A New Lutan Fyah Album? Unbelievable!: A Review of Music by Lutan Fyah

Wow! You know in today’s market economy and state of the times, things can be really hard and especially for our artists and musicians. Music sales are down, I recently read an article which remarked on the remarkably bad sales for Reggae music in 2009 from releases from some of our biggest artists (including Vybz Kartel’s LETHAL Pon Di Gaza, (and I do mean lethal) which reportedly sold a whopping EIGHT copies in its first week) and the music business, in general is just becoming a harder industry in which to make a buck, definitely. Therefore, it should be to no one’s surprise that there’re so many of our artists who aren’t able to consistently make album releases, even some of them at the highest level at well. For example, I recently just lost count how many years it’s been since the last time we’ve seen a (legitimate) release from Capleton and as one of the biggest names in the genre altogether and someone who, last time I checked at least, had a viable contract with THE biggest label in the genre, you really move into something curiously strange with his lack of substantial output through the years, even though he’s been steadily plugging away making singles, some of which have been hits, but like I said, I guess times really are that bad. On a far less scale, but arguably just as odd is what has happened in the case of Turbulence who hasn’t had a new studio album in how long. Once known for following in the line of the artists who seemingly don’t like their houses and have to run to the studio day after day to make something for the people, the end of 2009, in about three weeks ago will mark nearly two and a half years since the last new Turbulence album was released. You can even back a couple of years or so with Lady Saw and Sasha (apparently still going on) and others (biggup Rupee) (wherever you may be) (probably resting in Cryostasis until Crop Over), with relatively recent Reggae and Caribbean albums in general which have been terribly delayed. Getting things done on that front is apparently quite difficult and we’re still seeing it today with the delays of expected albums from the likes of NiyoRah, Jahdan Blakkamoore and who knows who in the hell us who are currently experiencing that very same struggle as we speak and as a fan, it’s certainly damn frustrating and while it makes the potential of 2010 even that much more alluring, it would be so much better if we could have it now, wouldn’t it?

That being said, by far THE artist who DEFINITELY knows about the struggles of getting an album out to the masses, especially in 2009, is Lutan Fyah. The incredibly talented chanter from out of Spanish Town has seen his career come to a virtual standstill on the album side internationally as he just can’t seem to get a project out for ANYTHING. This is so despite the fact that he has remained quite active with single releases for producers all across the board and has also reportedly had several projects in the work, but seemingly hasn’t had the associations (or perhaps more likely, the funds) to get much off the ground and onto shelves. Still, we hope (although it’s unlikely) (as hell) that Fyah’s 2010 will prove to be much more plentiful in terms of releases. So with situation after situation falling through consistently, it seemed as if the year would go out without being much more than it already was (and again, with the singles that he’s done, it has been an otherwise decent year for him), but apparently things have changed. If you want something done, you can do them yourself, or you can go to the man with the Midas touch and after struggling to do the former, Lutan Fyah has broken down and gone with the latter as he now releases his very first album in what seems like an eternity and does so with the possessors of said touch. Kemar ‘Flava’ McGregor, the greatest Reggae producer on earth, is apparently set on cracking open his vault of tunes as wide as possible and pushing not only riddim albums, which is his norm (and now he’s going the way of acoustic riddim albums, which is just a BRILLIANT idea) (you really need to hear that stuff), but albums for actual artists and after having worked on pretty much countless albums for countless artists (including at least one for Fyah, the MASSIVE Phantom War from 2006), recently McGregor has taken matters into his own hands. Besides working the vast majority of the near masterpiece that was Chuck Fenda’s recent album Fulfillment, he also released Vibes, from veteran singer Glen Washington on his own coin (although apparently Cousins has now picked it up) and is releasing, virtually simultaneously Let Jah Be Praised from Teflon and this wonderful piece, Music from Lutan Fyah (glad to see that they didn’t waste too much time in naming the album. Of course, were it just up to McGregor, things may have still moved slowly, but he has enlisted the ridiculously capable services of Zojak Worldwide, to provide the world with wonderful Music and thus, Lutan Fyah now has his much sought after album release! Like most of the albums being released on McGregor‘s No Doubt imprint, this project is one largely built on previous singles which have appeared on the labels LOVELY compositions and thus, it probably won’t strike with hardcore fans, but in the digital aspect of things, you can kind of pick and choose and it’s probably quite likely that there is SOMETHING here which you don’t have yet and it also stands well as a unit and comes through really nicely, as does all of Lutan Fyah’s music to me (read - PARTIAL AS HELL). What I found surprising with Music is that, despite the obvious way in which it was ‘collected’, there’s still a kind of a prevailing vibes and a nice sense of cohesion to the vibes as well, which to me, either means that it is the actual music which dominates on Music and what I hear and call ‘cohesion’ is actually McGregor’s cohesion with himself OR, perhaps less likely, the two worked through the past few years with an ear towards someday releasing an album. In either case, I’m not complaining and I like what I hear.

