2009 has definitely been a year which has been quite heavy on the releases from the big names and, before it’s over, the year also figures to have at least of couple of more as well. We’ve seen so many powerful (and more so) popular releases from very well known names that I’m almost tired of recounting them at this point and I would imagine that Reggae album and song sales are up quite considerably from last year, definitely. However, if you take the biggest and ‘semi-biggest’ of those names out of the equation and just look at what remains, guess what. Things are just as strong. Each and every year we see the kind of middle of the pack and COMPLETELY unknown types making releases which reach international shores and, for the most part in my opinion, the vast majority of those pieces fail to make very much impact and not just because no one gets to hear them. What I’m saying is that if you look in those lesser watched and kind of Reggae HEAVY circles where there exists an audience (of which I myself am firmly a member) (hell, I’m probably the PM of them by this point) who will seek out these lesser known artists and their albums and singles, we’ve been treated VERY well in 2009. The first case I point to is the SPARKLING King Of Kings album from one King Hopeton. How many people right now do you think are enjoying that album and on how many corners do across the planet do you think the vibes are being appreciated and celebrated? I would bet (a lot to a very little) that not too many have even heard the name King Hopeton in respect to Reggae music, but the album was absolutely OUTSTANDING. Very similarly is the case of Nereus Joseph who STILL has my vote as the author of 2009’s best Reggae album PERIOD, with Real Rebels Can’t Die back in May or so. Again, although Joseph’s popularity is apparently decent in his homeland of the UK, I can’t imagine that his music is actually doing any type of damage worldwide which is a real shame because almost NO ONE besides hardcore Reggae heads (who buy just about anything) are able to get that BIG and POWERFUL message from Real Rebels Can’t Die. I’m so eager as well to put an individual such as Daweh Congo into that mix as well, although with the amount of time that he has been around, he’s probably picked up a couple of generations now of Reggae heads, but the same people who marked 2009 releases from the likes of Jah Cure, Buju Banton and Sizzla on the calendar of ‘things to do’, most likely didn’t do the same thing with Congo and a case (a rather strong one) could be made that his Ghetto Skyline is BETTER than all of the releases from that all star-studded trio. And, of course, there are more.
Like here. In the not too distant past, Gwada Reggae star Tiwony dropped his EXCELLENT new album, Viv La Vi. One of the main attractions going into that album was the presence of a tune which had become quite popular and especially online, Pagan Eyes. The tune featured Tiwony alongside one [Ras] Zacharri and was amongst the class on the album which proved to be, in and of itself, another BIG attraction for hardcore Reggae heads in 2009. If I recall correctly, the tune was actually orchestrated by Zacharri for his Shem Ha Boreh Records label’s No Violence riddim where it was the best tune also, in my opinion. Now, of course, I’m pretty much a solid fan of Tiwony’s and anytime he works alongside a Jamaican artist (especially one who has actual talent), it’s something that I’m most likely going to enjoy and Pagan Eyes was no different, but the song essentially introduced me to Zacharri of whom I had heard quite a bit about and just a few tunes and was even further impressed by. Tiwony reportedly isn’t Zacharri’s only popular link as he is also (again, reportedly) the nephew of aforementioned Reggae superstar Buju Banton (who he resembles a bit, to my eyes) and although we’ll have to wait for a nephew-uncle combination to that extent, what Zacharri has done instead is bolster an already potential WONDERFUL year of the aforementioned lesser and unknown artists by adding his debut album (I THINK) to the pot in the form of Herbs Man, so named after one of his bigger hits. Zacharri’s name is one which has been coming up more and more and he’s also showing that he just may have the potential in the