even hear the damn riddim at all. There's a huge disconnect between his delivery and the actual riddim (speaking of the riddim, it's gorgeous. I don't know the name of it but it sticks in my mind as the same one behind the MASSIVE 'Don't Cry' by Anthony B & Mark Wonder). The end-product is a damn mess and just no fun to listen to at all... but it's still one of the better songs on this album. Up next is a tune that starts off sounding pretty nicely but, SHOCKINGLY, soon falls apart (and it doesn't even wait until the chorus to do it), 'Take From The Poor'.  The tune features Luciano-styled vocalist, Jah Eyes who, PROBABLY, steals what little 'show' there actually is as Kelly, himself, isn't in a good way here; he's frenetic and spotty. The song also isn't written well at all (on either end) and its legitimate highlight comes near its end where the instrumentals are allowed to play completely sans vocals. To his credit, I have heard other tracks from Jah Eyes and he's better  than the taste you'll get from him on 'Take From The Poor'. While 'Hurt So Bad' does not cause actual physical pain to listen to, it will require quite an effort. This one is flash with no substance at all, atop a kind of a Jazzy type of riddim (which may not actually be so bad if you take it out of this atmosphere and place it in a different space): It does absolutely nothing with its broken-hearted approach. The vocals are chaotic and the delivery is poor and 'Hurt So Bad' really has no redeeming qualities in my opinion... but it still isn't the album's WORST moment, one tune here actually manages to outdo... underdo it. "Care About Me" has a peculiar relationship with combinations as it both hits its ground-level heights and FLATLINES with such creations, The best song on this album is either 'Powerfull' or 'Children Are The Future', featuring Aimann Raad & Blessed, respectively. I want to stress the point that neither of them are anything special and if I had to rank them as tunes, 'Children Are The Future', which I would rank slightly higher, would probably tick in somewhere in the range of 5-5.5 at best (and listening to it now.... I'm thinking about lowering that ceiling). They both do, however, at least make a conscious attempt at maintaining a melody. 'Powerfull' for its part is damn odd (it's another one that seems to have a slight disconnect between vocals and riddim... something's just OFF with that damn song) while 'Children Are The Future' is dripping in mediocrity and did I mention there's the best that it gets for this one. 

"Care For Me" hits proverbial rock-bottom during the other piece here which enlists some help, 'Relax'. Here, Junior Kelly taps someone I've never heard of, Ras Kuda, and, together, the two create.... TRASH. Take an uninspired, STRANGE, delivery and combine it with virtually no lyrics of substance and you have a legitimately BAD song which is what 'Relax' here and it's a damn shame as it's a waste of what is a SWEET riddim... the same one that plays behind the aforementioned classic, 'Dem A Wonder'. THAT song was excellent - this song is not. Also settling somewhere super-south of sublime is the awkward title track. I've decided to stop making the same complaint about these songs and, instead, will just reiterate prior to closing this review out but 'Care For Me' features the same warts as many of the songs on the album named after it but, to its credit (I GUESS), it's on the better side of efforts on the album, though, AGAIN, far from anything substantial, while being crude and graceless as it could possibly be. 'Make You Happy' is a song with which I was familiar (and I knew it because as soon as I heard the chorus I started singing along with it) but I know it under a different name, 'Try Me', on the Devil's Angel Riddim (that Bunji Garlin once blessed with the brilliant 'Mr. Murder'). 'Try Me' wasn't very good though, for some reason, I remember it being a little better than 'Make You Happy'... if that makes any sense. The chorus is one of the finest on the entire album but everything apart from it is a step or two beneath average; actually making it one of the best songs on this thing. The obligator ganja tune, 'Mi Chalice', does have a moment or two ["Herb mi ah push up inna trolley and stroller"] but it also features the same, running critique I have of many [virtually all of them] of the others on "Care For Me" which I will get back to right after I tell about the final song, the half woeful/half awesome 'That Empress'. I'll make this one quick for you:

"You won't want your man back cause I'm the king in the sack"

That ^there^ is all you need to know about the vocals on 'That Empress'. HOWEVER and THANKFULLY, Kelly sits out the final three and a half minutes or so of the song and we just get the riddim itself and, because of that, if you wanted to overlook its first forty percent or so and just call 'That Empress' THE best song on the album - go right ahead and, frankly, they could have done this with the other nine songs and we all would have been better off for it. 