What I hear on the album, mainly, are two things which you almost KNOW are going to be present just going in: The first is, of course, Fyah himself and his ridiculously high level of lyrical abilities which is his calling card to my opinion. And then there’s the fact that when you voice No Doubt riddims, you voice the BEST modern Roots Reggae riddims available in the world right now, so you know the ‘music’ is top notch throughout. it would only seem to make pretty good sense that we start with the most recent work and thus, the first bit of music you’ll here on Lutan Fyah’s loooooooong awaited new album Music is the latest creation from No Doubt, the Ghetto Riddim, which backs the opening social commentary ‘Gangsta Living’. This tune has been on a very nice streak with my own personal tastes and I now rate it just about as big as ANYTHING on the Ghetto and it was so fitting on that riddim as well as on this album (or any other on which it may appear). Big start. We ‘kind of’ go even more recent in terms of release dates on the next tune up ‘Girl Don’t Cry No More’, which is from the Rocksteady Riddim, but is actually the aforementioned alluded to Acoustic cut of the riddim. Having been listening to quite a few of these as of late, it’s very interesting to see which tunes actually seem to IMPROVE over the simplified and stripped down version of the riddim and despite the fact that this riddim is GORGEOUS, I do have to say that I favour this version of the very comfortable sounding love song. Wonderfully, on some level I suppose, I’m given an example of the opposite on the next tune ‘Eden’ on the acoustic set of the Drop It Riddim. See, although I prefer the Rocksteady to the Drop It, Eden is a song, on the other hand, which I prefer hearing across the complete FULL version of that dynamic riddim. Thankfully, however, just as in the case of the tune before it, the original version is included on Music as well.

It is definitely well worth mentioning that despite the fact that the album only checks in at twelve tracks, there are four different ones reserved between two different actual tunes, but I appreciated the contrast and in that same comparison, I find myself not only reopening to Eden, but the Drop It as a whole (which I’ve never been ecstatic about outside of Beres Hammond’s DIVINE ‘I Surrender’) because both are lovely and, of course, the same goes for Girl Don’t Cry No More and the Rocksteady in its original form. Music ended up being a very pleasant short trip down the not too wide musical road and I literally found myself reacting to some of this material as if I hadn’t heard it in YEARS (you see! That’s how long it has been since Fyah dropped a last album). Such was the case (ridiculously) on the album’s title track which flows in over the 83 Riddim from a couple of years back and I don’t know why, but the tune nearly brought tears to my eyes. I’ve always thought very highly of it because of the kind of casual and matter of fact way that Fyah vibes the tune, in a way where it’s almost like he’s a doctor prescribing the music to an ill patient. It is BEAUTIFUL and one of the best tunes on the album named after it. The Trumpet Riddim plays backdrop to the equally lovely ‘Is This Love’ tune which happens to be one of the most lyrically powerful on the album as well, which is saying quite a lot. Definitely tune in specifically to the lyrics on this one and I’ll go further to make the point that between Is This Love and Music (the song), is where I felt that maybe it was all by design to make an album after all, because they play so well together, definitely. My personal favourite single tune from the album comes in next, ‘Screaming For The Poor’ on what is probably STILL my choice as Flava’s biggest riddim to date, the Triumphant. This one gets better and has gotten better for the past few years since it popped up on Phantom War. It is both movingly poignant and just a joy to listen to and you know it hardly gets better than that (if ever) and the tune for me actually is basically to the classic level on its own. HUGE song (which you should know already). And I’ll leap ahead a bit to Music’s closer, ‘Suffering Us’, which actually took me a minute or two to recognize because it comes on the relatively overlooked Flute Riddim (for which my mental point of reference is apparently so CLEARLY a Chezidek tune by the name of ‘Food’). This tune has never struck me as being top notch from Fyah, but it goes to show his levels when he can be not at his best, but still drop what is undeniably a powerful tune and was actually one of the better efforts from that riddim (which you really need to go check out).

Very nicely, there’re three tunes on Music which, for one reason or another, manage to stand out from the rest of the pack and they all come in succession on the album as well. The first is ‘Laugh’ which kind of frustrated me because I recognized it and I didn’t know it because I had NEVER heard it. This, despite the fact that it’s voiced over the very recent Sweet Riddim, and wasn’t on the album and I’ve just never heard it playing either (and after researching it, apparently no one has either). Lutan Fyah’s take on the romantic vibes aren’t what you might think and you definitely want to hear what direction he takes the piece in (“I don’t need a donkey jawbone to laugh”) and as another sign that perhaps this was all planned, maybe it was saved for this album. In any respect, it’s a big tune. Far less frustrating, although equally surprising was the second of the three, ‘Gun’, which actually is a HUGE anti-violence combination which features none other than Roots princess, Etana. I’ve been vibing this SWEET tune for more than a year at this point and have LOVED it from that time and I was surprised it didn’t receive more attention actually. The Tad’s produced tune stands as my choice as the album’s second best tune (at least) and a BIG and significant combination between two of Reggae’s currently most talented. And lastly is ‘Life’, a pretty new tune which flows in through the same recent riddim which backs Glen Washington’s tune ‘Vibes’ . . . oh and it also happens to feature both Gyptian and Perfect alongside Lutan Fyah. I do really like this tune and I’m hoping to maybe see a riddim album for this very ‘showy’ riddim in the future (and I’m almost sure that there will be one) as well. So, like I said, you may go into it expecting a one thing, but Music definitely does have its fair share of very well done twists and turns.

