Incomparable: A Review of Heavenly Drum by Machel Montano

As the search for the next great Caribbean music superstar continues I think its very interesting to kind of take ‘inventory’ as to who we currently have playing the role. With so many labels and artists and producers popping up on a seemingly never-ending daily basis the personification of the ‘goal’ which they are seeking to reach is kind of barren these days but is full of VERY familiar faces. Probably the most well known Caribbean artist in the world is and has been for the past decade or so, Shaggy. He of course plays on a different level than most of his peers because the lion’s share of his audience is, of course, outside of the Caribbean (the same could be said about the next person I’m going to mention) and he LARGELY underrated and underappreciated here although, almost unnecessarily, Shaggy has wonderfully seen his local fame go up because of several causes he has been involved in pushing and making music, which goes without saying. There’s also Dancehall poster boy, Sean Paul, and with a new album loaded and ready to go in the very near future as of this writing, the Uptown superstar ‘threatens’ to overtake Shaggy as the international face of Reggae, if he hasn’t actually done so already (and he may have). Again, like I said, Sean Paul’s is a fame which, although probably more locally respected than Shaggy’s (seeing Sean Paul’s name pop up on a riddim from a local producer isn’t RARE at all, not even in this time, the same isn’t true for Shaggy), is largely based outside of the Caribbean and to that degree he has quietly become a WONDERFUL spokesperson and representative for the music if for no other reason that, perhaps by even his own admission, he isn’t the best of his craft and if not that then certainly by his humble behaviour in total. After Sean Paul and Shaggy you really start to get into a VERY interesting group of artists who have built their stardoms almost exclusively in the Caribbean and Caribbean musical hotspots throughout the world. Artists who fall into the line of this category are, of course, someone like Beenie Man who, SHOCKINGLY has managed to charm his way to superstardom despite maintaining bits and pieces of his small bad-boy persona by virtue of the fact that he is, by far, one of the most talented individuals to pick up the mic in Reggae EVER. A case could be made for Beenie Man’s counterpart, Bounty Killer, although that case has always been a hard one to make and is becoming even harder by the moment. I’m also going to throw the name MAVADO into the fray as someone whose appeal has (even more shockingly the Beenie’s maintenance of his) grown to a point where RIGHT NOW he can probably be considered in that group (although I don’t know if he can maintain it and I have my doubts). Other possible choices include Vybz Kartel, Baby Cham (whose next move, however far away it may be, will prove or disprove his levels) and Lady Saw. Although all of that is just in Jamaica and Reggae.

Sticking with strictly my English speaking artists (biggup Kassav, Tanya St. Val, Krys, Admiral T, Michele Henderson and Izaline Calister), in terms of the stereotypical ‘attitude’ that one might associate with being a superstar in music (read - ‘diva’ male or female) if the Caribbean’s greatest superstar doesn’t walk into the studio every time Beenie churns out another ass shaking hit, then that title is one which hovers over one Trinidadian Machel Montano each and every Carnival season and beyond. Season in and season out Machel’s songs are amongst the most discussed and, when he’s ON, the most well appreciated and popular as they have been for a very long time. A former child star, he also has the type of built in ‘familiarity’ which has allowed his fans to either watch him grow up be they younger or older, or for fans within that same age range (I believe Montano turns thirty-five this year), literally grow up alongside him and like the second wave of artists I mentioned, his popularity too is strongest in the Caribbean and the even smaller hotbeds of the Soca music he makes (and to the levels of spottiness of such places and the fact that Soca and Carnival remains much of a ‘seasonal’ type of music). Machel Montano is a bonafide star whether you know his name or not. And with such stardom, he almost inherently opens himself to MORE criticisms than most of his peers. Chances are that there are quite a few people who know the name Machel Montano for one reason or another and maybe able to associate it with SOMETHING or another, however, it remains in their minds and have NO IDEA who someone like Bunji Garlin or Iwer George is. Thus, there were that many more mouths, however educated or uneducated on the topic they may be, that Machel’s 2009 Trinidad and Tobago Carnival season was definitely sup-bar and quite a bit underwhelming to say the least. Similarly, early talk from the masses saying similar things about Garlin’s season virtually vanished once he released a couple of BIG tunes and while Machel did the same, that talk never disappeared for him. Now, having released his obligatory tune for Crop Over (Tell Me, which I’m still brewing over), Machel functionally puts a bow on his musical 2009 with his expected and delayed album Heavenly Drum. The album comes on the tail end of a downright CROWDED season for the superstar as besides the music, Machel, engaged in a whirlwind of other activities, including a children’s book (Boy Boy & The Magic Drum), a musical (same title) both of which he ‘reportedly’ aimed at pushing Trinidadian musical culture (success on that front) to the next generation AND, back to the music, he also simultaneously launched an album for his ‘crew’ Machel Montano Presents The HD Family. However, perhaps the most anticipated portion of the confusion and the madness (and the ‘convolusion’) at this point is the album, Heavenly Drum. The album is a showcase for what has been one of Machel’s and company’s more uneven in recent years and while that quality is definitely reflected here, Heavenly Drum DEFINITELY is more than a complete loss.

Machel Montano has had many albums to date as a solo artist and part of his former group and band Xtatik but DEFINITELY it is the last two or three, specifically both Flame On (2008) and Book Of Angels (2007), to which Heavenly Drum will be compared as it finds Montano still well within the ‘HD’ realm (more on that in a bit). And if you haven’t heard Machel Montano’s music as of yet (shame on you) you can expect more of the same INTENSE CRAZINESS which marked both of those brilliant efforts. Beginning Machel Montano’s brand new album for 2009 is Mesmerize, one of his most polarizing tunes of the year. The song definitely isn’t within the scope of ‘regular’ for Soca music (or Reggae) but it has a nice and cool vibes to it like an R&B or poppish sounding tune. I’ve heard so many people say they HATE it or LOVE it, I don’t have such extreme emotions for the tune, good or bad. Decent opening. The next tune could also be said to be something other than Soca (but this one, I LIKE) as Machel calls in the first of several collaborators, Bermy’s finest, Collie Buddz for the NICE Fly Away. In my opinion, its pretty much a Soca tune, albeit definitely on the slower side even for a groovy tune but it was just LOVELY. Definitely one of my favourites from Machel this year and considering all the criticisms he received, I feel that Fly Away was beyond reproach to a degree as, although it by no means was the greatest, it just has such a nice nice vibes, even now. Wonderful combination and one of the album’s best. Completing the opening of the Heavenly Drum is another combination and perhaps one even more high profile as Machel teams up with Jamaican Dancehall future star Busy Signal (I mean like within a year or so, like very soon for Busy) for a remix of his tune Push Bumpers. I don’t really like it and I don’t think I’ve ever been very high on it’s original version (which is also on the album) but I just like the combination. If you take that on paper allure out of the tune, then its okay. All in all a DECENT beginning.

Of course, myself, I’m much more of a CRAZY jump up type of a person. And when Machel Montano goes in that direction, even if he doesn’t go FULL ON, the results are usually MADNESS! He does go FULL ON with the tune which, in my opinion, was his greatest solo effort and the best on Heavenly Drum, his Road March contender Wild Antz. Yes the video sucked and so many people even bashed the song itself that you almost got embarrassed saying you liked it but I DON’T GIVE A FUCK! Wild Antz was MAD! And if I were the only one who felt so (and I’m not) I wouldn’t care! It didn’t deserve to win Road March and it didn’t but it rather easily ranks in the top five songs Trinidad produced for 2009. MASSIVE! Not as HYPE but arguably just as strong on a different level was the underrated and overlooked Won’t Stop. This one is just POLISHED! It doesn’t make you jump as high or wave as fast as Wild Antz but the groove on this one is downright addictive and, in my opinion, might’ve had an even greater shot at the road than the Antz did, in retrospect. Then we come to Ravin’. This one is a tune where I have to admit that my LONG feelings about it were incorrect because I never REALLY gave it a shot, but Ravin is SERIOUS! Of course it takes a backseat in my opinion because every time I hear that BEAUTIFUL riddim get going my brain almost immediately starts singing Patrice Roberts’ MASSIVE Sway In D Mas which topped Machel’s effort but Ravin is very nice as well and the vibe is crazy same way. Stunnin’ doesn’t quite reach those levels and definitely wasn’t one of my favourites from Machel this year but I have grown to have a greater appreciation for it through the months so definitely don’t give up on it through juts a few spins. The other tunes here are marked by, in my opinion for the most part, big tunes on paper which either don’t ‘pan’ out so well or just really SOLID material but not SPECTACULAR results with one exception. That exception is the title track which is downright INSPIRING. I’m a grown ass man, soon to be twenty-eight years old and Magic Drum makes me, old and jaded as I am, feel like a little kid. I’m not typically SO in love with the pan sound (I’m Jamaican, DUH!) but Magic Drum is some type of tune which sets Machel MUSICALLY apart from so many of his peers. The tune is wonderful and aided by the venerable Phase II group (led by Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe who is given direct credit) multiple time champions of the Panorama competition (which is like Pan Monarch). And the tune is even given a nice ’road mix’ of sorts which features Machel alongside longtime veteran (and good friend) Chinese Laundry and it more or less serves as the storyline for the Boy Boy & The Magic Drum concept. In two editions - HUGE tune, old school style. One of the more ‘curious’ pieces here is the COMPLETELY out of ‘character’ and SLOW and SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS (which he has done before, the entire 2009 ‘concept’ was socially conscious) and PERSONAL. The tune was livicated to an engineer of Machel’s and HD’s Wayne Ephraim who died this year as well as to so many others (Rest In Zion Shel Shok). Its not the best tune but you measure songs like this on more than sound, don’t we and it also features ‘rapper‘ Make-It-Hapn (he sounds like a rapper to me) also from out of Trinidad. And Pray along with the original version of Magic Drum lead us into the conclusion of Heavenly Drum which is two mixes. The first is your standard, average and everyday road mix for Wild Antz. You’ll have a hard time finding a version of the original that I won’t appreciate and the road mix, for what it is, isn’t that. Lastly is a very INTERESTING and CREATIVE piece, the Jumbie Antz, which is a fusion of the Wild Antz with Montano’s 2007 Road March winner Jumbie. SCATHING! And a better note to send out the Heavenly Drum.