next couple of years to put his name alongside some of the more popular in the game also (and DEFINITELY a combination with Buju, uncle or not, would help with that considerably, and personally I’d LOVE to hear it). I would go as far to say that Zacharri has actually become on of the REAL breakout stories of the past twelve months or so in Reggae music and as more and more fans worldwide get an opportunity to listen to his ‘plainly unique’ brand of vibes, I think he’ll definitely have a big opportunity to fulfill on the VAST potential that he is currently showing. As I alluded to, Zacharri’s style is a very simple one. He’s probably equally a chanter and a singer but he has a big BOOMING voice when he chooses to but in a SLOWER vibes. I would liken him to someone like Fantan Mojah, although their voices are very different, in terms of actual styles and application of those styles, I think that’s a pretty nice comparison (although Zacharri seems to have a better sense of melody and I’d probably say that Mojah is a bit more developed at this point. It is that simple niceness which exudes all over Herbs Man and, in my opinion, ends up REALLY lifting the vibes for this one and, at least right now (as it has been for a week or so) Herbs Man ranks quite highly on my players. The album comes via the same previously mentioned Shem Ha Boreh Records who released the No Violence riddim (although, surprisingly, both Pagan Eyes and the riddim’s title tune (from Zacharri also) are absent from Herbs Man), which subsequently means that you can be absolutely sure that Zacharri ran the show and Herbs Man is probably pretty close to being EXACTLY what he wanted it to be. The question, however, is will it be what YOU want it to be. I’m not completely sure, but I think it’ll come pretty close at the end as Zacharri takes the listener on a dynamic and DRIVEN trip of powerful Roots Reggae.
There’s something with a kind of an indescribable ‘hitch’ to Ras Zacharri’s vibes. I’m having a hard time putting my finger on it and it’s something that’s definitely worth mentioning as, at least in my opinion, it basically keeps me from BROADLY lumping him into the category of artists such as Lutan Fyah, Jah Mason and even Turbulence, to an extent and it’s very nice. Whatever “it” is makes its first go on Herbs Man on a STIRRING intro by the name of Yad Hat Waw Hay. It’s a nice and electric intro which I could definitely see Zacharri using in a live show and it works just as much here. The first actual song on Herbs Man, to no surprise, is the title track which was one of the tunes that definitely won Zacharri quite a few fans and it should continue to do that right here as Herbs Man is BIG tune. You hear rather dry and LAME herb tunes from so many and I like to definitely give credit when someone can take such a song and make it sound refreshing (like Batch and Luciano) and that’s exactly what Zacharri does here. You listen to this tune and you don’t hear anything so far out of the ordinary, but it sounds SO NICE and so ORIGINAL that you can’t just play it a one time and walk away. If you wanted to call it the album’s best (and you probably will) I wouldn’t argue, it’s right up there definitely. Big song. The very FULL sounding Dem A Fight I is in next and it continues the big vibes here in an outstanding way! The song speaks of dealing with negative and just corrupted individuals who fight against righteousness and positive men and Zacharri delivers the good here, both in terms of actual SOUND and lyrically as well! Another big one. And then there’s We Survive. I don’t know if I wasn’t really listening to the song or what, but I had to listen to We Survive about five times before I got the message and the vibes. And??? I LOVE IT! We Survive is the best tune I heard on Herbs Man altogether. The tune is a song speaking about the LONGEVITY of the Rastaman and for me, it just hit me so personal as far as my own walk because I’ve definitely been through some interesting things walking this ‘direction’ in life and it just resonates on HUGE levels. I’ll probably be the only one (I would think the consensus choice for the best tune here would be the title track), but I don’t care. We Survive is an AMAZING song and it completes a nearly just as amazing opening.