Okay! As I've been alluding to (and as I've even said a few times), there is a glaringly prevailingly AWFUL 'trend' found throughout "Care For Me" which is a consistently bad delivery from Junior Kelly. No, it isnt the best written either but you could live with it and the music is just fine; what makes the album so damn difficult to listen to, in my opinion, is Kelly, himself. He is in a poor form. Gone is his command of melody and wonderful usage of that BIG voice that he has. It's gone on holiday for this album and that's a damn shame. "Care For Me" is a Junior Kelly album that is really tough to listen to and that just should not happen.

Overall, like I said, a miss here and there is just going to happen (by comparison, "Care For Me" is still better than what I consider to be Sizzla's worst album, "Addicted") and it has CLEARLY happened here. The album, literally, seems like it hamstrings its star (...to the fault of its star); it takes what he does best and minimizes it as much as it possibly can. There's also something kind of just... OFF about it, in general. It feels like it was hurried about - with the typo of the first song title (and how strange it is) and the renaming of another tune and then, of course, how much [...virtually all of it] of it sounds. On paper, you take "New Junior Kelly album, produced by Al.Ta.Fa.An" and you've got my attention, my anticipation and I'm all over that thing but what happens turns out to be one massive disappointment. Off the top of my head, "Care For Me" lays a a major claim to being both one of the worst albums Junior Kelly has ever done AND one of the worst that anyone has done in 2026. Awful. 

Rated: 1.5/5

Al.Ta.Fa.An

2026

Mini-Review: Unconquerable by Mosiah

"Unconquerable" by Mosiah [House Of Riddim]

A couple of years ago, we told you about a promising up and comer from out of Trinidad who'd just delivered his impressive debut album, "I-Frequency", by the name of Mosiah. That album was very nice and featured standouts such as 'Economic Slavery', 'Black Livity', the all-conquering 'More Than Gold', 'See It Clearly' and others and though it didn't seem to get too much attention, it definitely made an impression on me. Furthermore, I'd also heard some other things from Mosiah, including an extended interview, and he seemed a very nice person and I made a point out of keeping an eye on what he was up to. "I-Frequency" came via label from out of Germany (where Mosiah calls home these days), Ragatac {whos company motto is the SWEET "We play hot Reggae for cool people"), Mosiah also had a history, dating back a few years or so in working with the venerable House Of Riddim, in Austria and while we wait on his next full length release, Mosiah & HOR collaborated earlier this year on an EP that definitely caught my attention, "Unconquerable".

2024

I made a note to do something with it because my initial listens were pretty solid, as expected, but the gift that 2026 has been has continuously given more and more and "Unconquerable" slipped between the proverbial cracks (just like Dezarie's EP, "7th Heaven" is doing right now) but we're back to it now and it's a perfect subject for a mini-review, in my opinion. I do want to mention something: In the review for "I-Frequency", I drew a comparison from Mosiah, in terms of style, to Kabaka Pyramid and I stand by that but he also reminds me a bit of Cruzan chanter, 'Original Nine Fingers', Xkaliba. The two share a tone and biggup Xkaliba (who is, hopefully, somewhere working on new music... cause it's been a minute). And I also feel inclined to mention that, back in 2017, Mosiah released another EP (also via Ragatac), "Chant Tafari", which was very nice and shows that EPs are a part of his plan and... they're working (and hopefully history doesn't directly repeat itself here and we don't have to wait until... 2033, like we did in the seven years between first EP and first album)! 

