I have to credit where it’s due and big respect to the Reggae labels over the years who have at least somewhat faithfully (until recently) been very good and ‘accurate’ with releasing riddim albums to the masses. Up until 2006 or so, in fact, you could pretty much count on ANY riddim, from anywhere on the planet which was doing quite a bit of damage, Dancehall or Roots, to appear on an album and do so in fairly short order. When done at their absolute best, such as VP Record’s famed Riddim Driven series or Greensleeves’ Rhythm album series, the releases can be downright invaluable in terms of promotions (the DJ’s love them, especially internationally) and useful to fans. Thus, it’s no surprise that in the relatively recent Reggae history, the riddim album has been a staple for almost all labels, new and old. All of that being said, however, for whatever the reason, be it the producer’s unwillingness (or just flat out none desire) to do such a thing (or voice enough artists to) or a lack of interest in distributors, especially these days, there have been a few riddims, here and there which I personally had hoped would have made it to some kind of OFFICIAL album form that just unfortunately haven’t. The first one on my mind would DEFINITELY be TJ’s MASSIVE Unfinished Business riddim. The hardcore Dancehall riddim would have been a virtual LOCK for Greensleeves about four or five years back but now, maybe not so much. Also, given the spot of controversy surrounding it, it’s not too hard to see why the album didn’t materialize (and now figures just not to at all), but that same controversy didn’t stop VP Records from featuring the Unfinished Business’ most well tune, Mavado’s So Special, as a BIG single worldwide, now did it (and voicing the riddim alongside Mavado were just ‘nobodies‘ such as Beenie Man, Buju Banton, Vybz Kartel and Assassin)? In a very similar situation was another very hardcore Dancehall riddim (and my own personal favourite such riddim from 2008 altogether) John John’s remake of the Mad Dog riddim (as the ‘Madd Dogg‘) which was absolutely SCATHING and because it was a remake would have seemingly set itself up as a nice package deal for an album (old meeting new style). You can add to that list a whole heap of new riddims from Don Corleon who, although he does still push out albums, does so, almost exclusively, through the Japanese market and I could go on and on about the old Xterminator riddims and Star Trail riddims that never came through on album projects, despite the fact that I feel they (like the albums built for artists off of them) could have been VERY successful and the MUSIC was just BIG.
Incidentally, another piece which had been on my mind as to riddims, as of late, which seemed like naturals to make it to albums but never actually did was a piece which I only heard on two (I THINK) different songs but was so NICE that I couldn’t get it out of my head and a lot of people couldn’t either as the signature and title tune for the riddim, Lutan Fyah’s No Peace In Spanish Town, was a definitive local hit in Jamaica and remains one of the chanter’s biggest commercial hits to date. The riddim was (I THINK) originally released by a very solid Dela Vega city based label named Mac D. That same label would also originally release a next riddim I had been waiting on which made its name standing on the shoulders of a very strong Lutan Fyah release, St. Jago De La Vega, which would celebrate the historical area which birthed him (and houses the label in question here) and do so on downright EPIC levels. I had heard only a handful of tunes when the riddim was first release sometime in 2007 I believe and the thing was NICE. With its heavy reliance on the Spanish guitar and nothing else really to dictate an inherent melody setting for the artists, the “Vega” was a riddim which almost COMPLETELY leaves the attraction of a given tune to the talents (or lack thereof) of the particular artist who is voicing it. And while I typically don’t find myself liking such compositions (at least not for Reggae music) the Vega absolutely caught my attentions and, although it seemed COMPLETELY unlikely, I would have loved an OFFICIAL album of the riddim. Well, fast-forward just a couple a years down the line and apparently my ‘wish’ has come true as Mac D, now a part of the entertainment group which is the Spanish Town based House Of Hits (which is the official label name now for releases (House Of Hits Records)), has brought together the previously recorded material with some new(er) releases and slapped them altogether on a very BIG riddim release, the Saint Jago Dela Vega. The album comes via House Of Hits’ partnership with the infinitely popular Zojak Worldwide on the digital side and is the second (of MANY, hopefully) collaborations in that respect following the OUTSTANDING release of the Sweetness Riddim album from just a few weeks back. Even before getting into the Vega album you see that it has pretty large shoes to fill in the form of following the Sweetness and LUCKILY the strangely vibed riddim which blessed Lutan Fyah with one of his biggest hits is also served well by many of the other artists who take a chance at it. Just like on the Sweetness riddim, the Vega’s artist selection from label owner Steble McDermott and producer Elvis Grant is ON POINT. The artist comprising the eighteen tracks here are a very nice mix of up and coming and lesser known established types with a few of the biggest names altogether in the Roots Reggae genre (with, shockingly, a few hardcore Dancehall standouts also). I found it quite odd that, despite the fact that the Vega is obviously a bit more difficult to get a grasp of, just about ALL of the artists who gave it a shot do quite well, even in situations where I didn’t exactly LOVE the song too much. The end result of such a very nice occurrence (as you might imagine) is yet another very STRONG release from House Of Hits as the Saint Jago Dela Vega moves them even further up my list of favourite labels going today.