Overall, it’s going to be hard for me to sit up and recommend tunes to people who already have them despite how much of a fan of Lutan Fyah’s I am, but in retrospect, there is a fan who I think this album is quite perfect for and that’s new Lutan Fyah fans. This album is quite ‘new’ in terms of being built presumably exclusively within the past few two to three years or so, so what you have is a version of Lutan Fyah who is, for the most part, a bit more melodically gifted, as opposed to the earlier versions of himself when he was criticized for not being so. There’s no such problem here, ESPECIALLY given the sublimely material he is given with which to work, so new fans who haven’t been paying a close attention, but want something a bit more flashy to sink their teeth into, you may do very well with Music. As for older heads: Hey, believe me, I know your situation (because I’m one of you), and I know you were scratching your head wondering when or even IF a next Lutan Fyah album was going to be coming down, but unfortunately you’ll just have to remain a bit more patient. I’m sure he has something in the works (maybe even before the end of the year) (I wouldn’t put it past him at this point) and who knows, maybe we won’t have to wait the incredibly long . . . ONE FUCKING DAY . . . To get it. Well done.

Rated 4/5

No Doubt Records/Zojak Worldwide

2009

Lutan Fyah @ Myspace

Making Papa Proud: A Review of The King's Son by Lutan Fyah

I try very hard to avoid overplaying or ‘over-selling’ when it comes to how I talk about certain albums, songs or just artists in general, because too many times I’ve done so with only a bit of information to go on, only to ultimately be disappointed and disappointed in short order (see Lexxus). Therefore, when I kind of find something which, despite my intentions to do otherwise, almost OVERWHELMS me to the point of me simply not caring if I risk sounding ridiculous or not, I definitely go with it. An example of this is the very fact that my choice for the leading candidate of the Reggae album of the year 2009, Nereus Joseph’s Real Rebels Can’t Die, remains terribly overlooked and underrated in my opinion and I really don’t care. That album is MAGIC and if you don’t think so then you and I can fight. I also do a similar thing when it comes to new artists. My constant readers can tell you exactly how much I’ve referred to both I-Octane and Bramma over the course of the last couple of years (and now we’re going to add Mr. Williamz to that list) and even though people either don’t catch on, or do so very slowly, I don’t have much of a problem being the only person on board of a bandwagon in that fashion. But sometimes I have to take matters even a step further. Besides declaring an album a full blown ‘MODERN CLASSIC’, which I absolutely love to do when I feel it is warranted (largely due to the fact that many Reggae scribes and music writers in general will have you believing that they stopped making classic albums in 197X) (I digress), I’ll also do the same thing, essentially, with an artist. So, that being said, I’m finding it increasingly difficult, if not downright impossible to figure out how eras from both the past and future would not and will not see Spanish Town chanter as one of the most SKILLED artists the Reggae world has ever seen. Period. No he doesn’t have the flare and pizzazz of several of his peers and that may always be what will holding him back from reaching the proverbial ‘next level’ in terms of popularity, but at this point, I don’t even know if that matters any more as the more and more I listen (even to the old stuff), I become progressively more convinced that the things this man is saying will continue to resonate for years within everyone so fortunate enough to hear them, as I have said countless times and will continue to say, lyrically speaking, the man is FLAWLESS at his very best. And just listening becomes a matter of an extended study, university level.

And if it is in fact an ‘extended’ study then Lutan Fyah has been a roaming professor of sorts in 2009 hasn’t he? I’ll spare you the details (because I do have at least one more of these to write, after all), but the man has seemingly engaged himself in a recording schedule over the course of the last few years which has now pinnacled with probably what is the ‘best’ year of his entire career on all fronts. Dropping solid single after solid single, with occasional hit of varying degrees and doing so for the best producers on the planet, Lutan Fyah has to be considered in some type of ‘artist of the year running’ and were I to personally hold such a matter (and I just may), he has already won it, guaranteed. I ‘d also like to mention something of a ‘maturation’ or just a slight IMPROVEMENT that I’ve noticed in Lutan Fyah as a lyricist in the past couple of years or so also. This brings up the potentially devastating prospect that, at a relatively ‘advanced’ stage of his career (I think he is thirty-four) and having already reach what should have been the edge of his developmental years, Lutan Fyah may be getting better and that is ridiculous. And in terms of ‘international time’, he now brings forth the latest in an increasingly OBESE line of shining examples why my rather lofty lauds of him are fitting, the incredibly unexpected and ‘poof-like’ (right out of thin air) The King’s Son. Upon seeing that it was coming (literally a couple of days ago) and after my face surely lit up like Rudolph’s nose, I REALLY got into the album and was very happy to see that one of my more recent favourites from the chanter had apparently caught on with more than just me and was chosen to be the title track of his brand new album. That song didn’t do much damage, in retrospect, but because of its rather ‘simple’ nature (and it was truly brilliant lyrically), it definitely made an impact on me and in some parallel universe of album making where Achis is unquestionable king, ‘The King’s Son’ is a tune which has an album named after it. Hooray for me. Not only present is at least one of my favourite tunes, but also it comes via the always dependable Byron Murray’s In The Streetz’ on the surface, which was wonderful in and of itself, but when you get into the production side of The King’s Son album, what do you see? You notice that it comes largely via the legendary King Jammy’s camp from the King, himself, and the Princes, his various well talented and decorated progeny. With credentials like that, even before you crack open song number one (and never mind the fact that much of this material I either hadn’t heard or didn’t remember hearing), on paper, you’re dealing with something potentially MAGICAL and while, by its end I’m not prepared to call the album magical, I might someday see it as such as I can definitely see The King’s Son growing on me and listeners worldwide over the course of a few years or so. The prevailing vibes here, to my ear, is all encompassing, but VERY pinpoint and focused at the same time because it seems to have been done (DUH!) in COMPLETE observance of His Imperial Majesty and all the virtues of his manner and teachings and I know you may be thinking, ‘Achis, that sounds like quite a bit of his music, doesn’t it’, of course it does, but to you I echo my own sentiments from the very first paragraph of this ridiculously long review: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and The King’s Son definitely ain’t broke.