Here’s the thing. From a musical standpoint there are a few things missing from Heavenly Drum. The first would be the SWEET combination Tonight which features the DIVINE Alaine alongside Machel. Also absent is the combination Let Me See featuring US superstar hip-hopper Busta Rhymes. And probably a few others (including yet another Push Bumpers remix with the aforementioned Sean Paul AND Floor On Fire with hip-hoppers Lil John and Pitbull)) including at least ONE combination with Patrice Roberts, certainly a requirement for any Montano album these days. I’d also like to mention the lack of ‘HD’ emblazoned on the cover right? Unlike both the Flame On and Book Of Angel albums which specifically say HD there. HOWEVER, if you haven’t noticed the album is called Heavenly Drum and not only that but literally replacing HD is Machel’s NEW alter ego at the top of the cover, HESUS DIVINE. Take from it, what you will.

Overall, with everything that went on with Machel and The HD Family in 2009 its definitely a big thing that they delivered not only one but two different albums with no tunes crossing over (which probably explains the lack of a Patrice song on the album). As I said, Machel Montano or whatever he’s calling himself these days is a STAR, no doubt about it so his releases are certain to get a BIG international attention each and every time through. Here’s the thing, when people who wouldn’t otherwise pick up an album like this grap this one, while they won’t find Machel at his musical finest, what they will find is an artist seemingly forever redefining himself for one reason another. This form of Machel? Hesus Divine isn’t as good as the Machel of Flame On or Book of Angels but still may be FAR stronger than all of us gave him credit for being and as usual: I can’t wait for next year.

Rated 3.5/5 stars

Ruff Rex/J&W Productions

The Vault Reviews: Conquering Sound by Ancient King

I always find it quite interesting to check certain lines of ‘lineage’ in Reggae music as, unlike most other genres, its often the case that every style you hear in our music, has come from somewhere, be it a single artist or a combination of more than one artist. Of course, that’s almost always because of the size and the number of our performers and from where they come, namely Jamaica, so what happens a lot is not only does a younger and up and coming artist clearly show influences from another, more established name, he often gets to work DIRECTLY with that artist in a mentoring type of form. Now this isn’t to call upon the kind of clichéd and overused, in my opinion, ‘inspired’ tag where one artist will say whom he or she looked up to. For example, I’ve heard I-Wayne list Sizzla Kalonji as one of the artists that inspired him to get into the music. I-Wayne doesn’t sound anything like (anyone) Sizzla and if Kalonji never existed, I-Wayne would probably sound exactly as he does now. What I am talking about, however, is something like what happens when contrasting artists like Garnet Silk and Ras Shiloh. Of course, this (and my next) example is at an extreme end as Shiloh has virtually livicated his entire career to the late and great Manchester native in adopting a style SO similar to Silk’s that it STILL confuses hardcore Roots Reggae heads to this day sometimes as to exactly which of the two might be singing a particular tune or another. Another very nice example would be Luciano’s influence on Natty King. Again, this is another extreme example as Natty King was admittedly one of the Messenjah’s biggest fans and once pursued his career under the stage name Lucie B in honour of the legendary Roots singer. I should also mention that in both cases, Ras Shiloh and Natty King, it is a testament to the younger artists that they have admittedly taken large pieces of their favourite artists styles and STILL managed to distinguish themselves HIGHLY in the business. Other, more ‘regular’ examples of what I mean here would be someone like Bounty Killer’s influence on Aidonia, as it is Aidonia DIRECTLY and not Vybz Kartel or Busy Signal who seems to have literally updated the Killer’s style just as he had done to Ninja Man’s; Turbulence’s obvious ode to Sizzla so early in his career and even though now WELL into his own vibes (I think Turbulence will be 30 next January), you’ll still occasionally hear the Turbulence of old who sounded like a better singing voiced less lyrically talented version of the wizard of August Town; and you also can mention rather outlying examples such as Spragga Benz to Assassin (although from a PURE sonic point of view that one doesn’t hold up as well) and Admiral T to his direct disciple Saïk. Those are all FINE examples of lineages of style in Reggae music and the very fact that the music can be as STRONG and ORIGINAL as it is with that, is simply a testament to both the brilliances of yesteryear and today as well.

By far one of the more interesting BIG artists who has definitely left his imprint on the game is Capleton. Tracing the musical ‘lineage’ of Capleton’s style is such a contentious and polarizing point as critics and fans alike will seemingly either list those artists whom he has CLEARLY DIRECTLY influenced in terms of their style either VERY high or equally VERY low. The ones who believe that Capleton’s influence is wide spreading will go as far as to list artists like Sizzla, Anthony B and even Buju Banton and Ninja Man as people who have been taken Capleton’s style and worked it into their own ways. On the other hand, those who believe that he hasn’t had many TRUE musical ‘descendants’ will look upon those who have accurately followed his style to some degree as much more thin. I just happen to be one of these people in the latter and more slimming way of thinking in Capleton’s actual artist influence. Of course that’s no diss at all to the Prophet who rather EASILY ranks in my top five of artists of all time but when you look at those who have come not only with a similar style (which can be said with both Sizzla and Anthony B, whose own base style, at least in my opinion, CLEARLY overwhelm anything they may have (and probably didn’t) take from Capleton) but a at least a CHUNK of his musical mission and musical understanding as well. So who has taken the style constructed by Capleton which won him MILLIONS of followers worldwide? Well, the most obvious choice is the long underrated and almost forgotten chanter from Capleton’s own base, David House, Jah Thunder. The Thunder is an artist, like the individual in question here today, who has either COMPLETELY eschewed having a style somewhere in the middle grow, which Capleton himself has (see Good In Her Clothes) and instead has made himself into one of the most INTENSE Roots chanters of all time. A very good case could also be made for Jah Mason, who, again in my opinion, took what Capleton did further than anyone besides the man himself and added to it a FINE middle level of vibes built upon his own personality and downright MOODINESS at times. Another FINE example would be St. Croix born Ancient King. The former ‘Willow’ (his given name is Wendell Francois), made his international emergence on the strength of the highly regarded Conquering Sound album for the venerable I-Grade Records back in 2005 as the Fyah portion of the label’s biggest push to date, to my knowledge, Fyah - Earth - Wind (‘Earth’ was NiyoRah’s A Different Age album and ’Wind’ was the veteran Army’s I-Grade debut, Rasta Awake). Ancient King (then Willow) had apparently impressed I-Grade head Laurent ‘Tippy’ Alfred a few years earlier in 2002 when he delivered three very strong tracks on one of the label’s earliest releases, a compilation named Weep Not which also featured I-Grade staples Midnite and Dezarie. Ancient King, perhaps more so than anyone not named Capleton or Jah Thunder understood the concept of translating that FIERY style in powerful vibes and on Conquering Sound he delivered a vibes throughout which Capleton himself would have been proud of.

For me personally, within the Fyah -Earth- Wind releases from I-Grade, initially and maybe still I was most impressed with Ancient King (since then, my tastes have DEFINITELY shifted towards NiyoRah) as his style was something which was more familiar. At that time, still new listening to Virgin Islands Reggae, I hadn’t really found an artist who sounded like the Jamaican artists with the exception of Pressure (who I may have actually ‘discovered’ after Ancient King. He didn’t sound like Dezarie or Vaughn Benjamin or Army, his style was MUCH more ‘comfortable’ to me and required virtually no adjusting on my part. The first six tunes on Conquering Sound are WICKED and Ancient King launches into them in very nice fashion especially considering the comparisons I’ve drawn to this point. Getting the album started is the title track which features, of all people, Prince Pankhi, a former member of the David House Family and another artist who has clearly been influenced by The Prophet. Calling it the least of the first six but still a strong tune might tell you what to expect but make no mistake about it, Conquering Sound the tune is an absolutely DOMINATING vibes (with a subtle shot out to Mutabaruka by Pankhi) Next up is a BIG yet underappreciated tune in my opinion, Your Defense. The tune has such a big message shooting out against corruption and violence and is wrapped into a WICKED I-Grade riddim (more on that in a minute). Big tune in all and it might take a few spins to grow on you but definitely give it just that. Then things go even bigger. The KNOCK on the next tune Do Good is downright LEGENDARY at this point with the drum beating just as hard as Ancient King himself. You simply have to hear the song to get the real feel but its definitely worth checking for. Nah bow is another very I-Grade sounding vibes (this one I actually recognize from somewhere) and it plays a fine, yet understated backdrop to Ancient King’s REFUSAL to step his style back for any reason as he shoots right on through firing as you would expect. The last two of the first six are MASSIVE and the Conquering Sound’s best altogether. Battlefield Marshall is LETHAL to corruption and violence and utter nastiness everywhere and shows just how effective can the King can be. It makes way for the album’s biggest single shot, the SCATHING Access Psychologically. This one has been CRAZY for years for me. The highlight hear being that Ancient King gets about as deep lyrically as he can (at least insofar as I’ve heard him) which is VERY impressive as he warns us to REALLY look at someone thus accessing them psychologically) to learn their true intent and not just what they’re presenting AND he maintains the fire. Something Capleton, Sizzla and Anthony B have done effortlessly for years but very few others have had success in recreating. Mission accomplished Ancient King: HUGE tune.

