Turbulence - Join Us [No Doubt Records/Zojak Worldwide, 2003 2009 ++]
The island of people absolutely IN LOVE with Turbulence’s album Join Us has a current population of 1 and that one 1 is (SHAMELESSLY) ME! I’ve heard this album described as “mediocre” and “BAD” and even worst in some cases (probably due to the fact that I presented as being the greatest thing since sliced bread), but I do and have since first listen, absolutely loved it. The album was originally released back in 2003, one of the most active years of Turbulence’s entire career and Join Us would have been (and was) overlooked by the surprisingly high profile ’Different Thing’ album for Minor 7, Flat 5, and definitely ‘The Future’ and ‘Hail To The King’, which were Jet Star and VP Records albums, respectively. AND (as if that weren’t enough) also released that year was ‘The Truth’, which, in retrospect, wasn’t very good, but received quite a bit of attention due to the fact that it was an album for the venerable and well esteemed RAS Records. What Join Us had going for it on paper were two very important things. The first was that it marked the (somewhat) formal introduction to Turbulence’s much talked about (by Turbulence) group, Higher Trod and the second was the fact that it was one of the very first batch of albums produced by the then burgeoning (now super powered) producer, Kemar ‘Flava’ McGregor, who was still developing himself at that point. But he had gotten to the level where his skill at making new compositions and rebirthing old ones would ALREADY allow him to produce a masterpiece like such, to the point where if you were to take the other two albums (Triumphant and Unite) the pair did together (and apparently they’ve done two more, which I’m looking forward to hearing) AND the rest of those albums from 2003 (and every other album Turbulence has ever done for that matter, with the exception of Rising), Join Us STILL stands tallest in the lot to my ears and it isn’t even close.
#1. Join Us
Given the aforementioned background of this album, any song titled ‘Join Us’ (which I think was actually he second with that title) (check The Future album) would seemingly come off as an advertisement for tryouts to be the next new member of Higher Trod, but it DEFINITELY wasn’t. This LOVELY song, instead, was a call to Rastafari from Turbulence. On the tune he’s not calling for new members to his group (although if you’re talented, I’m sure he would STILL take you), he’s calling for people to literally JOIN US and walk with His Imperial Majesty. Indeed.
Line of the song: “Let’s be real, we no steal. Don’t be wicked, we no kneel no day. Rasta life is so nice so you just do as I say and Join Us, Join Us”
#2. Turbulence
This tune is one which you’re almost surprised it took him THAT long to come with as it is, at least somewhat, a play on words with his name as well as a kind of a pseudo account of how he came to be who he is (not at all on the same level of detail (or even trying to be) as the MAMMOTH similarly vibed tune which comes a few tunes on) and his rise to prominence. The song, at least to my overly analytical ears, comes off as one which speaks not only to the level of popularity he had grown to at that point, but also to his own personal activity as he was definitely recoding and performing quite a bit and Turbulence, the song, was one of his highpoints at the time, definitely.
Line of the song: “Now I’m a sun rising while stars may fall. In the streets ‘TURBULENCE’ is the name they call”
#3. Give Praises
This SWEET old school vibed piece was definitely one of the major attractions on Join Us and has just as definitively remained one of my favourite pieces, in retrospect, from the album. The song just so SIMPLY and without any type of falter, was created to give thanks to His Majesty along its way. This is the type of song, which Turbulence, because of his so VAST skillset and natural ability, can make work on his own. Another artist, even one more proficient in certain areas and more experienced, couldn’t make this song sound as nice as it is.
Line of the song: “The Sabbath is: 6 days yuh work, 7th day yuh rest. Emperor Selassie I alleviate all my stress. Hail King Alpha and His Royal Highness. There’s no contest. He’s the best”
#4. We Are
I always se this title ‘We Are’ and think of another tune Turbulence has with Higher Trod with a similar title (or punch line), but this tune is wholeheartedly better than that one (whatever it may be). It, like the title effort here, isn’t at all speaking of the group, but, again, is speaking of Turbulence’s scope and point of view of Rastafari. This song can really be interpreted in MANY different ways and I could literally break it down WORD by WORD, but I think the prevailing message is one to be accepting and not to judge a book by its cover: Be that book on Rasta or the poor.
Line of the song: “Everything is natural, crystally clear. Selassie’s ever there, so who shall I fear”
#5. Based On A True Story
‘Based On A True Story‘! Watch this- Now this tune, in my opinion, serves two very tangible and WONDERFUL functions. The first is, obviously, besides just giving an account of Turbulence’s rise to prominence and his standing in the music industry, it actually details how he comes to walk the path of Rastafari as he speaks DIRECTLY to what he feels His Majesty has done in his life. That’s BEAUTIFUL of course, with the moving punch line being, “Rastafari if it wasn’t for You, I would be dead by now”. That’s enough on its own. BUT! In the musical sense, I think the tune ALSO serves as kind of a ‘test run’ for the idea which was to come later and stand (and it STILL stands) as the biggest solo hit of his career, with Turbulence telling us that he could have been one of the MOST. . .