It is VERY straight forward, however. So much so that I’d be willing to say that it was probably recorded a couple of years or so ago (although, for the sake of posterity, I should mention that lately, until the BOOM that was ‘Genesis‘, much of Lutan Fyah‘s output has had that similar quality), so if you’re expected rip roaring type of modern Roots Reggae, this may not be for you. Me, however? No such problems AT ALL. And certainly there’re no problems, if you have a little patience, with ‘My Love Is Running Over’, the very first tune from Lutan Fyah’s ‘where in the hell did you come from’ new album release The King’s Son. I probably had to listen to this tune about five times or so before it REALLY began to grow on me and while still not one of my favourites here, it is a well done piece of work and features an oft-forlorn and heartbroken Lutan Fyah’s approaching levels he established on tunes like ‘U Left Me’ and others. Decent opener and things only get better. Like on the next track, ‘Corrupt Life Style’, where the ‘pot’ begins to simmer on The King’s Son. Listen to the tune superficially and the classic riddim may just dazzle you a bit away from the message, but the actual lyrics of the tune are a SCATHING commentary of those living nasty lives and pushing their nastiness on the world to the degree that you just can’t ignore the matter anymore. Seriously, the man puts all in their place and DRESSES DOWN everyone in that situation (at one point, he says, “Yes equal rights and justice, yes ah dat mi a demand. No tell mi say mi worthless, look how much work we come perform”, one of many lyrical gems from the tune). The next tune is a familiar but very welcome one, ‘Motherland Calling’ which features Ras Shiloh and is the first of two combinations on the album. You know the tune from Shiloh’s DOMINANT King Jammy vibed Only King Selassie album from a couple of years back (has it been that long?) where it was one of the biggest tunes as ‘Mama Africa’ and it definitely still retains its power and is also a main attraction on The King’s Son also and you should know that already.

And then there’s the matter of that HUGE title track. ‘The King’s Son’, the tune, produced by Jammy’s son Chris James, is BRILLIANT: “Hey the wicked shall pay their penalty. All them silly ways and them stupid cruelty. Dem ah ask me how dem youths is so rootsy, Haile Selassie’s what the truth be”. The man drops crazy lyrics on the tune about just living upful and it sounds so nice and natural, which in my opinion, goes to make things ring true more: It’s EASY to follow His Majesty. HUGE song! That being said, you can imagine the joy I felt to find an even stronger vibes ‘lurking’ around the latter stages of the The King’s Son album. It would just so happen to be that ‘Hail Him First’ would not only be the album’s strongest offering, but its second combination (alright - second and a half) also as it features Fyah alongside Guyanese star Natural Black. This thing is . . . All the superlatives I can think of and then some and it is absolutely gorgeous (that one too). Besides being straight forward and top notch lyrically, it also just sounds so wonderful that it literally ‘stays with you’! Beautiful song and the best I hear on The King’s Son indeed. And while nothing on the balance of the album reaches those heights, the material that remains is definitely nothing to pass over either. The supersonically generic titled ‘Praise Jah’ isn’t the most varied of tunes to say the least, but it is one of the strongest lyrical masterpieces on the album and a vibes which has such a strong inspirational lean to it for all who walk the same path in life as Fyah (and I do). The obligatory anti-violence vibe ‘We Should Live In Peace’ might take a minute to grow on you (like it did for me), but again, if you grab a hold of the tune from a lyrical degree, it’ll fall onto your tastes almost IMMEDIATELY because the tune is anything but the unexceptional piece it may seem to be ostensibly. If you find yourself needing a vibe upliftment, or just a change of pace for The King’s Son, you’ll well find it on ‘What’s The Purpose’, which is one the best tunes on the album definitely. It’s actually another anti-violence number, but it has more general kind of social commentary aspects to it as well such as raising the kids and just family in general and there’s a point about halfway through the tune where Fyah kicks into high gear and it is well not to be missed! The same goes for the tune which follows it ‘Jah Works Must Be Done’ which, although it may not have as much ‘flare’ as the tune which precedes it, it’s arguably a better song and definitely one of the best on the album in the process. This tune is towards which I gravitated IMMEDIATELY (apparently dazzled by the title and it is cool), because of its kind of overall subjectry. As I mentioned in regards to the entire album, ‘Jah Works Must Be Done’ is a tune which is both very VAST, but also very focused and specific simultaneously and you walk away from it with vibes about PATIENCE and being strong and consistent as well, but all are dealt with on their own and together as one. Very deep song there and definitely check that one. ‘Save The Children’ here is not the very well known one from the Truth riddim, but is a very nice tune in its own right across a lovely Nyah backed riddim. Then there’s ‘Root Of All Evil’ which is kind of a half of a combination as it features the legendary Horace Andy singing his big tune ‘Money Money’ in a sample type of style. Fyah’s presence only makes the tune even bigger and the ONLY plus could have come in having Andy reprise his vocals as well, but as it stands it’s still one of the better tunes on The King’s Son. And going down the stretch are two other nice predominately love pieces ‘Love By You’ and ‘Memories’. The former is a tune I knew quite well because it is an older John John produced single and is probably the best love song on the album. ‘Memories’, on the other hand, is kind of a jazzy sounding tune which actually sounds quite gimmicky, but you’ll probably find yourself singing it after a couple of spins or so. It doesn’t strike quite as hard as Love By You, but don’t just skip over it because it does develop quite nicely by its end and the end of the album as well.