What’s kind of strange here is that Tippy and company have definitely created the aforementioned ‘I-Grade sound’ and it’s not full blown on Conquering Sound. Instead, they impressively adjusted to the artist, offering him heavier and faster vibed compositions which really increases the quality of the album. This is more scene in the beginning and particularly at the end when things get downright DARK, right up Ancient King’s alley apparently. Check back-to-back shots Heading For Failure and Here It Comes. These two songs have an even more different kind of style as Ancient King, at times, drifts into a Hip-Hop cadence (which Is a good thing here), especially on Here It Comes and for its part, Heading For Failure is a much more DARKER vibed piece from anything I’ve heard from I-Grade to this point (and it features the typical Tippy/Tuff Lion combination playing on it as well). The long titled Faith, Courage and A Just Cause also has an unusual vibes but it also has a built in ‘excuse’ of sorts as it is the third of three official combinations, this time with the always odd Vaughn Benjamin who is apparently a very good friend of the King’s. Benjamin, to my ears, dominates the tune (master of the weird) but the two definitely make a nice combination on the KNOCKING tune. Of course that’s not to say that Ancient King completely avoids much of the standard I-Grade route which he ‘drives’ almost completely through the middle portion of Conquering Sound. Check the LUSH She’s So Awesome which I originally had left for dead (you can’t sound like this and make a solid lover’s tune) but the tune takes a much more lyrical turn than the expected ‘moody’ type of vibes which usually pervade songs like this for the most part. The tune St. Croix Run Red rides the same LOVELY riddim which backs the aforementioned Pressure Busspipe’s combination with Yahadanai, Best Thing (on the latter’s stirring One Atonement album *see here*) and although Ancient King doesn’t reach those HUGE levels, he does quite well with an obvious Vaughn Benjamin singing backup throughout. Children Of The World is a decent tune with another familiar vibes and features an unknown songstress Empress Michel (who also sings backup on the title track) from out of the States. She compliments the King quite well and nicely levels off the vibes on what is one of the better tunes on the album altogether. And finally, Ancient King’s Conquering Sound ends with a more familiar I-Grade vibes with JAH (apparently making up for the taking up of title allocation words from the tune which immediately precedes it) and Wake Up & Live Up. JAH is a very nice tune on its own but whatever that riddim is behind Wake Up is absolutely SPARKLING and downright hypnotizing to a degree. Both tunes carry a heavy message (and probably from a lyrical point-of-view JAH is stronger) and both provide a very nice leveling of the vibes to end an album which at times threaten to overwhelm the listener with an edge by an artist who doesn’t seem to moderate or limit himself too well in the helpful hands of producers and players of instruments who apparently know how to do just that.

Overall, its quite interesting that, in retrospect, as active as Ancient King (apparently now renaming himself (again) Incient King) has remained, I haven’t been REALLY into what he has been doing. In 2008, he released his sophomore album, the very unimpressive Judgement and tunes here and there (he is even present with two tunes on Midnite’s most recent release, the stirringly ODD To Mene) which have featured Ancient King engaging in PURE yelling as opposed to the skilled fiery chenter he is on Conquering Sound. So perhaps that is an even greater statement to the power of his debut and also Tippy and company as those who so CLEARLY gotten the best out of the artist. The album is recommended to fans of MODERN Roots Reggae both new and old. With the connections to be drawn to Capleton, still being quite obvious in my opinion, you have to maintain that one area where Ancient King hasn’t proven himself, as of yet, is CONSISTENCY at that level. Should he get to back to doing what made Conquering Sound nearly special and so well received anytime soon, he may have conquered that art as well.

Rated 4/5 stars

I Grade Records

2005

Incient King (Ancient King) @ Myspace

Filling Da Void: A Review of Chuck Fenda: Live In San Francisco

As much as I obviously love the medium of albums and singles for music, I will always admit and agree that the greatest form of presenting music is live and in person. When you take an artist and give them the platform to deliver music that they slaved hours and hours to make sound so nice that so many people will enjoy it and support it, LIVE, it destroys the rather impersonal nature of vibes that listening to a CD or a radio inherently presents. Also, after that performance, many people (myself DEFINITELY included) gain a fuller appetite for a song which they previously may not have enjoyed at all. In Reggae and Caribbean music specifically this also applies and, and a grander scale, perhaps even more so. Still, as much as I may complain about the title, our music is often deemed ‘exotic’ or the ever-present ‘world’ category, therefore, when you have a performance on any type of larger scale than usual, almost EVERY time out, you’ll make new fans of the music. Case and point, almost any time there’ll be a Reggae artist of any stature performing on any type of international television show, you’ll see a reaction locally due to many people abroad being impressed and such a thing, although commonplace for artists of many other genres, Caribbean music seems to respond differently (for the better) for such unfortunately rare opportunities. So should you want to make a friend previously ‘unaffected’ by Reggae music, check the current tour schedules for some of the bigger artists at any given time. Now, being that the situation, I’ve often made the case that it is STRANGELY unusual that because Reggae music LIVE has such an prevailingly GOOD affect on people and with definitely steady stream in which Reggae albums are released, we have so very few live albums released these days. I’d go as far as to make the case that with, re-issues and just first time projects of new and old shows, today we STILL have more old artists pushing with live albums while modern artists seeking to do the same have so very few options. And don’t get me started on Soca. I think it’s definitely an under utilized piece as can you possibly imagine what type of affect a live album/DVD from someone like Elephant Man might do if given proper promotion? Even Beenie man has yet (to my memory) to have a LARGE live album released, despite the fact that his stage presence is probably about as commanding as anything you’d see on Broadway tonight. The Dancehall live album is pretty much GONE (if it ever was here in the first place) (and it wasn’t) which is a real shame (Ninja Man!), however, for those of us willing to go a bit further, on the Roots side things are stirring and have been for awhile.

Critics will always say things like “good Roots Reggae has left Jamaica and gone to the Virgin Islands” and “good lover’s rock has left Jamaica and gone to England”, both of which aren’t true under the surface but I have FULL confidence in saying that the modern Reggae live album now lives in the state California. 2b1 Multimedia has the Reggae live album on LOCK! Period, the San Francisco based label is definitely not the most active by any means but just in the last year or so have RIDICULOUSLY released live albums for relatively new artists I Wayne and Lutan Fyah. Add to that the fact that within the same period of time, they pushed what was arguably the finest Reggae album of any time in 2008, Africa, from the aforementioned Mr. Fyah. Credentials like that alone would definitely make 2b1 one of the more well reputed labels of the moment but, as Reggae labels tend to come and go, its VERY refreshing know that they have been doing the exact same thing for years; well over a decade at this point. As I believe I said in reviewing another of their releases: They’re ‘threatening’ to become a SERIOUS player in Reggae music (and the case could be made that they are already) but I kind of hope that they stay kind of set in their ‘niche’ releasing predominately live albums with the occasional BIG studio release like Africa. Besides both Lutan Fyah albums and I-Wayne currently bubbling around the time (Africa was reportedly VERY commercially successful) and the rather forgotten detail that they’ve recently gone digital, previously existing as a physical product releasing only company (and hopefully they’ll tap into their back catalogue someday as well, with MANY strong products in the 2b1 vaults, including live albums from Capleton, Luciano, Junior Kelly and a ton of others (including LADY SAW of all people)) the fine people at 2b1 continue their ascent with products like this one. The artist in question here today is someone who two years ago or so you just COULDN’T IMAGINE having a live album as there seemed to be not only a great call for such a thing but no one willing to make the move in doing such a product but this label is apparently going after the hardcore heads. Well they’re doing a GREAT job. Why release a Chuck Fenda live album? He isn’t regarded as having one of the greatest stage shows in the game (although he is very good) but then again neither were Fyah or I-Wayne. Chuck Fenda, like those wonderful artists, is simply one of the most solid artists in the game so to answer the question: Why a Chuck Fenda live album? Why not. Fenda is amongst a group of artist to emerge in the Roots arena (although he is older) who are PROVEN hitmakers in Reggae, year in and year out he brings big tunes and has been doing so at this same level now for the last half decade or so. His stage show also has come along, although, to my opinion, it was never what I would call BAD actually but it now matches the fiery chanter he is on his music. The former Dancehall head born in New York, also retains that hard ‘edge’ to a degree and it most often will come across live and in person. On albums, Fenda currently has two out, the EXCELLENT Better Days from 2004 and 2007’s WICKED and underrated The Living Fire, both of which were received very well and definitely upped his international status. Now, 2b1 brings forth Chuck Fenda: Live In San Francisco, an album definitely different but one befitting one of the most talented and CONSISTENT Roots artists on the modern scene. Just as we’ve come to expect from them.

If you’re a fan of Chuck Fenda’s already, like myself, you’ll definitely recognize quite a few nice and popular tunes as expected. In this performance (like most of his, I would imagine) Fenda covers pretty much most of his hits from recent years and sounds in very fine form throughout which is reflected by the high crowd energy and participation at the venue, Club Six, also (at least at the start). Beginning Chuck Fenda’s Live In San Francisco is just a brief but INTENSE taste of his hit from a couple of years back on Christopher Birch’s Stage Time riddim, Cyan Cool which definitely gets the crowd’s attention and it’ll get yours as well as Fenda just gives a verse or so to get things lit before wheeling it up and heading into the next tune. Chuck Fenda doesn’t wait very long at all to call in the heavy artillery and delivers his MASSIVE hit, the controversial Gash Dem which flattens Club Six. Its always nice when an artist can go somewhere and have the audience really KNOW the song and with Gash Dem, Club Six, at times, threaten to drown out Fenda’s own vocals with their big response to the tune (even on the verses). Gash Dem sounds EXCELLENT here and is performed so well that its definitely my choice as the finest piece you’ll find on Fenda’s Live In San Francisco. Fenda tackles the Blaze riddim (biggup Pow Pow Movements) to close out the wicked opening of his set, with a nice rendition of the BIG Poor People Cry from back in the 5th Elements days of Fenda, Richie Spice and Anthony Cruz from the Poor People’s Defendah. He also ends the tune with a speech throwing it to the next one, which is a performance not to be missed.