Personally, I had been REALLY looking forward to this album in the two weeks or so between learning that it was coming and actually receiving it and when I saw the tracklist which included quite a few tunes I didn’t know (from artists I didn’t know had even touched the Vega) it made my anticipation of it even that much more. Taking the first shot at proving the Saint Jago Dela Vega riddim album’s worth is veteran former Stone Love singer (I THINK) Bobby Crystal who has been doing a few things here and there in the past few years nothing has really caught my ear but his effort here, the generic but solid Hot Girl is pretty decent. The tune relies heavily on the kind of Spanish theme (which is easy) but Crystal definitely provides it with a bit of individuality and uniqueness with his vocals and the LOVELY melody he pursues on the tune. Decent enough opener. If Bobby Crystal didn’t catch your attentions (or if you didn’t know who the hell he was), then certainly that is taken care of on the next tune on Vega as big man Capleton takes the Vega to the next level with the nearly MASSIVE Dem Get Corell. I like the tune on different levels but largely due to the fact that the fireman almost COMPLETELY ignores the kind of uniqueness the riddim provides on its own and instead makes IT follow him as he goes straight forward in his typical aggressive vibes (although not at his highest level of aggression necessarily) which works wonders on the tune which stands as a reminded to live as clean as you possibly can. One the album’s best definitely. The first pull out of the ordinary is up next as Dancehall heathen Vybz Kartel surprisingly latches on the Vega in the form of his very well done tune, Ghetto Youth Rise. I’m the first critic of Kartel these days but I definitely have to give credit where it’s due as Ghetto Youth Rise is a nice tune. It would make sense that someone as unusual and unique as Kartel would virtually have his way with such a unique vibes and he doesn’t fumble at all on the tune. Hopefully he can push more efforts like this one which is the last bit of an altogether STRONG opening.
