The X Factor: A Review of French Connection by Perfect

Picture this: Turban clad Bobo Rastafarian, modern Roots Reggae artist. This artist sings songs about upliftment, repatriation, the betterment of the Afrikan Empress, anti-violence, Black redemption, His Imperial Majesty, Marcus Garvey and such topics. This individual is a very upstanding person, at times looking downright royal and carries himself as a man of the earth and is very humble. Musically speaking, he glues himself to a HEAVY one-drop riddims, he can always be depended on to bring some for the Roots side and he rarely bothers himself with working in different styles. Of course, if you even remotely pay attention to Roots Reggae music these days (or pretty much anytime within the last decade or so), then this is a figure with whom you are well acquainted as so many different artists (and different artists at varying levels of talent and abilities) tend to fall into this stereotype and not even in a negative way as if you read my material frequently enough you know that several of them (two in particular) are amongst my very favourite artists. But appearances can definitely be deceiving. There’re quite a few who, for some reason or another, distinguish the hell out of themselves and do so on pretty much every level there is. For some reason I am drawn to a rather obscure singer (you almost certainly don’t know by name, but do by voice) as an example. Moses I, a member of Capleton’s David House camp. The very first time I ever saw the singer was when he joined King Shango on stage to do a rendition of their then hit ‘Crazy Look’. Moses I has a very very high voice (almost to an exaggerated degree) and the man is about ten feet tall. Then there’s the situation of Jah Mason, who in so many ways fits into the thought of ‘stereotypical Bobo chanter’, but in just as many ways (if not more) doesn’t due to the fact that the Mason seemingly reserves the right to LOSE HIS FUCKING MIND on a tune without any notice whatsoever. The same could also be said for Capleton himself to a degree (someone reserves the right to burp on a track, just like that‘s okay and normal). STILL, by far in my opinion, the artist who most frequently ‘bucks the trend’ and does so simply by virtue of BEING HIMSELF is (ST. ANN’Z native!) Perfect. At his absolute best, listening to Perfect’s music isn’t just listening to music, it is an EXPERIENCE as seemingly the closer he moves towards the ‘norm’ (or the perceived norm), the further, still, he moves away from what everyone else seems to be doing.

So what’s so unusual about Perfect’s music? I liken Perfect to Midnite front man Vaughn Benjamin on one thing: Sometimes with Benjamin, seemingly so focused on saying what he has to say, he often COMPLETELY ignores the riddim of the tune, Perfect doesn’t do that, instead, he’ll take what is seemingly the OBVIOUS road on a riddim in terms of pattern for the melody and just IGNORE it. The pattern and cadence he’ll ultimately go with, generally, is truly one of a kind and on top of that, there’s his actual style of voicing is also one of a kind. Many artists will yell and scream to make their point, but rarely will you hear someone who makes the more aggressive style and YELLING one of the cornerstones of their style, to the point where if you’re REALLY honest with yourself, you’ll admit that if Perfect went and calmed down his style totally, you’d miss the old Perfect. Wouldn’t you? The problem, as you might imagine, is consistency. When you take such an unusual artist and they aren’t at “their absolute best”, the results can be downright WEIRD at times and just not very good at others and definitely (at least in my opinion), Perfect has experienced his fair share of both. However, as of late things have been different. I’ve been hearing tunes from the chanter with the same flare and vigour as he had earlier in his career, and now, he has a level of maturity and DEVELOPMENT to go along with it which he certainly didn’t enjoy previously and he will, at least presumably, continue to grow and develop as an artist. An interesting point in his recent newfound good streak is the fact that, to a large degree much of Perfect’s upturn has been the product of working with a single label, Tiger Records. Headed by the one name Sherkhan, a French born producer who apparently caught the Reggae bug which dragged him across the planet as he and his label are now based in Jamaica. Tiger Records has been responsible not only for some beautiful music in general (most notably in my opinion an ANGRY riddim by the name of the Sufferah), but particularly some of the best tunes recently from Perfect and some of the best of his entire career. THEREFORE, were the union to ever produce an album, I would definitely well be interested in it because the results (if the Perfect - Tiger Records relationship proved to be successful beyond singles and could have some continuing strength) could be potentially MASSIVE. Well, lo and behold that’s exactly what we find ourselves in the presence of with Perfect’s brand new studio album, his second of 2009 and fourth (technically) overall French Connection from Tiger Records. As you can certainly tell I’ve had my eye on this one from the very second I was aware that it was forthcoming and not only just for the reasons mentioned, but also because doesn’t it just seem like THE TIME for Perfect to bring something big? Having done quite a bit of the work with which he is still most known for, it is definitely time the most casual of observers come to know the man as far more than the ‘Handcart Boy’ and Mr. Giddimani and, in my opinion the album delivers. French Connection is one which will grab your attention in a most unusual way, fitting for the artist and continues to build on that rather unique basis throughout its sixteen track duration. By its end, wonderfully, it lays claim to being by far one of the most interesting and colourful releases of 2009 altogether and arguably the best of Perfect’s career thus far.