Although what may have been the most anticipated combination on Herbs Man, Pagan Eyes, is absent, that doesn’t mean that Ras Zacharri exactly goes at things alone either. Nope. Instead he calls in two LEGENDARY friends and one who may be a legend someday as well. The first is previous single Ruff Road, alongside (potential legend) the always STRONG Natty King. The King just makes things sound BETTER. Whoever you are, whatever style of music you make, you should make a combination with Natty King. Here, he compliments Zacharri very nicely to the tune of one of the best songs on Herbs Man as the two speak of the hard road so many go through and how NECESSARY that journey is to make. Luciano later joins the fun with an older tune, the EPICALLY COOL River Jordan where he declares himself ready to cross River Jordan with, “Bible in mi life hand, mi rod inna mi right”, on yet another big tune. The last combination features the incomparable Gregory Isaacs on Knock Knock, a sweet lovers tune. I do have to respectfully say that I don’t think Isaacs has sounded very well as of late and Knock Knock finds him in a similar key, but the song is still quite nice and it has a bit of an ADDICTIVE substance to it so, although it isn’t amongst my favourites on Herbs Man, I’ve probably listened to more than most of the other tunes. The quality doesn’t DIP at all when Zacharri takes things on his own and you might even argue that the vibes get stronger to a degree. Check the downright STUNNING Jah Reign which finds Zacharri CLEARLY declaring where his allegiances lie and with Whom (if you need some help in determining them) on the subtly SWEET sounding tune (it utilizes a lick of Dennis Brown‘s timeless Revolution riddim). The tune Never Give Up On Jah comes in like an R&B vibes before ascending into some brilliant Reggae stratosphere with one of the best efforts here. I mentioned “plainly unique” and that’s exemplified WELL here as the song is just so straight forward but SO nice and I literally had tears in my eyes listening through it one time. Zacharri channels the (LIVING) spirit of Nasio on Black & Comely (it’s not a cover) but definitely leaves his own stamp on the title with the moving vibes. The tune sets the stage for the final two original pieces on Herbs Man, Too Much Youths A Die and Gun, Bombs & Bullets. Too Much Youths A Die may be my least favourite piece here, but its definitely not a BAD tune actually (it has a kind of ‘pulsing’ edge to it and it almost seems like Zacharri changes his own delivery to ‘keep up’ a bit. Guns, Bombs & Bullets, however, is MASSIVE! The song comes in so nicely and maintains that same high level throughout to my ears. He definitely does amp up the intensity, but it sounds more ORGANIC to him and I like the kind of free flowing nature of the EPIC anti-violence tune for the world.
The final three tunes on Ras Zacharri’s Herbs Man album are three mixes of some of the tunes. The first is a very nice ‘Binghi Mix’ of Dem A Fight I, which has the drums turned way up (DUH) and sounds arguably better than the original. There is an instrumental cut of Ruff Road which has some nice typically Dub elements mixed in and I really liked it also. The best of the three, however, to my ears, is the ‘Instrumental Melodica Mix’ of the title track. It sounds like something out of a Spaghetti Western as a Melodica is used in the place of (and using the same melody of) Zacharri’s original vocals. I’m not AT ALL going to say it tops the vocal version, but if I didn’t find myself whistling this song LONG after it had completed, then I must’ve been dreaming and apparently I still am. My only complaint here is that I could have even gone for longer versions of the mixes, maybe up to ten minutes or so, but definitely give respect to Ras Zacharri and company at Shem Ha Boreh Records for a very INTELLIGENT way to end an album.
Overall, GO GET IT! This album grew more and more on me, even while I was writing this review. I just LOVE the way the piece is presented and the vibes are so strong that you just can’t leave it is ‘run of the mill’ Roots Reggae, it seems as if Ras Zacharri left that stage a long time ago. Again, however, I almost have to be redundant and stress the fact that this one is almost strictly for Reggae heads, although I think it’s clear that Zacharri doesn’t exactly have his attentions fixed on any type of crossover market, but Dancehall heads even may struggle with this one. You, however, you crazy Roots Reggae loving, all day and every day type of fan, YOU almost need this album. Herbs Man was made just for US and if you’re at all like me, you’ll appreciate almost every bit of it. WELL RECOMMENDED and one of the year’s finest.
Rated 4.75/5
Shem Ha Boreh Records
2009
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