"Unconquerable" gets going via big winner - the song it is named after. 'Unconquerable'. The title track has  a beautiful energy to it initially and what Mosiah is able to do with that vigour is damn impressive.

"Mi no si no obstacles one caan go ovah-

From you trod di path of right and praise Jahovia

Ever vigilant wid God inna heart, cah man a soljah

And wi no come fi sleep, no come fi bow, wi come fi conquah

Trod on wid hope & grace-

And Jah Jah take you through di challenges you face

Trod wid HIM, I seh go over wid no trace

Yes, wi haffi overcome!"

It also helps matters that HOR, of course, supplies him with a top notch track as, EASILY, 'Unconquerable' is amongst the very best offerings you'll find here. 

One of the pair of songs that can actually lay a solid claim to being even stronger than the opener, 'Show More Love' is up next. 'Show More Love' is gorgeous and it has just a little bite to it. There's something spicy to it but the message here is both very simple (you know exactly what this song is about) and ever-present in the genre, so the steam behind this one does go a ways in setting it apart from the [absolutely massive] pack of similarly steered tunes. I'd also add that you should really take in the words here because Mosiah serves up a stretch or two (such as the entirety of the second verse.... literally ALL OF IT) that dazzle during 'Show More Love'. To me (and probably only to me), 'Rule Your Destiny' has somewhat of a similar vibes to it as 'Show More Love' and it's also nearly as strong. 'Rule Your Destiny' is a little... disorderly. It isn't very neat; it's a little unkempt and I mean that as a compliment, which does separate it from that immaculate piece just ahead of it but also works well for it.

Sometimes you just have to take a minute to give thanks and give praise for your life and what you have in it and that is precisely what Mosiah does during the well-recognizable 'Nothing Above You'. This tune originates back a couple of years or so and I'd heard it but I don't think that I'd ever really tune it in because, listening to it on "Unconquerable", sends this thing... somewhere else. It's just MUCH better than I remember it being. Particularly for the type of selection it is, 'Nothing Above You' is really clever in its lyrics and it just GLOWS. Looking for a song on this EP that's really going to pick you up and make you feel nice? Your search stops at 'Nothing Above You'. "Unconquerable" pinnacles, at least in my opinion, during its most recognizable offering, 'Revolution Time', a big combination featuring another powerful chanter from out of Trinidad, Jah Defender. The Defender has been burning lately and the most robust piece of evidence of this came back in June, when he released his own album through House Of Riddim, "Endurance". 'Revolution Time' is a HEALTHY, all-encompassing call for change and a BEAUTIFUL contrast of styles. Mosiah, is more animated. There're a lot of things going on in his music; while Jah Defender is grounded and more traditional in his approach (you REALLY notice it about a minute and half in, when Defender's verse comes up. The song seems to come to a halt in the transition before resuming at the same extremely high level. 'Revolution Time' is excellent and I hope (and assume) that it won't be the final time these two link up for a song (maybe someone will call the Queen to join them next time too!) (biggup Queen Omega). Finally is the sweet vibed 'Never Lose Your Way'. There's a whole lot of common sense all over this tune and I love how it simplifies things to a degree that it provides such a poignant punchline to "Unconquerable" as a whole:

"NEVER BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF!"

Sure, you have to deal with certain things and you will have your struggles but EVERY THING doesn't have to be a battle with some unknown enemy.... named You. Again, the song has a very nice sound to it as well and it sends us on our way forward with a nice message and feeling good about our prospects.

Overall, if you caught onto Mosiah at "I-Frequency" (or even if you didn't), you'll be delighted with what you hear throughout "Unconquerable" as it builds on more of the same sound established by the album. He has a very fresh and FUN style to him and I used the phrase "beautiful energy", which I think really describes how I feel about his work. Take that energy and combine it with standard, typical mastery from House Of Riddim and "Unconquerable" proves to be one of the better EPs that I've come across in a loaded and lauded 2026.