I often find myself speaking about the popularity and the presence of producers, engineers and players of instrument, as it, of course, isn’t up to the level of the vocal artists. While this certainly isn’t a problem (and actually, amongst the MOST popular producers, they’re sometimes more popular than some of the acts they produce) there remains a relatively healthy cast of characters, in and out of the studio who, in my opinion, comprise an even more unknown and underappreciated group of people who are very instrumental to pushing the greatest music in the world. When I think of people who might fall into this category, the initial and definitely one of the most CRUCIAL is Jeremy Harding. Now, Reggae heads INSTANTLY know who Harding is and just how RIDICULOUSLY important he has been to the entire promotion of the Dancehall community, locally and worldwide as he has, very quietly, been one of the most important figures in the history of Dancehall. Harding is, of course, the owner and operator of 2 Hard Records and is the person most credited with having discovered Dancehall superstar Sean Paul, whom he also currently manages. And if his work with Sean Paul wasn’t enough (and it was) Jeremy Harding was also the mastermind behind the SCINTILLATING Playground Riddim which birthed hits such as Sean Paul’s Infiltrate, Nike Air by Vegas and the unforgettable Who Am I from Dancehall ace, Beenie Man, arguably one of the most IMPORTANT Dancehall tunes of all time. Another person who would fall into a similar group would be Cordell ‘Scatta’ Burrell. To overstand the impact that Scatta has had, you have to overstand just as much what the people he has helped have gone onto do (therefore you have to know who they are). Burrell was once the actual producer and builder of music at the once (and still) reputable Kings Of Kings imprint, headed by Colin ‘Iley Dread’ Levy (who would also have a case for being included here). As the music man at KoK, Scatta would have been very important in launching the respective careers of artists such as Norris Man (he worked on Persistence and the subsequent album named after it), Chrisinti and Ce’Cile (he produced both the Coolie Dance and Martial Arts riddims). Also, on his account, apart from KoK, Scatta successfully helped launch the careers of Dancehall upstarts Aidonia and Einstein. There are also names such as Andrew Henton (without whom we wouldn’t know Tanya Stephens as we do today), Sheldon ‘Calibud’ Stewart and quite a few others which don’t ring as strong on paper and by word as do those of some of their more well known (but not necessarily more SKILLED) peers in production.
And you also have this group of producers who kind of exist as ’Jack Of All Trades’ types who have cut their musical teeth LITERALLY doing any and everything in the studio (even getting in the booth and singing in some cases). This is, generally, the natural progression of a producer on almost any level, however, there are some individuals whose past are SO interesting yet seem to go SO far underneath the radar that it becomes . . . well kind of disturbing actually. Such is the case here. The very fact that the name Paul Henton does not resonate with all but a few hardest of hardcore Reggae fans worldwide is very interesting. The producer/arranger/engineer/musician has such an amazing past that I or anyone with a halfway decent collection of modern Reggae could probably draw on ANY of their albums and see his name credited, in some way, shape or fashion, with having had something to do with at least ONE tune on it. ‘Computer Paul’ as he is called has had his hand in SO many projects that you simply have to be in awe by what he’s done in his travels. Internationally speaking, the producer has worked with the likes of Afrikan pop star, Akon and he also worked on Jimmy Cliff’s I Can See Clearly Now and the tune Bad Boys from Inner Circle, two of the most well known Reggae songs of all time. Also, for me personally, Computer Paul was on board on (at least) two of my favourite creations. One of which was quietly (apparently his style) one of my favourite Dancehall riddims in semi-recent history, the Forensic, back in 2003 or so. That very STRANGELY vibed riddim was BIG for me and although it doesn’t stand so well in terms of by comparison to bigger riddims of it’s time, it definitely worked with me. The other piece that (I know about) will infinitely and indefinitely keep Computer Paul’s name relatively fresh in my memory is the tune No Time To Gaze from Sizzla’s album Black Woman & Child. Should you have that album (and you should), go and thumb through the liner notes of it and you’ll see Paul incorrectly credited as piano/keyboard player on a few tracks as P. Enton. No Time To Gaze, depending on the day you ask me, may just be my favourite Sizzla song of all time and, on any day; it’s definitely at least top ten. Just last year, having for quite awhile had his very own imprint, Boot Camp Records, Computer Paul brought another tune which may help to keep his a name which will continue its presence in my players for years to come (as if he needed the help) (and he didn’t). The vehicle for this tune was the LOVELY Wonderland Riddim which was definitely one of my top ten favourites of 2008 and one which I was so happy to see make it to an album form as, again, so many of Paul’s project either don’t make it, or not much of a big deal is made about them if/when they do. The Wonderland is an absolutely beautiful track! It’s not much in the way of ‘revolutionary’ or proverbially ‘changing the game’ but it plays to its undoubted strength which is just being one of the smoothest and simply well done pieces you would have heard anywhere last year (and in the last few years). Computer Paul, ever the professional, also stocked the Wonderland with a very interesting artist selection including a few of his own favourites and a few of my favourites (one in particular) which serves one of the best riddims of 2008 very well, ultimately.
