Earlier this year I found myself lamenting the fact that the release of the latest edition of one of my very favourite compilation pieces, Soca Gold, had terribly become lost quite a bit of shine in my eyes. This was largely due to me having been very well versed on the year’s music, so I had already heard quite a bit of the music on Soca Gold 2009. This, when combined with my opinion that the music which I knew so well wasn’t ‘so well’ (which probably had quite a lot more to do with it than I’m giving it credit for), all built up to take away quite a bit of luster from the album which I annually so much look forward to hearing. This, while new in that spectrum, isn’t very new to me at all as I have had, for the past x-amount of years, experienced the same thing when dealing with a TON of Reggae compilations, particularly Soca Gold’s more well known sister release, Reggae Gold. I generally ignore Reggae Gold these days, but there was a time, not too long ago, when I (unnecessarily) struggled each and every year with buying or not buying the album based on which ‘new’ tune (I had undoubtedly already heard by that point) did or didn’t catch my attentions. I could also say relatively say a similar thing about the Strictly The Best series, although it tends to stand up better to scrutiny than Reggae Gold, but it definitely has had some far too ‘familiar’ vibes to it quite a few times for me. Still, that being said, next to Soca Gold, the one annual compilation which I paid attention to and almost seemed to give a ‘pass’ or was just genuinely impressed by has been The Biggest Reggae One-Drop Anthems. Unlike it’s Dancehall counterpart (The Biggest Ragga Dancehall Anthems) or the other compilation from the same label, Greensleeves, Ragga Ragga Ragga, the still quite young Reggae One-Drop release has managed to remain quite fresh in its brief time and, more importantly, just all around GOOD. The series, which was seemingly begun as an answer to the aforementioned Ragga Dancehall Anthems albums, and has in its short time (it was ‘born’ in just 2005), included some of the TOP names in Roots Reggae from all over the world, some VERY big tunes and some more than welcome surprises as well. It’s also managed to become pretty much not only one of my own personal most anticipated releases of the year, but you’ll have a VERY hard time convincing me that in all things Reggae, The Best Reggae One-Drop Anthems albums isn’t the BEST annually released compilation. Period.
That being said, however, I honestly wasn’t too hopeful of this year’s edition, for some reason. I don’t know what it was, but if you would have tapped me on the shoulder roughly a month or two ago and told me that The Biggest Reggae One-Drop Anthems had been released a couple of months back, I might have looked you in the face and responded by saying, “Okay”. I just wasn’t looking for this thing AT ALL. Why? I think maybe somewhere in the furthest and most obscure corners of my mind I’m probably STILL a bit upset that this release isn’t as it was in its first two installments, with a STACKED forty tracks, and now, at seventeen for this year’s episode, is still quite healthy, but is basically a ‘regular’ compilation album. The second disc of music was replaced by a DVD with videos (which isn’t so impressive in the days of Youtube), which was subsequently replaced by nothing at all. That brings us to 2009, which, as I said, wasn’t exactly throwing itself at me trying to gain my attention. . . At least not until I saw the tracklist. Back when this release (and the Ragga Dancehall Anthems release also) was coming in with forty tunes from a variety of different top artists and producers, it was almost IMPOSSIBLE for any Reggae fan of ANY level of experience to not find at least something which appealed to them and, for me, it generally promised at least ten tracks which I liked and may not have had on any other official release. However, when you cut that forty in half (and then take three more) as VP/Greensleeves has here, you definitely run that risk of having your product sit on the shelf with nothing more than your label’s logo on the back, to distinguish it from a SOLID (albeit shrinking) pack of others. And when those shelves most recently are filled with SHOTS such as Culture Dem Vol. 3 from Lustre Kings Productions, Tad’s The Ultimate 2009 (which checks in at a brimming twenty-six tracks) and a potentially SCINTILLATING Joyful Noise album (twenty tracks) to come next week, if you don’t have that inherent RIDICULOUS forty tracks, then you kind of have hope for name value to do the trick, even though it may not be the best of the lot. But, like I said, apparently not content in resting on their well storied laurels, VP/Greensleeves has very quietly LOADED this year’s One-Drop Anthems albums and about two or three weeks ago when I saw the roster of tunes for the very first time, I IMMEDIATELY saw what they were doing. While you may not notice so many of the tunes on this year’s album, you’ll definitely notice almost ALL of the artists. It’s definitely a ‘safer’ type of artist selection, and I’m not saying this album is the GREATEST THING I’VE EVER HEARD, but when I ran over the names who were on board, it was almost perfect for what this album is at this point and if I were putting it together, I might have done it the exact same way (of course I would have found a way to mix in another Sizzla or Lutan Fyah tune). For me, the proper way to build a compilation (or a riddim album for that matter) when you REALLY have a virtually limitless budget (and VP/Greensleeves does), is to have a healthy mix of different types and vibes as far as artists. I also like the mix of up and comers with the more established likes and I know I complained a bit about it before, but I do like to see at least a couple of tunes that I recognize. It’s VERY safe to say that’s been accomplished on The Biggest Reggae One-Drop Anthems 2009 album. In fact, I may just go as far as to say this year’s version is one of the series’ better altogether. I guess I was wrong.