Certainly the title is something which caught my attention very early on as I suspected (before knowing the album’s origins) that it was something having to deal with Perfect’s globetrotting ways having in someway dropped him in France to do work with yet another strong European producer, however I was wonderfully incorrect in that he didn’t go to France, France came to him. Coming to you first when you fire up Perfect’s brand new album French Connection is a ‘funky’ intro by the name of ‘Rasta Ground’ featuring DJ Purple Haze. But speaking of “funky”, the intro makes way for the first tune, the very strange ‘Step Away’. Listen to this tune once and don’t respond much to it and I’ll probably think you normal. Listen to it about four times and find it to not be one of the catchiest tunes you’ve heard in quite awhile and you’ll be WEIRD AS HELL. The kind of gospel infused tune takes a minute to grow on you, but when it does GOOD LUCK TO YOU! That very unique tune, by album’s end, proved to be one the real highlights here for me. Then the HUGE guns roll in. The recently dropped single ‘Absolute Blessings’ which features Perfect alongside Reggae legend Sizzla Kalonji across Tiger’s relick of the Night Nurse riddim, is sure to attract more than a little attention and justly so because not only is it ostensibly a big combination, it actually is a big combination. This one also might require a bit of time to grow on you as Sizzla is quite ‘different’ himself and the two take a second or so to find the perfect vibes of the tune, but when they do, it’s LARGE (and incidentally, Perfect may have proven himself the only non-Sizzla artist to have a use of that ill-sounding wail for which Kalonji is known as he employs it throughout French Connection and does so NICELY)! The final tune of the opening lot, ‘Come On Woman’, a lover’s piece, is interesting to me largely because earlier this year, Perfect released an album by the name of Karma on his own Chalice Palace imprint and I didn’t like it at all as it was strictly love song which weren’t very good. Come On Baby, while not amongst my favourites on French Connection is CLEARLY better than anything on Karma, proving the artist capable of the more straight forward (not quite with him, however,) and pedestrian love songs, because it is quite solid.

