Pressure - The Pressure Is On (Tsuni Records 2005)
Making a debut album can be quite a tricky thing, especially in Reggae. When you take an artist that is potentially an unknown and try to expose him/her to audiences who potentially know ABSOLUTELY nothing about them, you're selling so much more in my opinion, than someone who they may not really know about but see on their televisions and hear on their radios on a daily basis. Unfortunately in Reggae we don't actually have those type of luxuries but WONDERFULLY some still get it right. Back in 2005, Dean Pond and company got it right when they introduced the world to one of the most powerful rising talents in Reggae music and an artist who would, just a couple of years later, EXPLODE on the scene to a MASSIVE degree. Pressure's debut album, The Pressure Is On, marked the arrival of an artist who would become a household name in Reggae and did so, not as an artist in some random state of development but as an already finished product. What came later notwithstanding, The Pressure Is On was AMAZING and probably one of THE, if not THE, greatest debut in Reggae for the past quarter century.
1. 'The Pressure Is On'
By far, this tune stood as not only the signature song for the album named after it but Pressure’s entire career as a whole up until the boom that Love & Affection dropped. The song is a mid-tempo MARVEL and sounds so much like something one of Pressure’s then more popular Jamaican peers not only might have done but done at the same time. Each and every one of them would have struggled to do it the justice as Pressure, indeed. The song with the HUGE unifying vibes was utter brilliance.
Line of the song: “Tell me something Mr. Jacket and Tie cause straight from the ghetto I come”
2. 'Zion Is Home'
Four years later and the SWEET SWEET Zion Is Home remains my favourite tune altogether on The Pressure Is On. Talk about UNIFICATION, Zion Is Home did everything the title tune did but with such a LOVELY vibes and even more lyrical depth in my opinion. The song just flowed so nicely and personally for me from each and every technical aspect even besides the vibes, the song is probably the best he’s ever done to date. Period.
Line of the song: “Red, gold and green laces, we’re a nation not races. In our heart is where the word of JAH appears” (BRILLIANCE!)
3. 'Feel So Right'
One for the vibe itself. Not the most expected tune and a definite change-up of sorts Feel So Right, in retrospect perhaps wasn’t so out of place after all. Especially considering its place on the album, the song had such a wonderful vibes and PACING to it that it changed things from one side. . . But really not from the other and when held up to even more scrutiny than most of the other tunes on the album, Feels So Right did exactly what the title suggested it would.
Line of the song: “Haffi have it inna mi car, have it inna mi home. Tell dem I was born with Reggae Music Syndrome. Dance to the riddim, keep your body in tone. Di music bring us together like toenail ingrown”
4. 'In My World'
Over a very complex riddim (which features a Spanish sounding guitar, what sounds like handclaps and a Arabian sounding sample) the vibe takes an unexpected step up in pace and degree when the kind of aggressive lover’s tune In My World stepped in. The song wasn’t quite what I’d (or you’d, hopefully) call Dancehall at all but if the first three tunes on this album were the first three you’d EVER heard from Pressure, he suddenly gave you a reason to think that he might be successful on that side as well with In My World.
Line of the song: “She say she used to deal with Ricky but Ricky like licky licky; what a pity. So she checked the Pressure quickly”
5. 'Light In You'
This one was more the standard sounding lover’s track but it wasn’t that from a lyrical standpoint. Instead, Pressure makes the case that the title specified ‘Light’ in us all was in fact His Majesty. The song also featured quite a bit of versatility from young Pressure (including a very Sizzla-like alto in the second verse (which is much better than Sizzla’s)) throughout. Some have called it sappy but to my ears, it was near magic.
Line of the song: “Look what Jah has done for us” (chorus punch line, dominant line of the song)
6. 'When Dem Come' featuring Glen Washington
It was veteran singer/musician Glen Washington from out of Clarendon of all people Dean Pond and co. tapped to work alongside Pressure and the results were OUTSTANDING. Young Pressure more than holds his own alongside Washington’s downright EPIC sounding earthly vocals. The song is backed by a sweet one-drop which provides the duo with such a simple backing over which to craft the HUGE vibes which they ultimately do. Years later and I’m still waiting for a sequel.
Line of the song: “When dem come, we’re gonna chant dem down with LOVE”
7. 'Ancient Woman'
Even more Dancehall-ish than In My World and the definitive ‘gal tune’ on The Pressure Is On, Ancient Woman was a tune I could probably best describe as SHARP. It can also be regarded as one of the most impressive tunes on the album as, if Pressure can ride this CRAZY riddim (which sounds like something you might hear backing a scene in an Indiana Jones film (biggup Raz Bin Sam)) then he can probably ride anything. Later efforts would prove just that but Ancient Woman might STILL have a claim to being one of the better of the crop.
Line of the song: “Empress straight from the ancient. Fragrance smell of myrrh and frankincense”
{note: There’s a controversial line in the tune which I disagree with if you take it from one side (and I don’t), as Pressure says in the first verse, “. . .Girl come and let us spend time so we can talk about what’s on your mind. She say ‘Queen Omega is divine and KING SELASSIE KEEP HER IN LINE‘”. Now the line is a quote from Pressure quoting ‘Girl’ and as I THINK he means keep her in line as in keep ‘Girl’ in line not Queen Omega and in the broader scope, man keeping woman ‘in line’. However, if he does mean it like that, then I definitely disagree. Everyone knows man doesn’t keep woman in line, woman, in fact, keeps man in line.}
8. 'Mama'
The obligatory (and well titled) Mama song and a LOVELY one at that. Had this album been sans a tune of this nature you’re almost tempted to look at Pressure funny for not making it, however, that he did make it and BLEW AWAY pretty much all expectations, he should be commended just as strict. The song doesn’t actually break any new ground in terms of songs like this (that may very well be impossible at this point) but the lovely kind of ethereal vibes the song has compiled with, of course, very solid wordplay by Pressure makes it a real winner and definitely one of the album’s finest efforts (the highlight being when Pressure movingly personalizes the tune by name-dropping his Mother! Biggup Carol Brown).