Out of all the ways for this album to get started I NEVER would have expected something like this. Although I’m not at all surprised to see the name on the roster (you would be pretty dumb at this point to release an album with this title and not include him as one of the artists on board), this song definitely went far and away above my expectations and it was largely one of the tunes which changed my mind as to what to expect with this album. Said song which opens The Biggest Reggae One-Drop Anthems 2009 album is from the STILL increasingly wicked Lutan Fyah, ‘Genesis’. Boy! This song! I often say that it’s so difficult to say exactly what my favourite tunes of all time are, but rest assured (if you’re curious), my favourite song [PERIOD] right now and for the better part of a week or so is DEFINITELY Genesis. This one is a praising tune for His Imperial Majesty of MAJESTIC proportions! The things is sparkling, it’s full of knowledge and, of course, it is lyrically PRIME material. I’m partial AS HELL, but Genesis is by far the best tune I hear on the One-Drop Anthems album this year and I’m sure the most impartial will have to rank it Haile also. TEARS! Fortunately, charged with keeping the levels for the album high is the more than capable Queen Ifrica, who delivers the type of song you would expect to fill the ranks of this album, ‘Dem Nah Learn’ her cut of Shane Brown’s Nylon riddim (also released by Greensleeves). The tune was one of the main attractions on that riddim and it remains so here (although it curiously was absent from her album Montego Bay). Big tune. And then there’s Alborosie. I’m not at all surprised to see Albo present here, I would have actually been surprised if he weren’t. I’ve said countless times my rather less than lukewarm feelings about the artist, so I won’t reiterate. The only thing I will say is that, as I might have expected, he sounds MUCH better in this format to my ears, and this tune ’Humbleness’ sounds much better than it did before (or maybe it’s just the riddim which is RIDICULOUS!).