From the way its presented if you wanted to say that All About Da Weed is the biggest performance here, I wouldn’t put up too much of a fuss. The tune begins halfway before the previous track runs its course with Fenda relaying a story of how he was pulled over and declared himself a “marijuana tree!”. This is a nice example of what I mean by how a performance can make you like a tune as I had to go back and draw on the Truths & Rights riddim for the nice studio version of the tune (and he even ends things by drawing on a tune from his good friend Richie Spice, Youths So Cold). Chuck Fenda fans will know every lyric on every tune as he just rolls through the hits. Jah Is Worthy over the EPIC Hard Times riddim sounds so nice and it keeps the crowd in nicely (despite a music fumble). I do have to say that the biggest disappointment on the show comes when Fenda reaches arguably his biggest hit to date, I Swear, where both he and the crowd inexplicably so to go into energy defunct. It comes too close to the beginning to be a matter of physical fatigue and both show energy afterwards, so I’m just calling I Swear a bad pull UNFORTUNATELY. Fenda and crowd seem to have things back together on the VERY NEXT TUNE as he dives into Murderer perhaps a little too briefly but things are leveled nicely as he continues to bring the big tunes. Haffi Win was a BIG tune and probably one of his most underrated (Better Days album) definitely and it sounds pretty good here as well but probably not as good as it could’ve or should’ve. Herbalist Farmer, a quite recent effort from Kemar ‘Flava’ McGregor’s WICKED Drop It riddim probably has the best audio on the set and it just comes through so nice, definitely one of the show’s highlights there. Fenda even goes solo on the combination tune Coming Over Tonight (The Living Fire album), sans Cherine Anderson (who might make for a pretty nice live album 2b1) and it comes across quite well also. Of course you would have LOVED if Ms. Anderson made an appearance but Fenda does nicely by himself. Speaking of BY HIMSELF, Fenda’s BIG anthem for the mothers of the world, Oh Mama (Better Days album), comes through on this set with no music, a cappella style and is very nice and it reaches the audience nicely as well. I didn’t too much like chasing that one with Oh My Lord, which comes on an acoustic vibes, I think he should’ve ran the vibes back up and he honestly takes too long to do that for my tastes as neither Freedom Of Speech nor Material Things (STRONG tunes) get that energy back up (although Freedom Of Speech is very well received as it always is, I‘m sure). That role is serviced when the KNOCKING Better Days comes through and begins the final stretch of the show. Better Days is another tune like Haffi Win in that it definitely received its fair share of popularity, but to my ears, its every bit as strong as pretty much ANYTHING you’ll find in Fenda’s catalogue so far. Never Si Dis [Yet] is another strong piece and it resonates well here as it sounds EXCELLENT and you should definitely track down the studio version of that BIG tune which is one of Fenda’s more lyrically impressive outings and the performance features a surprise vibe or two. One of the better pieces right there. The fact that you can slow down and still keep the vibes up is reinforced by the presence of the LOVELY God Is My Witness across the Lava Splash riddim which is very nice in its brevity as is the show closer, Rough Out Deh (Better Days). This one is performed across a different riddim than the studio version and after a bit, it sounds so nice. Fenda himself doesn’t go so hard after the tune (like he should’ve) but I LOVE that song and you couldn’t flop it if you tried. And the same could be said about any Chuck Fenda performance, including this one.

I do have to say that throughout Chuck Fenda: Live In San Francisco and PROBABLY in most of his performances in general (although I’ve seen him perform several times and haven’t noticed it but never with him having as much time as here), he uses the pretty ‘standard’ call and response technique of, “Lemme hear you say whoa!. . . Say yeah. . .” and that definitely wears thin here to the point where later on you’ll feel inclined to skip ahead a bit (luckily almost every time he does it, its not during an actual song, but a wheel.

Overall, like the I-Wayne piece, Live In Oakland, Chuck Fenda: Live In San Francisco is not the BEST you’ll see from the artist, however, it is by no means a bad show. Fenda (nor I-Wayne) do those type of things to my knowledge. And with the rarity (until 2b1 began this ’streak’) of something like this, you’re more appealing to the hardcore heads who just like the idea of such a release and are far more likely to have seen the artist or just know the full range of power of the vibes. I myself have to say that I just LOVE the idea of taking so many modern artists and giving them an opportunity to have a live album in their catalogues. Next up for 2b1 is apparently Turbulence and Ky-mani Marley of all people and Fenda himself may be back later in 2009 with a studio release for genre leading VP Records (and if it happens it will be one of the year’s most anticipated projects definitely). But here, what you have is a nice shout for the loyal fans and I’m enjoying the vibes with the live albums. Now 2b1 just give me Cherine Anderson, Lutan Fyah again, Jah Mason, Spice, Chezidek, Buju, Assassin. . .

Rated 3/5 stars

2b1 Multimedia Inc.

2009

Chuck Fenda @ Myspace

The Official Chuck Fenda Website

The Vault Reviews: 2 Strong by Sizzla & Anthony B

For better or for worse there are several different and rather prominent pairs of artists in Reggae music who seemingly will forever be linked together for one reason or another. Be it a matter of unique circumstances, association, the time frame which they rose to prominence or something as simple as where they are from, nearly EVERY single leading artist on the scene will have an artist to which their career will be linked and sometimes, depending on the artist in particular, there is more than one link for a single artist. Of course, the most well known and typically the most relied upon in the current era is that of Beenie Man and Bounty Killer. Their WELL tired ‘on again-off again’ feud/agreement can actually be seen as the single most impacting situation in the Dancehall in the past twenty years or so. Their feud takes away the spotlight from other artists when its blazing and suddenly, when they appear to be on good terms, you’ll notice that those are the spaces when the doors open and we get BIG new artists. An example of that would be another pair of artists who will enter the ages as “Do you remember him?’, “Oh yeah, it was him and that other guy”, would be Assassin and Vybz Kartel. Even before they get to being paired with each other, you have to link them to the artists who helped aid them in their early careers and development; that being Assassin to Spragga Benz and Kartel with the aforementioned Bounty Killer. However, that being said, just as we were asking ourselves about five years ago who we thought was the wickedest between the two (and most should have been saying Kartel at the time) we are right now (and most should be saying Assassin) and twenty years from now, we will still be asking ourselves. More still, you can look at the Roots side of things and take for example the rather BURGEONING case of Queen Ifrica. Of course the most direct and obvious connection to be drawn on the genius from out of Montego Bay is to her mentor and ‘boss’ Tony Rebel (himself linked to a few different artists) who gave her, her first big break and continues to guide her. However, I predict that years from now Ifrica will be linked to another future Queen, Etana, as the two rose as two POWERFUL feminine Roots Reggae voices at roughly the same time. You could also look at pairings like Jimmy Riley and his son Tarrus (for VERY obvious reasons), Luciano and Mikey General, Batch and Ras Attitude and the lines go on and on. Dating back to something like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and both with Bunny Wailer and even beyond, Reggae music seems to travel quite well in pairs doesn’t it?

And that may explain the two cases in question here and maybe even one more. In terms of Roots Reggae music over the past decade, one could DEFINITELY make the ‘three headed monster’ presentation of Sizzla, Capleton and Anthony B. Now, more times the two of this trio that you’ll see drawn together are Sizzla and Capleton. Why? I’ve always maintained the reason this was is because they are the most popular and the most sensational and the most controversial as where Anthony B isn’t (USUALLY) those things. However, if you REALLY scrutinize it, the two who have the most in common are definitely Sizzla and Anthony B. First of all, Capleton is a bit older, he’s nearly a decade older than both of the other two (almost nine years exactly to the day older than Sizzla) who were both born within less than a month of each other. That also would seemingly mean (and it does) that Capleton came about a lot earlier and thus, enjoyed quite an ‘extended’ period early in his career as a rough and tough Dancehall artist during the 1980’s when both Sizzla and Anthony B would have been young teenagers at the very oldest. Also, and perhaps most importantly, although they did so in different ‘houses’ both Sizzla and Anthony B ‘grew’ as artists in similar situations, under label heads Phillip ‘Fattis’ Burrell at Xterminator for Sizzla, likewise Richard ‘Bello’ Bell for Anthony B at his label, Star Trail. Both artist would record for both labels at about the same time during their development (and literally at the same time), both did so as relatively ‘newer’ members of the Bobo Ashanti order of Rastafari (‘new’ in the sense that the turban clad Bobo Ashanti artist was nowhere as commonplace then as it is now) and both were making their names making the same type of music and would ultimately cross paths SO MANY times that the link that I’m making now isn’t very difficult at all. So maybe it’s a bit odd that I can rack my brain trying to think of albums on which Sizzla and Anthony B appeared and I come up with MANY but only one which features ONLY the two. Luckily, that one came quite awhile back in the form of the EXCELLENT 2 Strong release from Bello and company at Anthony B’s then home base label, Star Trail. Of course, Star Trail was the label on which Anthony B would grow to establish his name and reputation and EASILY one of the most SKILLED artists on the Roots scene and despite the fact that Sizzla and Capleton have received more buzz through the years, one could very easily make the claim that it is the Trelawny native who has been the most consistent and definitely sans controversy and scandal and just critique in general than his two SLIGHTLY more famous peers. That being said, as is evident on 2 Strong, Bello, despite the fact that he certainly has made questionable moves and decisions through the years (more on that at the end) was conscious, for better or worse, to voice many of the talents at the time regardless of their origins and kind of, in that, built a strong catalogue for several artists with Sizzla DEFINITELY being amongst his very favourite obviously, outside of Anthony B. This also occurred during a period, in building the 2 Strong album, which is widely regarded as VINTAGE era of both artists. The result is an album which has become largely, in my opinion, one of the more underrated compilations of the modern era as it not only was a STRONG time for both, it featured, for the most part, tunes that weren’t DOMINATING at the time. 2 Strong indeed.