As I said, Perfect had strung together a few very nice tunes for Tiger Records and one of them in particular was a standout for me and it has maintained and is the best tune I hear on French Connection, the SUBLIME ‘Son Of Jamaica’. This one is just LOVELY and although Perfect may never be known as the lyrical genius like two of his co-stars on French Connection, EVERY WORD on this tune sounds so nice and so well placed and as a “son” myself it definitely makes you feel quite proud and is a tune as unique as the artist who voices it. Now, I must direct your attention to the tune I was so eager to hear on the album, ‘Mi Nah Cut My Dread’ which features the second of two “lyrical geniuses” Lutan Fyah. This tune is MIGHTY. It lives up to my expectations, but not in the way I may have thought because Perfect largely keeps his cool throughout while the Fyah is his typical pinpoint precision best on the tune which proves to be quite the ‘edutaining’ experience (with Perfect providing the punch line for the tune, “Babywrong haffi drop down dead, but mi nah go cut my dread!”). HUGE tune. Still one could well make the argument (although I’m not going to) that the biggest combination on French Connection is the final one with the least known artist, Zamunda - ‘Life’. This is another BIG tune and you well keep an eye on Zamunda, he’s a big artist with a Jah Cure-ish type of vibe and apparently a favourite of Sherkhan’s (another big artist from out of ST. ANN‘Z!). Heading back, there’s another very large tune on the first half of the album, ‘Ruff Time’. First of all, the riddim on this one, the Yellow Paint riddim, is nearly brilliant and Perfect uses it to deliver condemnation from every angle on those who spread corruption and just negativity in general wherever they may hide. Also, check ‘Family Man’ which wonderfully follows Son Of Jamaica. The tune seems quite personal for Perfect (and I think it’s actually prefaced by the voice of one of his children) and it’s very nice as he sings of the commitment a (GOOD) father must make to his family above all else in the world, first and foremost. This one has grown on me considerably as well since I first heard it so, should it not really hit you, definitely don’t give up on it at once. There’s the Sizzla-ish ‘Marijuana We She’ (you can’t tell me that man doesn’t sound like Sizzla on the falsetto), French Connection’s obligatory ganja tune and a strong one at that on which Perfect speaks of one of the greatest joys of his life. There’s the crystal clear ‘Judgment Morning’ which HIT me just a bit. The tune speaks of the inevitable transition at the end of this life which we all must face one day and those who live NASTY may find the fire too hot for their liking (“from finger to toenail”). There’s the relatively mellow and laid back vibes of ‘Mount Zion’ (bass line on the tune is wicked) which has a few different feelings through it which come through nicely on the tune. I also like its placement after Judgment Morning as HOPEFULLY on said morning you and I will be on our way to Zion indeed. And, so as to not make you forget exactly who you’re listening to is ‘Bobo Special’, a special which sounds like something would have probably done anyway. And while certainly I could have done without the special effects (never like them anyway), Bobo Special is one for Perfect’s vault as it brings a NASTY fire. The obligatory acoustic number, ‘Rebel In Me’, for a change of pace isn’t the closer on the album, it also isn’t one of my favourites although I wouldn’t be surprised if it were to grow on me a bit (not to a great deal however). And lastly, there’s ‘Seven Is The Number’. This one kind of surprised me because it floes over the Bob Marley-ish Wharfedale Riddim which I recognized immediately (coincidentally) as the riddim which backs Tanya Stephens’ ‘The Truth’ from the MASSIVE Rebelution album and after further research, Sherkhan was well given credit for that also (and it wasn’t the only tune on that album he dealt with on that album) (small world). Perfect doesn’t handle the Wharfedale as well as Stephens, but '7' certainly isn’t a bad tune and like all things on French Connection, you might want to spin it a few times before really making up your mind on it. The tune sets the stage which the aforementioned Life finishes off by closing out the album.

Overall, I’m VERY impressed and I’m going to take a bit of credit as well (even though I had not a damn thing to do with the making of this album), but I’ve been saying for months how much I was looking forward to WHATEVER turned out to be Perfect’s next album and thankfully I wasn’t just blowing smoke and that album came via Tiger Records who, in retrospect, was a large reason why I was so much anticipating what turned out be French Connection. The album is well ahead of Karma, I think I’m the only person in the world who didn’t enjoy Born Dead With Life, so of course it’s better than that for me and it’s right there with Giddimani for the best album of Perfect’s career. And I won’t be surprised at all if in a month’s time or so, I rate it even above that GEM of an album. I was quite critical of Perfect when I felt his music wasn’t what it should be, because I knew that despite the inherent inconsistencies which may arise due to his style, there aren’t too many more talented individuals making Reggae music today PERIOD than Perfect. It is in that respect that I rate French Connection even higher because, although I still think he can (and will) do better, this album is everything I hoped it would be and slightly more and a tangible shift in the proper direction for one of Reggae music’s most unusual, interesting and ABNORMAL artists and talents.

Rated 4.5/5

Tiger Records

2009

CD + Digital