Overall, typically I’d go into the ‘ritual’ of trying to place The King’s Son on a scale in terms of how it ranks in the annals of Lutan Fyah albums, but I just don’t feel like doing that right now. Instead, what I will say that is that IF YOU LIKE LUTAN FYAH’S MUSIC, then this album will definitely do it for you. Because of it its aforementioned unwavering nature, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for newer fans (you guys should check out. . . Hmmm, maybe the You Bring Blessings album). For me personally, however, both because of its quality and the way it just kind of popped up, The King’s Son is almost gold. The album shows strength throughout and including on the tunes which I’m not necessarily drooling over and that, to me, indicates that sometime in the future, I may actually come to appreciate them even more. HOPEFULLY, I can say the same thing in regards to most of the world’s view of Lutan Fyah. It’s going on a decade now that I’ve been telling any and everyone who would listen just how POWERFUL this artist is. The King’s Son, although not the most resounding piece of evidence, is still yet another vibrant, living and breathing creation to prove my point: Lutan Fyah is really something special.

Rated 4.25/5

In The Streetz

2009

Lutan Fyah @ Myspace

Subterranean Homesick Bullshit

Subterranean Homesick Bullshit

1. It's A

2. Juvenile

3. De Res A Dem

4. Nyabinghi

5. Confused World

6. That What We Like

7. No Pain In Jah Love

8. Mek Dem Fool You

9. Kick Out U Fist

10. Problem In The World

11. Africa

12. Ghetto Youth

13. They Can

14. Rastafari

15. Your Love

16. Salute

Lest you be tempted to "get that new Sizzla album which releases whenever it releases this month, do beware because, unfortunately as usual once a year, you probably already have it.

Over the last few years fans, listeners, consumers (whichever you'd like to call yourself) have had to be on the lookout when it came to Sizzla releases, not only due to the usual problems which arise from having multiple albums released in a short time span (i.e. confusing the hell out of your listeners among other things), but due to a frustratingly mysterious 'sect' (cult like) of individuals or monkeys who went by the name of 'Penitentiary Records P&C'. They were responsible for releases such as

2008's Rastafari

2007's Children Of Jah

2006's Jah Protect

And certainly, were that not enough, and clearly it was, most notoriously was 2005's Burning Fire which apparently someone (most likely a dolphin) thought was so nice, that they released it twice:

And many people (like me) actually fell for it. Unfortunately, I didn't catch on until 2007 and Jah Protect is the last of these horrible constructs that I actually paid money for, but unfortunately and apparently, I've been relatively alone in that as it continued in 2007, 2008 and now 2009 with Stand Tall.

DO NOT BUY THIS SHIT!

Like most of Penitentiary's work, there is nothing on this album which is for this album. After examining that tracklist at the top (and go pop over to Amazon and hear it for yourself if you like), let me now show you the actual tracklist of this album (which is now listed as being from 'Yes Records', we can only HOPE that 'Yes' is the same group of hamsters which once ran Penitentiary, because if they aren't that means that there is now another group of fucked up people doing this and yo can probably expect the former Penitentiary to pop up with yet another bastardized release, perhaps as 'No Records' or maybe even 'Yraitnetinep Records', I really wouldn't put it past them):

Stand Fall

1. It's A

. . . Damn shame if you don't have the original album with this tune. 'It's A' is, of course, 'Really & Truly' from the beauty which was I-Space.

2. I Juvenile

This moderate hit from Iley Dread, Scatta and Kings of Kings can be found (at least) on Blaze Up The Chalwa from 2001 and probably about 20 or so mixtapes/compilations as 'Juvenile'.

3. De Res A Dem

I almost IMMEDIATELY recognized the actual origins of this tune from the first second I saw it, even before the clips were released. 'De Res A Dem' is better known as 'Conquer Them' from 2002's also mysterious (but legitimate) Hosanna album, Reggae Central style.

4. Nyahbinghi

Although a bit harder to pinpoint, 'Nyabinghi' is also known as 'The Things You Do' from 2007's underground album Jah Bless Me With Life and I think I might know it from elsewhere also.