There was a series by the name of Toe To Toe from the once mighty Jet Star which was set up like this one, with two artists alternating tracks and Sizzla was featured at least twice, alongside Capleton and even Junior Kelly. However, 2 Strong is unfortunately still the only (to my knowledge) featuring Anthony B and Sizzla together. The album is situated with the two alternating tracks with Sizzla taking the first (and thus odd numbered tunes) and then Anthony B, so I’ll deal with Sizzla’s tunes first. The very young version of Sizzla you’ll hear on 2 Strong was simply one of the most powerful and damn near PERFECT voices Reggae has ever seen and all of his efforts are strong. There’s a pretty good chance if you don’t own 2 Strong or haven’t vibed it that you have NEVER heard his first offering here, the KNOCKING Food Of Thought. This tune has snuck and snuck between the cracks and below the radars as it is absolutely MASSIVE! If you are fond of the Sizzla from ten years ago as he had yet to be influenced by the rigors of the business and had his consistency still well intact (which basically means, your ears work properly) then you NEED to hear Food Of Thought and were there not a STERLING representation of him at his absolute best, Food Of Thought would be the best tune here. HUGE opening. Sizzla next checks in with the very solid Lovely Life which has kind of a ‘funky’ spin on it. But definitely don’t give up on it during the first minute or so as, even though the vibe remains, Sizzla delivers a nice and understated message on top of it which, if you pay DEEP enough attention, almost renders Lovely Life a BRILLIANT a cappella tune. Do Some Good is probably the second (or third) most popular tune from Sizzla on 2 Strong altogether as it has become quite well known over the years (it also appeared Sizzla’s first Reggae Max album from Jet Star). Its not one of my favourites here but its all but impossible to make that version of Kalonji sound bad. The standout and most popular tune from Sizzla and on 2 Strong in full is definitely the IMPERIAL Holding Firm. One of the best tunes in Sizzla’s downright obese catalogue of tunes, Holding Firm is one of the most underrated and undervalued also. This tune ranks alongside those BIG classic tunes of the time like Mek Dem Secure, Dem A Gaze, One Away, Black Woman & Child and the likes and with that cast, its remarkable to say that he has arguably never sounded so PERFECT. And you know it. Kalonji also comes in with Live Yu Live which rolls through on an addictive bounce of a riddim that he works effortlessly and his final effort comes on the very strange but WICKED Haunted & Nervous which rides a kind of convoluted version of the same piece Anthony B used for his classic tune Swarm Me. Haunted & Nervous COMPLICATEDLY calls out the corrupt in every shadow and under every rock under which they may exist. Of course I’m HIGHLY partial but Sizzla remains SPARKLING throughout his half of 2 Strong.

Of course that’s not to say Anthony B doesn’t shine also because he does as he always did for Bello, the producer who got the best out of him. That is evident IMMEDIATELY as Anthony B gives his best effort on 2 Strong right off the bat with a remix of one of his better tunes, Damage. This version is a bit more souped-up with horns and such sounds (you can find the original on the MASSIVE Universal Struggle album) but the vocal arrangements largely remain the same and that downright hypnotic chant was the main attraction and it remains so on the WICKED remix definitely (and you watch that song. TEARS man!). Next in from the original fire man is the simplistically uplifting vibes of The Joy. This one rides a very similar riddim to Sizzla’s Do Some Good tune which it precedes and Anthony does a better job that Kalonji does with it actually. The Joy is just SO straight forward though, so Roots heads, you’ll eat it up. Shining Light is a tune which had a bit of luster surrounding it, I can remember going back home and hearing someone (who wasn’t Anthony B, I’m pretty sure) singing it at a stage show somewhere and getting a pretty nice reaction from it and its kind of been lost through the years but it still sounds so fine if you should dig up 2 Strong. Anthony B’s next tune after Shining Light is just HUGE and ends up running quite close to the Damage remix as his finest on the album altogether, Higher Heights. This tune is HEAVY! Higher Heights is definitely for the spiritually minded and meditative kind (myself included) and may actually be one of the better tunes in Anthony B’s catalogue which is saying a great deal. Watch Out is a later tune on 2 Strong from Anthony B which will definitely require quite a bit of patience getting through as it takes awhile to grow on you. This is mainly due to Anthony’s approach in my opinion as it’s a tune on a pretty ‘different’ sounding riddim (but still one really within the landscape of still being considered Reggae to my opinion) and he delivers on it with something much more on a rapper’s cadence for the most part. Its not a lost cause altogether (like Musical Fire is) but, like I said, give it a few spins before casting it aside. And finally, Anthony B ends his set and the 2 Strong album in full with the very familiar Praise The Man. The song isn’t his best work and I even think he would admit that. However, the vibes on this one are just SO SWEET that it has quietly remained somewhat present throughout the years in some form or another (I think I’ve even heard it in a studio form on a different riddim actually). Praise The Man becomes an EXCELLENT and fitting way to send out this mighty album - in praise of His Majesty.

Overall, the interesting thing about 2 Strong is that should you be searching for an original printing version of the CD or the vinyl, then GOOD LUCK! However, Richard Bell, ever the shrewd (and sometimes VICIOUS) businessman has kept it in rotation (reportedly, Anthony B claimed that although he had an official deal with Bello, that he never received ANY royalties for tunes like Raid Di Barn, Damage, Swarm Me or even his MAMMOTH shot Fire Pon Rome, all done for the producer). Nowadays, luckily you can get at it digitally which is quickly becoming a fantastic way to keep seemingly otherwise lost albums like this out there for the masses, with Bello having even gone that way with most of Anthony B’s early catalogue also. 2 Strong is recommended STRICTLY for established fans of modern Roots Reggae. You, like me will look at this one much like a collector’s item as I have kept it in high esteem in my catalogue for years now. If you haven’t heard it, there are tunes you probably don’t recall from anywhere else, or you simply haven’t heard in a lifetime and for that reason, its valuable to you. What the album is, figuratively speaking, is a rare look at the early ‘editions’ of two future Kings, in a princely state. Too strong? Not quite. But EASILY strong enough. 

Rated 4.5/5 stars

Star Trail [Zojak - Digital]

1998 [2008]

More Than Just 'The Help': A Review of Machel Montano Presents The HD Family

Chances are that if your experience and fascination with Soca music goes any deeper than say Kevin Lyttle’s Turn Me On and Rupee’s Tempted To Touch you’ve probably heard the name Machel Montano somewhere before. In terms of the hierarchy of pure Soca artists’ popularity, even the most objective critic would have to place Machel at the top and I’m really having a hard time making an argument for anyone else. Season after season Machel has remained one of the most visible faces in Soca who actually participate in Carnival who would seemingly ‘threaten’ to become overnight sensations outside of the realm of Soca should his music ever be accepted anywhere near the mainstream. This is, of course, despite the fact that, when at his best, Machel’s style is very much on the typically thought to be largely inaccessible POWER side. I’m convinced that he may be one of the only names that could take that side to the next level if given the opportunity. Also, its worth mentioning that for the past few years, Machel remains one of the very few artists with a REALISTIC shot at taking the Road March crown in his native Trinidad (the biggest Road March in any Carnival season). He, along with only two others, Faye-Ann Lyons and Shurwayne Winchester, have won every Road March title in Trinidad from the past half decade plus and neither super star Winchester nor Faye-Ann (who can claim a level of CONSISTENCY unmatched by even Machel as of late) enjoy an overall level of popularity anywhere near rivaling that of Montano’s. This can be tangibly evidenced by the fact that in recent years Montano has headlined MULTIPLE bills at Madison Square Garden in New York City (probably the most famous ‘normal’ venue in the world (‘normal’ meaning somewhere like the Roman Coliseum notwithstanding). Now, with all of that taken into account, its rather nice that Montano, who has been accused of having a big head and an attitude, hasn’t eschewed the popular practice in Soca of associating oneself with a bigger group/band to the point of virtually synoymizing one’s own name with the group. Previously (and probably still to quite a few), when you thought the name Machel Montano, the direct correlation would be drawn to his band, Xtatik, one of the most popular Soca bands in the world (even still). Much like the DIVINE Alison Hinds with Square One and Edwin Yearwood with Krosfyah, Machel’s name and face became one thought part of the group, despite the fact that his were far and away the most popular on either case and he was the head of the group. It is also a WONDERFUL practice which continues as many newer artists like Faye-Ann, Bunji Garlin, Tizzy, Claudette Peters and MANY others have at one point or another been associated with their popular group at the time. That was of course until things changed for Xtatik.

For all intent and purposes Xtatik is ‘gone’. In its stead was constructed the HD Family/Camp which is A LOT more fun! Unlike Xtatik, at least to my knowledge, which, although it had a couple of different lead singers (another rather popular (and NICE) practice in Soca) but was largely built and pushed as ‘Machel and His Band’, the HD Family is more vocal artist spotlighting. And The Family does include a varied group of faces outside of Machel’s. The first would be longtime Xtatik member Farmer Nappy. The Farmer is a very versatile and SEASONED performer and artist in general who has probably been one of the more underappreciated talented names in the history of Soca music. There’s also Zan, a very impressive younger singer (I think he’s my age actually) whose music, at least in my opinion kind of runs ‘hot and cold’ but definitely when he’s HOT, he is one of the more impressive singers in Soca right now. And then there’s the Princess of the Family, Patrice Roberts. Roberts is probably THE most impressive young Soca artist to be found in the world right now and has tangibly become BY FAR Machel’s most often and downright BEST sparring partner over the past few years. The two took Road March honours together in 2006 with the MASSIVE Band Of De Year and every year since their one or two combination tracks have been amongst the season’s most anticipated (including Rollin’ from last year, probably my favourite the duo has ever pushed). Roberts is also an accomplished solo artist, having scored multiple hits on her own, most notably Sugar Boy, has had two solo albums to her credit (including Blossoming back in 2003, before she even joined Machel) and is the cousin of Bunji Garlin and Faye-Ann Lyons. And the most recent addition to The Family is Umi Marcano and even younger singer Umi Marcano who, like Roberts, will seemingly spend his formative years with the group after rising to prominence by winning Synergy’s Soca Star (Trinidad America Idol) in (I THINK) the show’s second season. Okay, now that you know the players, you should know the game. Each and every year Machel Montano releases a solo album and 2009 is no different with his anticipated Heavenly Drum dropping recently. HOWEVER, unlike last year where Roberts was the only other HD member with a big release out (album was named Looking Hot), this year a very interesting thing has occurred as Machel and company has released Machel Montano Presents The HD Family alongside Heavenly Drum. Now, by most opinions Machel’s 2009 wasn’t his very best season in recent years, his piece for Road March, Wild Antz, wasn’t very well received (an AWFUL video didn’t help) although it has grown on me and definitely the lowlight of his 2009 was the fact that one of his engineers, Ephraim Douglas was killed in an automobile accident. Also. He was also reportedly involved in a physical confrontation with the aforementioned Shurwayne Winchester and, on top of that, the somewhat ODD Montano was, as is his ’usual’ way, working on concepts and plans which didn’t seem to benefit his music very much. So maybe what we have here between Heavenly Drum and The HD Family albums is a matter of the Kingdom outdoing the King???