Line of the song: “I’ll be there for you when you’re down and feeling blue. So much love I have, that’s due. Carol Brown I honour you. May your blessings see you through. Mama you‘re the one from a chosen few”
#9. 'Buss Dem Brain'
Fitting isn’t that regal and royal Rastafarian Pressure would voice a tune name Buss Dem Brain and go on to link with the self-proclaimed ‘Gangsta Ras’, Munga Honourable at Don Corleone’s. The tune, however, while definitely aggressive doesn’t come anywhere near where you might imagine it might (and definitely not if Munga himself had voiced it). Instead, Pressure aims his lyrical and proverbial attack at the brains of corruption and just utter nastiness wherever it may exist (as opposed to Munga who would aim them at a wide array of people depending on his mood) and if that’s you, Buss Dem Brain definitely caught you for the fatal shot.
Line of the song: the entire first verse but in particular “. . .That’s why mi haffi praise Emperor Selassie I, who give I the strength to spread the music worldwide. All dem a gwan like everything deh pon file but them caan keep count the words of every Black child”
10. 'Ganja'
Just as on the Mother’s tune, Pressure gets to the point with the title of the obligatory herbalist tune on The Pressure Is On, Ganja, and does so in mighty fine style. With an electric guitar (and maybe a tuba) livening up a SOLID old-school vibed one-drop riddim backing him, Pressure delivers a very nice and somewhat ‘edgy’ ganja tune. This one, probably more so than any other on the album, takes awhile to grow on you as it is considerably less structured than most and has a very free-flowing type of an appeal. But when you catch that bit, you see the tune’s REAL strength.
Line of the song: “. . .Fi smoke the crack and cocaine I will not. Hey! Bad weed mi root it up and kill dat”
11. 'I Tried'
I Tried was another changeup for the album and probably, in retrospect, the most underappreciated tune on The Pressure Is On. It had a decidedly kind of ‘groovy’ or ‘funky’ type of vibes which can sometimes clash with the vibes on a Roots Reggae album but in my opinion that’s not what happened here. Instead I think the clash came with the actual tune itself as on the surface its a bit negative (it’s a jilted lover’s type of a tune) unlike most of the tunes (if not ALL) of the other tunes. HOWEVER, at times he also seems to lyrically point at not only better times of the past but also of the future (and even if it is negative, there are stretches in the tune which are absolutely BRILLIANT lyrically).
Line of the song: “Baby girl just give me what was. Remember love created what is and what was”
12. 'Live What U Talk'
The first of two signature tunes which bring the album to a close, Live What U Talk has gotten even better over the years than it originally was. The real attraction here (as it is on the entire album) is the message, even though it comes across a KNOCKING one-drop riddim. Pressure urges all to exude some honesty and in it some humility and live what you talk and talk what you live. Indeed.
Line of the song: “Its all about what you do, not what you say. You wanna lead? Hey! Lead the likkle youths the right way”
13. 'No Limitation'
EXCELLENCE! In it’s entire four minutes and fifty seconds of time, No Limitation establishes and maintains such a ROYAL level of vibes that if you really wanted to call it the best tune on The Pressure Is On, I wouldn’t put up any argument, none at all. The song is absolutely perfect throughout: Blessed with one of the biggest riddims on the album and of course Pressure himself in top form on the lyrical aspect of the song. Even though I consider Zion Is Home the best tune on the album, if you asked me for one tune which probably gives the best example of his talents on here, I would definitely point to No Limitation. The message is on point as I said as Pressure seeks to inspire to
Line of the song: “Never say you ‘can’t’ cause dat nah work. Get up and make a sacrifice cause dat caan hurt”
Synopsis: The prevailing message of Pressure's album The Pressure Is On, to my opinion, is UNITY. Even the songs which don't REALLY obstensibly deal with the subject, like Mama or I Tried, kind of do below the surface. Also, of course when you take a deep look at the title track (which has to mean something in terms of the general course of the album) that song is obstensibly and on every level about UNITY. Of course, unity alone isn't enough to make strides (if you are doing nothing and you unify, you will be nothing with someone else next to you doing nothing also) so we get WONDERFUL complimentary vibes like Mama and No Limitation and even Zion Is Home all of which, even in the case of Mama, expand on the concept of unity in giving a tangible direction to take it. To my ears, that's A+ material and in particular coming from what was a new artist at the time. These few short years later and I'm definitely not surprised on what Pressure has achieved alongside Don Corleone (who I even mentioned (as 'Vendetta') how nice it would have if Pressure could link with in my original review of the album three and a half years ago See Here) as this album EASILY showed someone who was capable of such output and even more. The Pressure Is On may still be the best debut album I've EVER heard and even if it isn't, from beginning to end it is absolutely SPARKLING! A wonderful testament to the artist and the vibes themselves and a bonafide MODERN REGGAE CLASSIC!
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