5. Confused World

Probably the oldest tune on this album. Hardcore heads (with entirely too much freetime) will recognize this one as 'Confused City', which was one of 2-3 tunes which didn't appear on 1998's (!) Freedom Cry album, but did appear on its Euro counterpart Kalonji from the very same year (REEE-DIK-YOU-LUS).

6. That What We Like

These albums always give you one or two tunes which you can't find on other albums. . . but this ain't it. It's another product of Jah Bless Me With Life.

7. No Pain In Jah Love

Sometimes, they don't even try to hide it. Chop off the last three words here and you'll get the title of a WICKED tune from 2001's self produced debut album Black History.

8. Mek Dem Fool You

See #7 . . . the fittingly titled 'Bandulu' this time.

9. Kick Out U Fist

Go ahead and try to KICK out your fist. Go ahead, I'll wait. And while I wait, I'll pop in Jah Bless Me With Life again and actually listen to 'Kick Yuh Foot'.

10. Problem In The World

Here's a tune you can't get off another Sizzla album, 'Free'. You can however find it on VP's BIG 2006 compilation release Rackaz from the boys at Downsound Records.

11. Africa

Big underrated album from VP back in 2001, Taking Over, birthed a nice relationship vibe by the name of 'Fare' which you now find here.

12. Ghetto Youth

I think the Good Ways was first released in 1999 (I have the AO copy and that's the date on it), so that would make this one the second oldest tune on the album ostensibly, because it's actually 'Half That Has Never Been Told' (big tune too).

13. They Can

Revisiting Hosanna: This funky little tune was there also, track #14, 'Talk All You Want'.

14. Rastafari

'If' Yes Records is actually the same thing as Penitentiary, then this BY FAR becomes both the most puzzling and most troubling selection here because it was the title track to the aforementioned Rastafari album, of course they didn't originate it there either and you can track the Jimmy Riley helmed tune back to a few Jet Star compilations including, but not limited to, Sizzla Reggae Max Vol. 2, as 'Love In The House'. [note the wonderfully presented videos, with different titles of the same damn track from random youtubers]

15. Your Love

Here's a new one . . . well, you know what I mean. Probably my favourite tune these days from 2004's Speak Of Jah album (produced by Kemar 'Flava' McGregor and now re-released through Zojak Worldwide, available at all fine etailers right now), 'Visions'. HUGE tune.

16. Salute

And lastly is yet another tune which bounced around Jet Star comps, the agitated 'Jerusalem' which appeared on The Five Disciples album from 2001, as well as at least one other.

Have I mentioned that YOU ARE NOT TO BUY THIS SHIT?

Doing so will all but guarantee the 2010 re-arrival of 'Yes Records' (they'll probably be called 'Hell Yes Records' by that point, or something like that) and besides. Fans who can wait all of a month or so can look forward to the potential MASTERCLASS which is Crucial Times.

{biggup Dale Cooper, everytime}

Tinga? Timeless: A Review of Nah Linga by Tinga Stewart

Anyone who pays me even the slightest bit of attention can tell you where it is that the lion’s share of my knowledge lies. I’m someone who (and for good reason in my opinion) definitely focuses on the music and the artists, both in front of and behind the scenes, of today’s modern era and I do that largely because I feel that Reggae, like many genres of music (but to an advanced degree in my opinion) is one in which the ‘current’ constantly goes overlooked in favour of the past. You get to the point where the so called ‘golden era’ of the music is a time where me and probably most of my readers weren’t even on the planet and I don’t think it’s a matter of giving and showing respect to the artists of old, but it’s a matter of disrespect to the artists of today and, arguably, the older artists as well because it was THEY who laid the foundation. However, that being said, I don’t have a problem critiquing the vibes of today (obviously, it’s what I do) and I’m definitely not saying it’s perfect, but to rather broadly and in a clichéd way (in my opinion) attempt to reach some ultimate level of strangeness by applying a statement such as ‘artists (music) were (was) better then than artists (music) are (is) now’, is ridiculous. Why? Two reasons: The first is that “better” is of course relative and the second, especially in Reggae rests in people like the artist who we find ourselves encountered with today, Tinga Stewart. What if there was a person whose music was so seemingly so TIMELESS that it in fact stretched eras? What I’m talking about is an artist who, perhaps outside of the technical side of matters (meaning sales and maybe even activity to a degree), REALLY has no ‘prime’ and they can, in some fashion continue making music through what is a ridiculous amount of time and that music CLEARLY (as opposed to ‘relatively’) shows no diminishment in their abilities: an artist who is just as potent at anytime during their career as they were/are at any other time during their career, TRULY a rarity in the game (and in any game, for that matter). So rare is it, in fact, that while developing the angle for this review, I had to literally stop and come up with a name, lest it be Stewart and Stewart alone and the first that I eventually came up with was Freddie McGregor. Taken at face value (and I do) McGregor is in his early fifties and has been making music for nearly fifty (50!) years and has probably spent the last thirty or so of those years in what is his musical PRIME. You simply cannot demonstrate, beyond most shadows of doubt that Mr. McGregor’s music has suffered as he’s grown in age and I’m not one for predictions (