When you get actually into the music you have to also mention a member of the HD Family who resides behind the scenes, Kernel Roberts. Being the son of the LEGENDARY Lord Kitchener is the songwriter/producer/engineer/drummer for the group and from a musical standpoint is even more ‘important’ to The Family than Machel Montano himself. The way The HD Family album is set up is that each member gets a few of the tracks for some of their bigger efforts from the 2009 TnT Carnival season and, of course, Machel makes more than his fair share of appearances alongside The Family, but never as a solo artist. Case and point would be the first two tracks on the album which get things going on a very high note. First up is Zan who brings in Mr. HD on a remix of Zan’s tune from last year, Out On De Road. The original version of this tune was harmless but COOL as hell and to be honest I prefer it than Machel’s bit (which isn’t too much) in tow but its still pretty good, showing off Zan’s very nice style. Up next is the boom. For all intent and purposes Patrice’s combination with Machel for Crop Over 2008, Tempa Wine is the best song you’ll find on The HD Family album (although I’m reserving that title for a newer song) but if your interest in this album is of any major degree, chances are you’re probably WELL initiated (read ‘tired) with it already. However, the tune definitely pulls a big vibes from Dwaingerous (who I believe is still a member of the HD band) and if you haven’t heard it, definitely a nice place to start would be here (only the second album on which it has appeared officially to my knowledge after Don’s Collector: Saison 3). Completing the opening of The HD Family album is Farmer Nappy’s first appearance with Belly Dancer, which I believe was his own Crop Over 2008 effort. I’ve heard so many different opinions on this tune and I happen to be one of the people who aren’t too much in love with the song. It certainly isn’t bad to any degree, however, its actually almost COMPLETELY average. All in all, a decent opening with one of the real highlights from the album.

As I mentioned, the newest addition to the HD Family is the very young potential (more like ‘ordained’ with the way people talk about him) superstar Umi Marcano and he shows off on two tracks on The HD Family album with the top of the rest of the family. The first is the Road Mix to his tune Block To Block alongside Machel and I don’t really like it much. It’s actually better than the original tune to my ears and I hardly EVER enjoy Road Mixes but in this case it didn’t exactly have far to go in opinion. Marcano’s other effort, Show You is quite a bit stronger as his style seems to better blend with Patrice Roberts’ than Machel’s. Show You is very nice actually and probably a pretty big statement for the future as, as bright as Montano’s star definitely is, eventually, for the better of his group, he will have to cede to the youths and they’ll have to deliver nice tunes like Show You and even better as well. Nice tune. Speaking of Roberts, she is the undeniable star of The HD Family album as she appears on more tunes than anyone (even Machel) at five in total. Besides the aforementioned duo of Tempa Wine and Show You she also has two more VERY nice efforts, including my choice as the album’s best (NEW) tune, the WICKED Sway In D Mas. This tune is just BEAUTIFUL. For some reason I still kind of hear it as a bit of a groovy tune but its really not important, ‘Sway’ is definitely one of the biggest tunes in Patrice’s catalogues as she burned a hole in the BIG Rave riddim which not even Machel himself could repair. And, unsurprisingly, Patrice returns to close the album out with (DUH!) Machel with their obligatory tune for the 2009 season, Simply Everything. This song, like pretty much anything I ended up liking by Machel this year had to grow on me a bit first and following Rollin from last year (which I LOVED!) and Tempa Wine, it definitely had some big shows to fill and it did very good. Something about these two just works perfectly almost every time they link up and adding Patrice to the camp consistently was probably one of the greatest career moves Machel ever made. Simply Everything is a HUGE tune. I also have to mention Bubblin Gal which I can’t stand as it falls into yet another ‘daggering trap’ which is always terrible, despite the STRONG vocals. That leaves Zan and Farmer Nappy to carry the balance of The HD Family album and they do a very good job Check Zan‘s BIG effort Hold You Down. I used to REALLY like this song and Zan kind of ruined it for me and everyone who saw his SHITTY performance of it at Soca Monarch but in its original studio version, its still very impressive indeed and one of my favourite tunes from this album. Zan also comes back with another very nice effort from last year in Slip Away. Zan really, in my opinion, will NEVER be a SUPERSTAR but seems to have a decade or so worth of prime time making music and it will definitely be something to watch. Farmer, on the other hand, has decades behind him and still in his future as well and he checks in with his finest offering on the album later with Go Brave from this season before setting the stage for Patrice to end things with a remix of the aforementioned Belly Dancer alongside the only non HD member to appear on their album, Red Rat of all people. The remix is slightly better than the original but it sounds NOTHING like the original.

Overall, even though I’m (INCREDIBLY) partial (AS HELL) to Patrice Roberts as my favourite in the HD Family (including over Machel) but I have to say that, although she steals the show, everyone does a decent job. I would have liked to see at least one solo tune from Umi Marcano and maybe even a solo tune from Montano (Tell Me???) (even though I don’t like it) thrown in also but those are small gripes only. For the future I could see this album becoming a staple with a Vol. 2 and such but I would DEFINITELY like to see full on albums from Roberts and everyone for that matter down the line as well (maybe they could have The Family album every other year). Its not the absolute best Soca album you’ll hear this year but it was a very nice idea to showcase some of the members from one of the hottest collection of attractions in Soca right now. Machel Montano Presents The HD Family is recommended to all fans of Soca, particularly the newer ones who haven’t been spinning these tunes mad for awhile. What you take from this one are names you should know right now and for the future. Something besides and maybe even more powerful than just Mr. Montano.

Rated 3.5/5 stars

Ruff Rex/J&W Productions

2009

The Vault Reviews: One Atonement by Yahadanai

One of what I feel is the greatest strengths of Reggae music and Caribbean music in general is often one of its greatest weaknesses in certain aspects. The Caribbean is a very ‘fractured’ or ‘scattered’ region but it’s the ONE region which is most closely associated with its music in the entire world as it is. I don’t think anyone these days specifically thinks of New York when Hip-Hop/Rap becomes the topic, for the very fact that, even within the States, Hip-Hop is so mainstream and so globally appreciated that it has become INGRAINED in the foundation of far more places. However, even though Reggae has indeed gone global, what is the very first thing that comes into your mind when I say Reggae? What is the first thing you think of when I say Soca? If your answers to those questions are anything other than ‘Jamaica’ and ‘Trinidad’ (or someone or something either from or VERY closely associated with those places, I.e. Bob Marley or Calypso) then I would say you probably fall into the minority on that response. I think that’s manifested in several ways and the one in particular in this case is that SO MANY TIMES so many of our artists can somewhat fall between the cracks and virtually disappear either locally or in some Reggae starved corner of the earth. This is so common that the running joke of ‘gone pon tour’ had developed for someone who hadn’t been heard from in quite awhile. Where’s Red Rat? “Him gone pon tour”. And, again, because of the scattered nature of our community and the extended communities where Reggae reaches HEAVILY and then not so heavily, sometimes an artist isn’t lost at all. For example, I STILL (unfortunately) find myself getting questions from people wondering the exact whereabouts of Shabba Ranking. However, if you live in New York and are relatively active on the Reggae scene there, you probably won’t have similar questions because he apparently performs there quite frequently. I also receive such questions about Patra. And sure enough, had you been at Sting back in December, you would know the answer. Terror Fabulous is another one you’ll often hear people wondering about; Chevelle Franklyn (she sings Gospel now and has been for quite awhile); Angel Doolas (still around) and even recently I found myself having a conversation with a Jamaican wondering about an artist he used to listen to a few years back who he thought had quite a bit of skill. That artist turned out to be Daddy Rings, a very STRONG example of someone who has taken advantage of the landscape of our music and has found the lion’s share of his audience throughout Europe. Even considering the landscape, usually there’s a pretty simple explanation of exactly where a particular artist has gone in Reggae.