Line of the song: “King Rastafari, if it wasn’t for You, I’d be dead by now. Rastafari all praises belong to you. Your smiles put away my frown. Rastafari if it wasn’t for you, things would be red by now”
#6. Look Wock
Ding Ding! That downright infectious chiming sound has been catching my attentions (and affections) for more than a half decade at this point as part of ‘Look Wock’, the single best tune that I hear on Join Us. The tune was, at times, Sizzla-like, it was, at times, quintessential varyingly vibed Turbulence and it was BEAUTIFUL in just about every single way as Turbulence viciously (but calmly) sought (and found) a way for those who bring negativity, to STOP and go find something better to do than spread evil (and, of course, the cokeheads also) (can‘t forget about them). MASSIVE!
Line of the song: “Dem a carry feelings and a evil dem a bring. Well just like David, man a slew dem wit da sling”
#7. Worthy To Be Praised featuring The Higher Trod Family
Prince Jahved, Jumbo Ras, Natty Paul and the Higher Trod Family joined their ‘boss’ on this SPARKLING old school vibed praising track which is definitely one of my favourites on Join Us. The tune has a very nice sense of ORDER, despite being full of x-amount of artists in it’s less than four minutes span. The tune packs so much intensity and so much KNOWLEDGE in that same time and really, it’s not to be missed.
Line of the song: [Prince Jahved] “Gold and diamonds will fade away. The love of my Father is here to stay. Praise Haile Selassie I and don’t delay. Praise Him! Praise Him! Each and every day”
#8. Black Woman
A very vibrant version of the unmistakable Vanity Riddim jumps in to back this all but forgotten tune. Black Woman was a lovers tune and like every other love song on Join Us, it had to share the stage with an unlikely HIT and was therefore ultimately overlooked. That being said, in terms of sonic appeal (again, that is the Vanity riddim playing on the song), it’s arguably just as good as the more well known piece.
Line of the song: “You touched my heart in so many ways. Cannot be torn apart. Black Woman you’re here to stay”
#9. True Love
Another kind of love tune (this of the jilted/former variety) and one in the same boat with ‘Black Woman’ is True Love. Despite the title, you shouldn’t expect that kind of tired and formulaic love song from the artist at all. Also, along with being a kind of love song destined to be overlooked in favour of track number eleven on this album (as is the following track, although it IMMEDIATELY is able to distinguish itself), the similarities with Black Woman doesn’t end there: While the Vanity helps that song on its way, the unforgettable Movie Star riddim wonderfully backs True Love.
Line of the song: “You can’t treat me like no novice. Like the smoke from my chalice, you will fade away”
#10. Precious
Precious is BY FAR the LEAST lyrically appealing tune not only on Join Us, but probably on any of the now eleven albums that have made it in this series and if you wanted to call it downright BAD on that side, I wouldn’t put up too much of an argument. HOWEVER, it’s presence here is warranted and actually helps due to the fact that VOCALLY speaking, Turbulence climbs ALL OVER this enchanting sounding riddim.
Line of the song: NONE
#11. Name & Number
Quietly, this tune has gone on to become the largest hit from the Join Us album in retrospect and I know SO MANY people who definitely know and appreciate the vibes, but don’t know AT ALL where it came from and where you can actually find the original tune actually. Buried way down at number eleven on Join Us is definitely one of Turbulence’s finest lover’s tunes (which is saying a great with the amount that he voices) altogether, proving such a thing can be VERY well done when he actually tries.
Line of the song: “I need your name and number and where you reside”
#12. Universal Struggle
With the quartet of BIG lovers tune a thing of the past, Universal Struggle kicks off a very nice ending bit and does so with a vibes which will have you thinking it’s more of the four previous tunes, but it certainly is not. Despite the kind of slow and romantic like vibes, Universal Struggle is a very DEEP tune. It also happens to be one of the better lyrical pieces here as Turbulence suggests a kind of unusual ‘brotherhood’ amongst the impoverished people of the world and empathy and overstanding to those who may have even less than you.
Line of the song: “It a gwan a yard and abroad. Basically life is just fuckin hard. Youth dem inna di ghetto, dem a suffah lak dog, dog, dog“
#13. Dis Is It
Prince Jahved once again joins Turbulence on the closer to Join Us, Dis Is It, the obligatory herbalist tune for the album. This one is almost ALL about the rather minimalist FUNKY backdrop it is afforded from McGregor. The riddim is a very simple shuffling types of vibes and Turbulence uses it to go literally ACROSS THE BOARD in terms of lyrics and delivery. At time it appears as a total freestyle while, at others, it’s like he spent his time on every single word. And you, yourself, may be spent by the time it’s over.