The interesting things with all of those names, even Cocoa Tea, is that they are VASTLY more popular than Tinga Stewart and probably have been at each and every stop along the way in the their careers, respectively. Yet, I find it no great no surprise at all that I can find quite a few people (my Mother definitely being one of them, one of her (billions) of younger sisters being another), who will claim that, amongst that mentioned lot, there is NO QUESTION that Tinga Stewart’s is the talent which is greatest. Largely resonating within the Lover’s Rock and Roots Reggae crowd, Tinga Stewart has run his career to a level which is one of a very quiet respect and he’s also managed to capture the imagination of youths (like myself) as well and while not being at the zenith of his career in terms of popularity, any forthcoming or secondary forthcoming (meaning like a decade or so down the line) resurgence of the singer, again in terms of popularity, should come as no great surprise in my opinion. And perhaps we’ve found the anchor of such an eventual resurgence as Tinga Stewart now brings forth a new album Nah Linga. Yes, the title is almost painfully lame and probably ultimately chosen because of it’s rhyming with the name of the artist (‘Tinga nah linga‘) even if there is some overlying and prevailing sentiment behind it, and there is a ’soft’ moment or two, but for the most part, the GREAT majority of Nah Linga is BEAUTIFUL! It’s really a strong album. Nah Linga comes via Tinga Stewart’s very own (I THINK) Reggae Emperor Music label, which has been responsible for quite a bit of his material. The album comes digitally through the fine folks at Zojak Worldwide (as is apparently quite a bit of his catalogue, including one WICKED combination album Ninja & Tinga Alongside The Dancehall Greats featuring constant spar Ninja Man (more on that later) which you should go and pick up now) and is produced, of course by Tinga himself and his son Michael ‘Finga’ Stewart (a connection I’m just now making and feeling stupid for not knowing earlier) who is one of the stronger predominately Roots Reggae boardsmen in the game today. With that type of backing, it perhaps shouldn’t be such a surprise (like I said) that Nah Linga is nearly magical and has quite the ‘case’ to my opinion for being the single greatest Tinga Stewart album to date. The album, also to no surprise, finds Stewart in a WONDERFUL form, with the beautiful earthly and raspy vocals, PERFECT for the type of music he sings, still well intact and probably even more fitting for his vibes than when he was a much younger man. The result, as if we needed it (and I’m not complaining) (AT ALL), is yet another MIGHTY representation of modern Reggae in 2009 and in this case, rest assured if it dropped in 1989, 1979 or even 2019, it would have been just as strong.

As I see it, the album is a construct of older and newer singles, which in this case is fine. As I said, Stewart’s popularity isn’t so massive that you’re likely to have heard these tunes into boredom outside of REALLY heavy fans and while I definitely am a fan of his, I haven’t perhaps been paying as great attention as I should have, which is a good thing in terms of the album. If you listen briefly to the very first track on Tinga Stewart’s new album Nah Linga, its Intro, you’ll find the source of my angle on this review as he introduces himself and then goes onto mention that, “this is my fortieth anniversary” and I had to kind of catch myself thinking that it really couldn’t have been THAT long actually, but of course as his musical origins date back to 1969, that is in fact what it is. Perhaps in further celebration of the year, the actual first musical song (kind of), ‘Live In Toronto Medley’. The piece is just what it says it is and as someone who has had the honour of seeing the singer live and in person, definitely it’s something you should seek out and here he rifles through some of his bigger hits (including ‘Aware Of Love’) and some hits of various genres from others as well. It’s not my favourite thing here, but I well appreciate the kind of change up in the vibes (and any excuse to show off the voice is more than okay with me). And then there’s the first sight of anything in the traditional/studio-recorded actual song on the album with the LOVELY ‘Fair & True’ a tune on which Stewart rather timely says that, “as long as Jah permits me, as long as my fans are with me, I know to my heart I will survive”. Indeed! And the tune itself is very well done and expounds on the singer’s commitment to live WELL and honorably and proves to be one of the, if not THE, best tunes on the album by its end.