The keyboard sounding vibes which play across this one-drop is just so nice. It definitely doesn’t sound like something you would hear coming from the BRILLIANT Kemar ‘Flava’ McGregor’s catalogue or a few other producers, and that’s a good thing as it retains a bit of it’s originality in a genre oft-criticized for not being so high in that department. Attempting to distinguish themselves on the Wonderland Riddim album first is the up and coming girl group MBC [Make Boyz Cry]. I believe the sometimes impressive group is Paul’s and Boot Camp’s own discovery and they are actually his artists and he always seems to get the best out of them to my opinion. While I’m not prepared to call their effort here, One More Try “the best”, it is a pretty good tune and you can well expect to see and hear more from the trio in the future (especially if you’re Japanese, apparently). Up next on the Wonderland is another underrated and underappreciated individual, VETERAN singer Anthony Red Rose who taps in with the somewhat basic but still relatively impressive Cities Don’t Sleep. This tune was interesting because I liked it initially and it tended to fall more and more out of favour as I spun it more and more. Right now, however, it’s still pretty nice with a nice story telling type of vibes and we’ll forgive Red Rose and Computer Paul for the autotune. DYCR and Singing Melody bat clean up on the opening here and do so, in my opinion with the most impressive tune of the opening lot, Love Is The Answer. This tune didn’t grow on or away from me at all, I liked it almost instantly. The thing about DYCR, and especially on combinations, is that you, the listener, or you, the other artist, have to simply keep up with him on your own because the riddim won’t help you and Singing Melody, ever the veteran doesn’t even try. Instead the two deliver a very ‘natural’ sounding combination which reminds me of something that so many, so unfortunately, seem to forget: In all questions and matters of life, the answer is love. The tune is the highlight of an otherwise adequate opening.
As I mentioned, the Wonderland gave me one of my favourite tunes also from 2008 from a most unsurprising artist, Lutan Fyah. His piece across the riddim, the BRUTAL Lead Me To Your Door, was one tooth achingly SWEET tune! The song ranks quite high, if not at the top of Fyah’s lovers tunes to my ears (also up there is the BIG Venus) and you’ll be doing yourself a pure disservice if you don’t at least check that one tune from the Wonderland. Fyah leads a stretch of three very familiar artists right now which includes Natural Black and Norris Man. I didn’t HATE Black’s tune Joy & Pain, but it DEFINITELY isn’t amongst my favourites from the riddim and even more definitely not from the artist himself. Norris Man’s The World Is Love, however, is far more appreciable, as after a very rugged beginning it REALLY gets going and proves to be one of the stronger tunes on the riddim altogether actually. I’ll also throw into this pack, although his is a few tunes down the line, Stevie Face with the anti-violence, Morgan Heritage vibed How Come. Face is actually a Boot Camp artist, I believe and Computer Paul helms his forth coming sophomore album, Tell It Like It Is and you can be pretty sure that How Come will feature there as well and on that album, as it is on the Wonderland, it’ll probably ALSO be one of the best tunes going in. Looking up and down the tracklist, another thing really stood out as well as far as the artist selection. Wonderfully, especially in this time, the Queens are REALLY prevalent on the Wonderland riddim. After MBC, next is the potential PACKED Nikesha Lindo, who delivers the very nice R&B vibed You Don’t Have To Leave. If international ears ever get a hold of her music, Lindo may just be a big star, she has that type of sound definitely (also, incidentally, Nikesha’s brother Kashief also checks in nicely on the Wonderland with I’m Ready Now). The big voiced Rovleta Fraser of Stephen Marley fame also comes through on the riddim on her tune, It’s Strange. Fraser is an artist who doesn’t ALWAYS have to do her best because her ‘pipes’ can ultimately ‘save’ her if need be, however, that’s not necessary here as even though It’s Strange isn’t her best material in my opinion, it isn’t far. The tune is very nice. (CUTIE) Tina Nunezz also makes an appearance on the Wonderland with the sexy, Caught Up. Nunezz is another of a whole heap of young songstresses who seem capable of attracting mainstream attention someday and I think the “mainstream” audiences (whoever they are) would absolutely love Caught Up, even though it’s not one of my favourites (not bad though). And speaking of MAINSTREAM, the very definition of mainstream success for a female in Reggae also voices the Wonderland as Lady Patra hits with the actually pretty nice First Nite. Not too surprisingly Computer Paul also played a rather instrumental musical role in Patra’s earlier sensational career and him having her back for this project was an excellent touch and one certain to grab a bit of attention, one way or another. And the last female to grace the Wonderland is the underrated former Shocking Vibes member Twiggi who goes inspirational and maybe outdoes the lot of her femme peers on the riddim with the WONDERFUL You And You Alone. Twiggi was (I THINK) supposed to have an album last year that never materialized to my knowledge, but I’m always happy to see her voicing tunes and You And You Alone is a very nice example of exactly why. She’s always top notch. And also, check up and coming Timmy B’s SOLID declaration of his own arrival with It’s My Time Now. And, always the nice touch, Twiggi’s tune leads into the official closer which is a beautiful clean version of the Wonderland which places a bow on this nice gift of an album.
Overall, I’m not proclaiming either the Wonderland or its album to be the best of their kind but it is WELL solid. I would particularly recommend if you tend to favour the more romantically vibed pieces, but just general Reggae heads can also definitely apply. The Wonderland also looks well in respect to Boot Camp. The label is one which doesn’t typically get a TON of attention and, in retrospect, the Wonderland didn’t get so much attention either, but there is something awfully powerful to be said of CONSISTENTLY making good music, whether or not the hits roll in as consistently. The Wonderland was one of 2008’s best riddims altogether, it had a HUGE tune in Lutan Fyah’s Take Me To Your Door and I’m sure the world is going to love Stevie Face’s album also. Now don’t you think it’s getting a bit ridiculous that Computer Paul isn’t more well known???
Rated 3.75/5
Boot Camp Records/Zojak Worldwide
2008
Thanks Sir! Your review is well appreciated.
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