Which makes this case all the more unusual. Rarely is it that someone virtually VANISHES and seemingly resumes their life as a normal and productive member of society despite sitting on a potential GOLD MINE of talent. Meet Yahadanai. I remember a VERY talented young Dancehall artist by the name of Regan who, up until last year, as far as my knowledge goes, had disappeared (turns out he actually has moved to Miami apparently and has been working there still at music). I mention Regan because for the past few years I had held he and Yahadanai in the same respects as both were obviously not only well talented but had some very nice associations as well. Regan at the time was part of Vybz Kartel’s rather fragile pack of overly mentioned artists and producers (remember Singa Blinga???) before eventually developing into what became the Portmore Empire. Regan was SERIOUS and would still be the most talented member of that camp and (following a name change) would go onto grab the attentions of Hip-Hop superstar Rick Ross who signed him up to his label, as Magazeen (and yes I will continue to call him Regan). Yahadanai? He has even more fortunate sets of circumstances as he gained the ears and attentions of the most powerful label in the world focusing strictly on Reggae music coming from out of the Virgin Islands , I Grade Records, headed by one well respected Laurent ‘Tippy’ Alfred. That alone has been enough to either start or spark the careers of such VERY familiar names as Dezarie, Army and even Vaughn Benjamin & Midnite and Tuff Lion and making such a link also opens an artist up to working with artists like such and more and more talents same way. It also is unique that unlike any of those aforementioned BIG names, Yahadanai isn’t even from the Virgin Islands, he’s originally from Guyana and (according to his bio) makes his home in New York but he apparently impressed Tippy and company to such a degree that they decided to take a chance on him and his talents. It paid off. The tangible result of the ‘risk’ was an album which was so universally hailed for its excellence that I hesitate in coming up with a COMPLETE unknown who had received such a warm reception musically speaking. The obvious connection would be Pressure Buss pipe (more on him in a bit) but I would even say that Yaha’s growing reputation back at that time would have even exceeded his soon to be superstar friend. The album, One Atonement reached the masses and introduced a POWERFUL talent in Yaha who was quite a bit on the understated and straight forward side. Unlike several other of the talents who would come through and around I Grade around the same time (like NiyoRah and Pressure in particular) Yahadanai lacked the overall ‘FLARE’ to his vibes, however, what he lacked in show, he definitely made for in SUBSTANCE (not saying Niyo and Pressure don’t have substance, they most certainly do). One Atonement was universally praised and at the end of the year of its release, back in 2004, it was present on nearly all of the year end ‘best of’ lists (mine of course was constrained by Amazon’s catalogue) and was, in my opinion one of the best examples of an album simply BLOWING UP from word-of-mouth and through the internet but it was also so appreciated by the hardcore heads also (like yours truly). Why? Consider One Atonement one of the greatest Reggae ‘TEASES’ of all time as before disappearing, what Yaha left us with was special.

So what was all the fuss about? Yahadanai’s ULTRA simple style of chanting was so refreshing and given the BEAUTIFUL backdrops he had at his disposal from the hands of Tippy Alfred and the venerable Tuff Lion, he made One Atonement the best album it could possibly be and MAYBE the best album I-Grade has EVER released in its nearly decade long history. Getting things started on one of the finest debut Reggae albums I’ve ever heard is one of the songs here which has really gained a following throughout the years and is definitely one of the signature tunes from the project, the very uplifting and downright GORGEOUS Rise. I could seriously name a few dozen Reggae artists who could sing a tune like Rise but NOT ONE of them could make it as strong as Yaha does. And, again, the musical piece on the tune is so strong and it aids Yaha in delivering his MIGHTY opening. Next up is Wadada, a tune which I maintain (and maybe me alone) is even stronger than the opener. Between the two songs you really get a sense of Yaha’s style as an artist (being more of a ‘spiritual’ lyricist as opposed to a ‘natural’ one (think Luciano as opposed to Bushman)) and to my ears it shines brighter on Wadada a STRONG tune praising His Majesty. The tune almost finds Yaha assuming more of a straight djaying/rapping style but its one which he so easily adapts to the tune that you simply barely notice the difference. What you will notice, however, is the HUGE tune, without a doubt. And closing out the opening for Yahadanai’s One Atonement album is the simple brilliance that is Gratitude. I almost HAVE TO call this one, one of the album’s biggest tunes simply because it’s really helped a couple of people I know through some really difficult situations as it reminds us all to just take a step back and be GRATEFUL for what you have and have available to you before you make a fuss. As Yaha wonderfully says, “Gratitude. . . And don’t you gwan rude”. Big opening!

As I said Gratitude was a tune which I know a few people (two in particular) really needed to hear, the balance of One Atonement, however, features more than a couple which I, in particular, needed to hear. The major one for me and my choice as the album’s finest is the SPARKLING Best Thing which is a combination featuring Pressure Busspipe. Its very interesting because I remember listening this tune and not really being able to tell the two apart vocally and its not a problem these years later. What hasn’t changed, however, is the MASSIVE nature of the tune which implores the men to really take care and NOTICE there women. It hit me (and my wife) on so many levels that I commonly refer to it as full on pre-marriage counseling for us. Best Thing was HUGE and you know you agree if you’ve heard it. The tune which sequentially just precedes Best Thing on the album, Light, is another tune which has stuck with me throughout the years as it kind of serves as a ‘guide’ through dark times for the masses. Even though the song speaks in more social terms like poverty and oppression and such, I used it for more emotional purposes and that goes back to my thought that it is Yahadanai’s style to do more spiritual material which makes it easy to translate his vibes to such a platform even when he’s not going in that direction lyrically. Chant Out is another one which hit me and is another combination, featuring Cruzan Abja, himself an I-Grade artist. The vibes on this one are as SMOOTH as they are fiery as the level headed Yaha blends seamlessly alongside the more edgy vibes of Abja. The result is a tune which is as lyrically powerful as it is easy on the ears. And, of course the title tune which is SO BEAUTIFUL and SO POWERFUL. If you asked me of a record to best explain what is Yahadanai’s music, I’d point to the title track even more so than the two opening tracks on the album named after it. This song has the stereotypical CLASSIC VI Reggae sound (that kind of streamlined one-drop) but it also builds so nicely and you really have to listen to it to notice that its actually faster than it seems. Of course, the message is also NECESSARY as Yaha drops so many poignant lines (my favourite being, “its not the blessing but the vibe/thought within”). HUGE tune. Lastly, the song on One Atonement is Mosiah Chant which features a clip from the IMMORTAL Marcus Mosiah Garvey himself. Yaha’s point with the tune is to ensure that His knowledge is passed on to younger generations and we, here and now, NEVER forget his name and more importantly his contributions. We won’t. The balance of One Atonement remains very high such as through both Things They Do which points out the corrupt and NASTINESS in corrupt society; the almost INCREDIBLY slow Roman Soldiers which will take more than a few spins to grow on you but when it does you’ll recognize it, just as I do, as one of One Atonement’s best tunes altogether. As the album winds down, you’ll find NO dip in terms of quality. On the obligatory Mama song, Mama’s Love, Yaha offers a very moving tribute to mothers all over the world (and incidentally, Jalani Horton from Bambu Station plays the WONDERFUL organ you hear on the song). Then comes the LOVELY tune Babylon Toy which is a song rather casually burning Babylon to ASH! Make Sizzla and Capleton call for a fiery death to corruption everywhere on earth - Yahadanai will simply heart its feelings (which may be even more effective actually, brain over brawn)! And ending matters on Yahadanai’s One Atonement is a dubbed out version of the opening song, Rise. That song definitely sounds a bit different, I’ve heard it described as Middle Eastern, and its dub is more or less a showcase for longtime collaborators Tippy and Tuff Lion and with Yaha’s vocals mixed in here and there, I think it’s a powerful ending to this POWERFUL album.

Overall, although I have heard one or two tunes from him since (all of which have been BIG), I think its VERY interesting that, by my research, out of all the artists who have EVER released albums on I-Grade Records the only one who is still without a single other album release is Yahadanai. The rest either went on to record again (be it for IGR or another label) like NiyoRah, Army and Dezarie or had already had projects out beforehand like Danny I. That’s a REALLY interesting fact (if it does prove to hold up) when you consider just how well regarded One Atonement was. Yaha’s absence from the scene, despite such a strong group of circumstances and despite such a WONDERFUL development of Guyanese talent like Natural Black, Ras Mac Bean, First Born and most recently (the similar) Arkaingelle, is downright PUZZLING. That being said, he definitely created one of the most memorable pieces of that SOLID pack with One Atonement as it might just be the best single album from any of them I have EVER heard. One Atonement is recommended for fans of Roots Reggae, new and old. Like most of I-Grade’s catalogue it remains in circulation (and has even gone digital) so pick it up and join me in keeping an eye and two ears out for Yahadanai. If he never comes back full time, it’ll be a crime. AMAZING! GO GET IT!

Rated 5/5 stars

I Grade Records

2004

Sweetness In Excess: A Review of Riddim Driven: Sweet by Various Artists

As much as I will continue to make the case for the current modern era of Reggae music being arguably just as strong as any other, I do have to admit that there are certain limitations to it. Even the staunchest and most modern-partial researcher (like yours truly) would have to admit that eras of our music gone have had aspects to them which are either COMPLETELY gone, or, as in this case, calibrated to a far lesser degree than they previously were. One of these aspects in my opinion would DEFINITELY be the love song. The love song in Reggae and specifically in Jamaican Reggae once enjoyed a very lofty status as you had full on acts which concentrated on the advancement of the love song and, by extension, an entire Reggae subgenre by the name of Lover’s Rock Reggae. Artists like legendaries John Holt and Gregory Isaacs would spend rather large amounts of time concentrating on the genre in their heydays and even past that, when they would turn their attentions to other types of music (specifically of the socially conscious nature) they were never too far from dropping a HUGE, yet expected love song. Even besides that, you had artists like Bob Marley, Horace Andy and others (like Dennis Brown) who, although they didn’t reach the love tune in the way of a Holt of Isaacs, they could also turn such a tune into a hit and do so on a consistent basis which was (at least in my opinion) an indication of their SKILL in the genre and not just a sort of a VERY BROAD indication of their (undeniable) popularities at the time. Of course there were others like Sugar Minott and especially Ken Boothe who would take Jamaican Lover’s Rock to heights it hadn’t previously seen and definitely not seen since. Since then? Things have changed. Apart from the kind of one off album and kind of ‘one off’ artist like Glen Washington, George Nooks and of course Sanchez and Beres Hammond (all of whom, incidentally, are in their forties and fifties and I mention them because they WONDERFULLY have enjoyed arguably their greatest peaks in terms of popularity either now or within the last decade or so) there haven’t been very many artists who have CONSISTENTLY committed to making GOOD love tunes. Thankfully, like most rules, this one too has an exception. And no, I definitely don’t mean Sizzla’s rather odd howling based love numbers (although occasionally they are good, though you’ll do yourself a favour in avoiding his love tune album, 2008’s BAD Addictive) or Turbulence’s CONSISTENTLY uninspired efforts (and some of them are good also, although RARELY). So for those of you seeking the modern Reggae love song who have abandoned Jamaica in favour of the much more lover’s friendly UK with people like (the WICKED) Bitty McLean, Peter Hunnigale, Peter Spence and others; perhaps its time to come back to Jamaica (did you see what I did there???).