You look up and down the tracklist and you find yourself attracted to so many different interesting songs, even just on paper. The first, sequentially speaking, is none other than D’Angel who does very nice on the inspirational I’m Free which I had been enjoying since the very first time I heard it and she’s an artist who is potentially VERY marketable but she doesn’t appear on that many international releases so definitely this one should help. The next on paper standout and a BIG TUNE is definitely the combination Sunshine from Munga Honourable alongside Jah Cure. While the fact that they’re on a tune together may surprise some, the fact that it works shouldn’t as the Cure has CONSTANTLY proven himself a nice compliment to other artists and Munga is no different on the outstandingly vibed Sunshine. It was also interesting to see Kiprich on the riddim but he too does a pretty good job with the typical story styled How She Stay So. Of the more expected likes, of course, it’s Lutan Fyah who takes the crown as the best tune on the riddim with the HUGE title track for the Vega which, if I recall correctly, was amongst the very first (and may have been THE first) Jamaican number one tune of his career and you get into the tune and you’ll definitely see why. Fyah, kind of like Capleton, dictates to the riddim where he wants it to go and not vice-versa and he takes it to BRILLIANCE. The definitive highlight of the actual song is when Fyah starts calling on some of his peers to be played more and more regarded (and I was VERY happy that he called on WICKED Spanish Town chanter Leopard), in a stirring section of the MASSIVE song and the riddim’s best. Also, not to be overlooked is Junior Kelly (who Fyah also calls on) whose tune, the colourful Narrow Escape, was probably the second biggest hit from the riddim and did quite a bit of damage for the veteran and you’ll definitely appreciate it as Kelly clearly had quite a bit of fun with the song. Speaking of overlooked DEFINITELY check Ras Charmer’s BIG tune Zion Awake which is amongst the top class of tunes here. Charmer was also present on the Sweetness and he has quite a bit of success working House Of Hits apparently as Zion Awake is such a nice tune in praise of His Majesty. And speaking of artists appearing on the Sweetness (SEAMLESS TRANSITIONS IN THIS REVIEW!), the scintillating Chrisinti returns to do serious WORK on the Vega with another standout, the Afrikan uplifting Born As A King. I REALLY can dig into this vibe when I spin this tune and I would suggest you do the same, spin it AT LEAST a few times before you judge its true quality. The two (only two, surprisingly) artists here which I’m sure that House Of Hits would most like you to focus on are HOH official artists Emmanuel Stain and Stream. Shockingly not appearing is the very promising Marley Campbell, who is the third of their artists and one would have thought that HOH would have definitely voiced him for this riddim/release. Stain and Stream do well enough for themselves, especially Stain whose Stand Firm is one of the best songs I heard on the Vega. And another House Of Hits regular (who actually voiced the aforementioned Spanish Town riddim), Koolant also does quite . . . WONDERFUL (not quite) with his tune for the ladies, Wonderful. Down With Your Folly from Jah Mason is another of the biggest tunes here as the MASON goes on PURE knowledge on the chanting down Babylon and oppression on every street corner. I’m also tempted to briefly mention Laza (of LMS fame) as I CONSTANTLY find myself ‘running into’ members of the Morgan family these days on a musical level and his tune, No Pretty Out Deh, isn’t amongst my favourites on the riddim but it certainly isn’t bad. And maybe they didn’t include the very Sizzla-sounding Marley on the Vega riddim because HOH just linked Sizzla, himself. His effort here, I Want To Love You is a pretty middle of the road type of tune in terms of quality but, even today I get a smile when I run into Sizzla’s music unexpectedly (and this tune is, by no means, BAD). Sizzla sets the stage for the aforementioned Stream who sends out the album on a decent note with her kind of R&B-ish Woo Baby.
Overall, the same seal of approval I placed on the Sweetness: I’m copying it and applying it to the Saint Jago Dela Vega. The most interesting thing here musically, in my opinion, is that I have a standard for riddim albums of sort and the Vega kind of meets that standard without even really doing it. I always say that it’s very nice when a producer can at least try and give a riddim some sort of individuality through reworking it a lot or even here and there and while there are exceptions (like No Doubt riddims which are just typically SO NICE), I’m usually pretty hard on that point. However, the Vega makes no obvious attempts to change itself but it’s SO ‘naturally’ unique that, as I said before, it really lends itself to being a hit or miss based on the artists themselves who, at this level, don’t (or at least shouldn’t) have any problems differentiating themselves from their peers. The riddim itself, certainly didn’t have that problem and you won’t either should you decide to pick up the Saint Jago Dela Vega riddim album. Another fine release in, albeit not the strongest year for the riddim album in terms of quantity, but maybe one of the strongest in terms of QUALITY in recent years (now if they could just get that Spanish Town riddim out. . . ).
{note: Review is of digital version of the album, physical version apparently has two more songs - Ras Peter's Spanish Guitar & Mr. Crime by Spring I}
Rated 4/5
House Of Hits/Zojak Worldwide
2009
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