Line of the song: “Do yuhself a favour , be a saviour to your behaviour . Let the ganja spread from Jamaica to Siberia”
Synopsis: Join Us. This one I think is simple enough to comprehend and instead of doing my usual bit of trying to find a unifying message on the album (which I think is accomplished in the title track. Join Us is, essentially an interactive call to Rastafari and everything which He offers us and is subsequently accentuated through the love songs and the aforementioned unusual but FRESH approach on Universal Struggle, which is, in my opinion, the most crucial tune in terms of building that message outside of the title track), I’ll try to pinpoint exactly WHY I like this album so much, beyond saying, “I like it because it’s wicked!” which would almost certainly suffice (for someone else).
For me, personally, the album does the things and the MAIN thing which I tend to equate with successful Roots Reggae albums. That “MAIN” thing, as I’ve said before, is that the particular album, first and foremost, SERVES ITS PURPOSE. Now, I know what you’re thinking, that despite my insists, unless I tracked Turbulence down (and probably McGregor too) and asked him personally what was the point of the album, that you can never REALLY be sure. My answer to that, as it usually is, is that most artists will tell you that the point is in the listener and as long as he/she receives it with positivity (meaning that you’re not condemning it even before you hear it) and with an open mind, that the ultimately relative point is just that. Relative. However, in this case, I’m quite sure that I’m pretty close in my estimation in saying that “Join Us” is saying to people to JOIN US in Rastafari and the beauty within. And that “beauty” is the actual basis for why I LOVE this album. Not to just say that it’s a beautiful album (it is) and leave it just like that, but it is the expression of that BEAUTY that I want to talk about.
Go back to the tune ‘Precious’ for a second and read what I had to say about it. The tune is so MUNDANELY written that I can’t even tell you what would be my favourite LINE of lyrics from the song (ex- It‘s been five years and counting. My love for you is higher than the mountain, as pure as the fountain. Anyone want to see the spark, thunder and lightening”). HOWEVER, just in terms of how the song sounds and if I didn’t speak English or just didn’t give a damn about words at all, Precious might be the best tune on the album. It is so ostensibly BEAUTIFUL to the ears that you almost get the feeling that it was designed specifically to just kind of serve as a ‘reward’ to the listener (it’s like a musical sugar candy, not much substance, but very pleasing). Contrast that with the other love songs on Join Us which buffer Precious: Both Black Woman and True Love are old school tempered tunes, which are definitely beautiful and Name & Number almost goes without saying at this point - How utterly revered the tune is. Now, go one step ahead and listen to the ridiculously vibed Universal Struggle. You almost KNOW what the tune is going to be about based on the running vibe of the album at that time, then you hear the very first note on the tune, which really suggests more of the same actually, and the tune does an almost complete 180 in terms of subject matter and goes at things on a social commentary level, then on a level of social commentary which suggests a kind of worldwide communing amongst the world’s most impoverished and corrupted against. That is another beautiful concept and infinitely more so than just about any love song you’re likely to hear anywhere.
And that’s not to say that Join Us is so ridiculously lovely in every single way or that it’s the most beautiful album I’ve ever heard, but it just seems as if the album was constructed, bit by bit and piece by piece to present this path in life, Rastafari, as beautiful as possible. And to do so in a way that was within grasp of the listener or someone who would be interested. Take tunes like ‘Turbulence’ and Based On A True Story ESPECIALLY. These two songs well personalize the message of Join Us (as if to say, “Join us . . . like I did). And I look at the tune Turbulence as a furthering of that message and a specifying of it where he says:
“Now I’m a sun rising while stars may fall
In the streets ‘TURBULENCE’ is the name they call”
It’s almost like he’s bragging, but I took as if to say, ‘I did it, so can you.’ And on Based On A True Story, you’re going to have a hard time convincing me that the tune isn’t the older sibling of the ‘Notorious’ tune. It sounds NOTHING like it, but that idea is so wonderfully anchored here, only to be revisited on that MASSIVE track and, arguably, in a more condensed fashion (although Notorious is clearly a bigger song). This album, looking at it from all of these directions, at least to me (and probably only to me), made it the very DEFINITION of ‘diamond in the rough’. You won’t look at this one with greatness in mind and the cover (either of them) won’t capture your attentions in any special way, but if you pass it by completely, you’ll be missing something special: A BONAFIDE MODERN REGGAE CLASSIC!
{++: Join Us was originally released in 2003 and has now been re-released via the original producer, No Doubt Records and Zojak Worldwide, digitally. If you do not currently have it already and are going to buy it, you 'should' buy the re-release version as the original version is now some bullshit}
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