When you do come back, I’ll introduce you someone like Alaine who rather quietly has become the FACE of modern love tunes from out of Jamaica with HITS like No Ordinary Love, Heavenly, Rise In Love, Sacrifice and the list goes on and on. Alaine, leads a list of solid artist who show GOOD consistent efforts on the love song like Jah Cure, Da’Ville to an even greater degree, LUST and Tarrus Riley and she also perhaps is owed a credit for turning SUPER producer Don Corleone’s ears and attentions to the love tune as well, evident by the fact that MOST of her big hits have been produced by Corleone and he has done the same thing for others. Now, ANY time you can get a CERTIFIED BIG producer in the game to turn his/her attention to ANYTHING musically speaking, whatever it is, will undoubtedly receive a great big jolt in terms of activity and popularity. Well, welcome the jolt. My choice as the best damn Reggae producer in the world altogether, the WICKED Kemar ‘Flava’ McGregor now brings forth his latest masterpiece, the Sweet riddim on VP Records’ famed Riddim Driven series. If I recall correctly, the Sweet becomes McGregor’s first full blown lover’s rock composition but, in my opinion, its not something which so greatly steps outside of what he has been doing previously. McGregor’s inherent style is making these rather LARGE sounding, yet SIMPLE and straight forward one-drop riddims which so EASILY lend themselves to love songs as opposed to Corleone (even though its become more and more expected from him these days) whose background includes riddims like the Krazy, the French Vanilla and the Mad Guitar which DEFINITELY don’t sound like anything you’d ever catch someone like Beres Hammond voicing. And that’s why, in my opinion, you’ll find McGregor’s catalogue literally saturated with STRONG love tunes here and there like Norris Man’s very well done tune Love You from the Trumpet riddim (big riddim which backed Nesbeth’s MASSIVE tune Board House), Prestige’s solid Feelings Inside from the Flute, a whole heap of tunes from the Key Riddim (which was probably the closest to the Sweet as it had quite a few love songs) and I could definitely go on and on, probably peaking with Beres Hammond’s MASSIVE tune I Surrender over McGregor’s ‘edgy’ Drop It riddim from. Now, Kemar McGregor comes with his (by my count) third effort for Riddim Driven, following the VERY GOOD Rock Steady and the HUGE Rub-A-Dub, probably his best piece to date (which is saying quite a bit in the face of the MONSTER that was the Triumphant riddim), with the Sweet riddim. Again, I’ll stress it because I think its important to those who haven’t heard it who may look at the Sweet as some type of ‘experiment’ or such. It isn’t. I don’t think McGregor is capable, frankly, of making a bad riddim and while the Sweet is definitely unique, like I said it isn’t SO FAR away from his previously BRILLIANT range so fans of McGregor and his No Doubt label will definitely want to tune in. And, if you’re the type of casual Reggae or even R&B fan just looking for something SWEET on the Reggae side to listen with your special someone, I think you may have just found it.

Besides the riddim itself, which is LOVELY, the big attraction with the Sweet riddim album is, of course, the rather varied group of vocalists Kemar McGregor chooses to voice it. There is a VERY healthy mix of elder artists and veterans with newer names and up and comers who all give the vibes a very nice blend in full. Beginning No Doubt’s Sweet Riddim Driven album is four of those elder and LEGENDARY artists surrounding a future queen. The man himself, Beres Hammond’s gets the first strike on the riddim which he uses, as you would imagine, to COMPLETE PERFECTION on one of the best tunes on the riddim, See You Again. Were Hammond to not have voiced the Sweet riddim, it would have been almost criminal and I’m loving him all across No Doubt’s riddims as, to my count, he makes his second appearance following the aforementioned MIGHTY I Surrender on the Drop It. BIG opening. A case could be made, however, that Hammond and his two other peers as the top of the Sweet Riddim Driven album are outdone by a youth as what the DIVINE Etana delivers on her OUTSTANDING tune Happy Heart, pushes the Sweet to its boundaries as it similarly pushes her to use more of the ranges of her well underrated vocal abilities. Arguably an even BIGGER tune than the opening (but See You Again is SERIOUS!) (oh and we‘ll forgive Etana for her one note of autotune). Continuing the simple overabundance of talent at the beginning of the this album is the incomparable Freddie McGregor (no relation to Kemar as far as I know) who delivers one of the better tunes I’ve heard from him as of late with Keeps On Coming. This is typical Freddie McGregor and he sounds on point throughout and I also really like the not so typical nature of the tune as it kind of breaks things down to a bare necessity level in terms of the type of love its talking about. ANOTHER big tune. And lastly, I have to mention in this same streak another artist coming back from the Drop It riddim, the LEGENDARY Marcia Griffiths who comes forth with When You Giving Your Heart. Griffiths always sounds nice and this one is no different. I think this tune will kind of sneak up on people as you kind of really need to spin it more than once to get it in full but when you do, you’ll see its real power indeed. All in all, one of the strongest openings for a riddim album I’ve maybe ever heard.

Its interesting that I took this review as an opportunity to talk about the current landscape of Lover’s Rock Reggae in Jamaica and it just so happens that the CLASS of the riddim comes in the form of three tunes near the middle of the album which, of course, aren’t love songs. The first of them is, in my opinion, the best and the best you’ll find on the riddim also (but did I mention that Beres’ tune was SWEET!) as Chuck Fenda checks in with Oh Lord Forgive Them. In case you should ever forget the talent Fenda has, he gives you tunes like this every once in awhile to remind you. Oh Lord Forgive Them is does major damage on the Sweet, exemplifying what I mean about Flava’s production style as the Sweet riddim, CLEARLY a lover’s vibes, so easily translates into a straight Roots riddim in the hands of a talented enough artist like Fenda. LARGE tune and the riddim’s and album’s finest. Although if you wanted to say the uniquely vibed Ginjah had the Sweet’s best tune with his effort, Prayer, I wouldn’t put up too much of a fight. I REALLY like Ginjah’s vocal style and it definitely stands out on the Sweet riddim (as it did on the Rub-A-Dub and the Rocksteady same way). Lastly, with this style of tune, ending the matter is Stevie Face who is apparently becoming a favourite of McGregor’s (and justly so) and he also delivers one of the best tunes on his Sweet riddim with his Proverbs 6. The tune has a very nice vibes and message as it tells everyone to focus less on the material things and more His Majesty and righteousness in general. Definitely a big vibes and I’m looking forward to work from Face, Ginjah and Fenda on No Doubt riddims in the future as well. Speaking of an artist who has apparently gained McGregor’s attentions, check the aforementioned Glen Washington who makes a return from the Rocksteady with the UNDILUTED lover’s piece No One Else But You. Washington, like Hammond but on less popular frame, has MASTERED the art of the love song from the last two or three generations and, again just like Hammond, you don’t too much have to worry for the quality level of his efforts and No One Else But You is certainly no different. SHOCKINGLY, I also was rather fond of Richie Stephens’ offering on the Sweet, Hey Joe. I’m NOT AT ALL a fan of Stephens’ and rarely do I find a tune of his which I appreciate as much as Hey Joe as Stephens (very interestingly) finds himself competing for another gentleman (Joe) for the affections of a special lady (now if we could get him to ONLY voice for McGregor). And in that similar vein I’ve never really been too fond of the Morgans either as a unit but apparently things have changed as they’ve gone solo in for a bit and I’m liking most of their efforts. Both Gramps and Peetah check in on the Sweet with Still The Same and One In A Million, respectively. To my ears, Gramps’ VERY understated One In A Million is the better of the two, although both are definitely worth several spins. The closing stretch of tunes is left to the up and comers (fittingly) with Duane Stephenson’s MOVING 24 Hours being the highlight of the bunch, although Prophecy’s Life With You isn’t VERY far behind at all. And young Bridgez’ combination tune with Lukie D (the ‘L’ in the previously mentioned L.U.S.T.) Coming Home rather easily becomes the best thing I’ve heard from her to date. WONDERFULLY ending the Riddim Driven album for Kemar McGregor’s Sweet riddim is a clean version of the riddim sans vocals which is always a very nice touch and one which I believe has been missing from his two McGregor’s two previous VP releases (and I complained about it, so I’m taking at least partial credit for it!).

Overall, what more can you say? I think I run out of superlatives for explaining the lyrical genius which is Sizzla Kalonji or Tanya Stephens, or the UNIQUENESS which dominates the style of Vaughn Benjamin and I think I may be reaching that point with Kemar McGregor. Simply put, if you like Reggae music, you will LOVE EVERYTHING he has ever done. The Sweet, although it goes in a far more specific direction than probably anything he’s done to date, he does it just as well as it can be done. And because of that, even if you don’t like Reggae but are a fan of the cool side of R&B or pop music, you’ll probably LOVE this one too (and to such a fan, as I can’t imagine that you’d just pick up the entire album, you might SERIOUSLY want to think of doing just that). The Sweet riddim is near the top of what McGregor and company have done to date and should he keep it up he may single-handedly pump some well needed life into Lover’s Rock Reggae. More top notch material from the best Reggae producer on earth.

Rated 4.25/5 stars

VP Records

2009