Greensleeves (like Jet Star) used to be known as a label which would deal with and promote heavy UK talents like Tippa Irie and the likes and apparently they’re thinking about getting back to such works as WONDERFULLY included on the new One-Drop Anthems album are two EXTREMELY promising UK based artists. Mr. Williamz is a name which has been getting quite a bit of attention with songs like the one present here, ‘No Cigarette’, across Necessary Mayhem’s WICKED relick of Tristan Palmer’s Joker Smoker riddim. Very (VERY) nice herbalist tune there (also check Ziggi’s MASSIVE shot over the same piece). The damn near SENSATIONAL Gappy Ranks is also on board with the very strange but WICKEDLY vibed ‘Heaven In Her Eyes‘. I don’t quite know what to make of Gappy just yet, but he is very talented and his effort here IMMEDIATELY goes to the head of the pack as far as what I’ve heard from him thus far it is a BIG (and ODD) lovers tune not to be missed. And I should mention that reportedly Greensleeves has signed up Gappy Ranks so you can probably expect to see and here quite a bit more from him in the future. Another up and comer to keep an eye on is the far more familiar Romain Virgo who continues his rise to superstardom with a medley of tunes from the IMMORTAL Alton Ellis. You simply have to keep an eye (and an ear) out for the former Digicel Rising Stars champion, failure to do so will cause random people to point at you and laugh. With the new artists, of course, the big names also carry their weight on the One-Drop Anthems album. Arguably THE biggest of them all, Beres Hammond, checks in with the characteristically SWEET ‘Can’t Say I Never Tried’, from his most recent album, A Moment In Time. Similarly, Capleton is around with the outstanding ‘Acres’, his herbalist tune from Shane Brown’s Indiscretions riddim and Marcia Griffiths and Busy Signal make what is hopefully their final stop with their HUGE and WELL TRAVELED tune ’Automatic’ from Penthouse. If you haven’t heard any of these tunes, you’re certain to find some absolute magic in there and even if you have, you know you love them! As for the newer material, I was happy to see even more big names coming together for those as well. Glen Washington steps forth with what I think is the title track from his next album, ‘Vibes’ and does so with what is, to my opinion, one of the finest efforts on the album altogether and I’m DEFINITELY looking forward to that album! Peetah Morgan is joined by Assassin (who joins Busy Signal as the only two artists on both the One-Drop and Ragga Dancehall anthems albums this year) on the biggest combination on the album, ‘Hot A Road’ which is a very SOLID anti-violence and negativity tune for the masses and I look forward to the duo maybe even working together again in the future because the mix of their vibes, just on a sonic level, is very entertaining. Luciano’s ‘Be Aware’ marks the return of Frenchie and his Maximum Sound imprint, with their ENCHANTING Vineyard Town riddim. Of course, Luciano’s name almost guarantees quality and Be Aware has it in abundance as the Messenjah warns us to be aware of the “leeches in the night”. Hopefully Junior Kelly’s presence here with his decent ‘Nothin’ Wrong With The World’ indicates that he’ll be doing an album with VP/Greensleeves in the near future (it’s been too long) (REALLY). And I’m pretty sure that’s the case for Ziggi (because they actually signed him up) who comes through with a very Sizzla sounding ‘Gonna Leave You’ (which sounds a lot like Kalonji’s ‘Show Me That You Love ME’) (that’s a good thing). Ziggi’s name is going the same way of Luciano’s where the fact that he’s around is just starting to mean that he has solid material as the biggest Dutchie in the game continues to cement his reputation as one of the most solid in the business. And speaking of SIZZLA! Not surprising at all Sizzla bats clean up on The Biggest Reggae One-Drop Anthems 2009 with a tune from his most recent Greensleeves album, Ghetto Youth-Ology, ‘Gwaan Bear’. It has literally become the thing to do these days - ending Roots Reggae albums with acoustic tunes - and that’s exactly what Gwaan Bear is (yet, strangely enough, it doesn’t end the Ghetto Youth-Ology album) (if it isn’t acoustic, then it’s a Nyah drum piece and that’s what ‘Babylon Ease Off, which does end Ghetto Youth-Ology, was). It’s a nice one also as, when you REALLY focus on what is being said, the tune almost leaps out as you as one of the best on the album and certainly a very nice closer.
Overall, yeah, go ahead and pick this one up. I called the track choosing PERFECT for the album and, again, I don’t mean it’s WONDERFULLY, THE GREATEST ALBUM I’VE EVER HEARD, because it isn’t and it’s far from it. However, for what the album is and what it’s ‘supposed’ to be, the way it’s put together is PERFECT. It shows off some of the big tunes of right now and a little while back and it also gives a nice look, particularly in the form of Mr. Williamz and Gappy Ranks, of what (and who) is to come. When you combine that with the aforementioned name value this one carries virtually guarantees that while it may not be the BEST Roots Reggae compilation of the year (and it isn’t), The Biggest Reggae One-Drop Anthems 2009 will almost assuredly be the most successful and the leading name in the pack.
Rated 4.25/5
Greensleeves Records
2009
No comments:
Post a Comment