As I alluded to previously, by far Tinga Stewart’s most well known musical sparring partner over the years has (shockingly) been legendary Dancehall badman Ninja Man and while even more surprisingly the Ninja isn’t on board to celebrate his friend’s fortieth anniversary, that doesn’t mean that Tinga goes at things alone on Nah Linga. Besides having his son producing, he is also joined by three very different artists. The first is Black Queen (who needs a new name, damn hard title to Google) who actually doesn’t join Tinga Stewart but is joined by him on the tune ’Real Lover’ which is a song which I always knew (well not really) to be her tune (it’s actually a remake of Bobby Darin’s tune ’Dream Lover’) and I’ve never heard it with Stewart on board but he well helps it. It’s definitely quite gimmicky and when the Queen does reach the mic she does so very Ce’cile ‘Changez‘-ish, but it CAUGHT me! It grows on you quite quickly and its presence here certainly doesn’t hurt. Moving back into the more expected, there’s the very nice ‘Hail The King’ which features (BROWN’S TOWN NATIVE!) Ras Myrhdak. This one just kind of ROLLS through and does so addictively as both Stewart and ‘The Prince of Fyah’ go after this one (in their own ways) in the name of praising His Imperial Majesty and they succeed BIGTIME on so many levels. Stewart is also joined by another timeless talent later on Nah Linga as Sugar Minott makes a WONDERFUL appearance on ‘I’m Willing’ which is a tune that is a winner even before you hear it based on personnel alone and the two veterans definitely do not disappoint on the beautiful lover’s piece. Still, it appears to me that Tinga Stewart actually does even better when he’s on his own and free to mold things as he sees fit and does so with some very poignant ‘message music’. The greatest example, in my opinion, comes on the tune ‘Praise Him’ which comes across Finga’s DIVINE riddim of the same name (big Chuck Fenda tune name ‘The Prayer’ on that one also) and absolutely captivates! I LOVE this song! It, again, gives utmost praise to His Majesty and at the same time you can slow dance your way ALL over this tune. Both entertaining and educating in my opinion makes it THE highlight of Nah Linga. You’ll also enjoy the inspirational vibes of ‘Make The Best Of Today’ which explains itself and really shows off some of the best lyrics on the entire album; check ‘Put Down The Gun’ which finds Tinga going all Musical Youth on the people and really wanting them (especially the young ones) to put down the guns and stop the violence in general. Yes, it’s pretty gimmicky and no, it’s not one of my favourites, but the message still reigns very nicely to an unarguable degree. Speaking of the youths, they (we) (only 28), are definitely a subject constantly referred to on Nah Linga and you see that subjectry rise again on ‘Now A Days Youth’. This one is just about a commentary in Stewarts eyes of all the negative things he sees (including apparently he has a HEAVY problem with the ‘sagging’ of the pants) (and I agree) going on with the kids; there’s also ‘Too Much Hype Up’ which is more of a musical critique (and one, like I said, that I’m able to accept to a degree) and although I do disagree with a few of the things he says (Stewart REALLY harps on the off-key singers, but I consider BOTH Sizzla and Norris Man to be off-key at times and when they’re great, it works and really what in the hell ‘key’ governs Jah Cure’s singing???). And later there’s also ‘Caan Cool’ which is more of a warning than a lament to my ears and ‘Respect Your Parents’ which goes without saying (HOPEFULLY), but it’s one more aimed at the parents who are FUCKING UP and thankfully isn’t included and basically prevents my critique of Stewart ‘picking on’ the younger generation: He does acknowledge that some time parents just screw it up. And not to be forgotten there’re also a couple of nice love tunes down the stretch with ‘Believe Me’ and the closer ‘She Smile’. The former is a BIG romantic vibes and very much so comes in the vibes of material with which Stewart has been successful and impressive for his entire career thus far. And She Smile is much the same (although less ‘unique’ to my ears) and puts a very nice ribbon on this outstanding project.

Overall, I mentioned them for other reasons, but I’ll use them again for this sake: If you aren’t or haven’t been typically a fan of Tinga Stewart’s but the Cocoa Tea, Beres Hammond and Sugar Minott type of vibes do appeal to you (then how in the hell do come across Sugar Minott and ignore Tinga Stewart?) the you’ll definitely react nicely to what’s here. More traditional fans (than me) may have a problem with the predominately Roots material and not the even split of Lover’s and Roots Reggae, but I think that this one is done well enough to satisfy those heads also. As I mentioned earlier, what you have in Tinga Stewart, WHENEVER he brings something, is an artist who can appreciated RIGHT NOW as strong as he ever has been able to in his entire career. After forty years in the business, Nah Linga, is more than just adequate and it may just be his finest release to date. Happy anniversary Mr. Stewart.

Rated 4.25/5

Reggae Emperor Music/Zojak Worldwide

2009

Tinga Stewart @ Myspace

Post #300: The Heights of Randomness Vol. Second

Yay. Rah rah rah. It's post #300 and you know what that means! Yep! Another day that I don't have to write a big ass review! And that's always nice (got one for you tomorrow though) (biggup Tinga Stewart). I was soooooooo about to make this a big and wonderful and excellent post, but now, I think I'll keep it pretty simple because. . . Well that's just what I'm feeling and besides that review, I have some fairly heavy writing extensive stuff coming up next week (if you haven't noticed, I've essentially taken this week off, all the while still providing pretty nice information, I'm sure my grammar instructors, all of them, would be proud -TALKING LOUD, SAYIN NOTHIN-. So what's that writing extensive material I have for next week? Welllll, there's another review I'm very close to making a go at, I don't want to mention it by name just yet, so if I don't write it, you can't get mad at me. Also, I have two lists (which are harder to do than reviews) and I will tell you what they are, one is called Special Delivery Pt. 1 (not going to elaborate on that just yet) (biggup Pavel) and the other is pretty easy and self-explanatory, it's called The Ten Artists To Watch In 2010. Next week is going to be the start of all the crazy stuff I'm doing in December as far as year end type of stuff, so. . . yeah, stay tuned I also have a cool little predictions article/list that I'm thinking about doing, Reggae and Soca style (and speaking of Soca, the early returns on Soca 2k10 is madness, the Gutter Riddim is FUCKING BRUTAL!

Biggup Greenz. And speaking of Grenada. . . nope, can't think of anything to add. Oh, okay, how about Vincy (it's not the same thing, but not too far away)

Did anyone see that Ossie Dellimore had a new video??? Which would at least MAYBE forecast the coming of that ever elusive sophomore album. Apparently he's broken away from the guy from that label who was trying like forever to get his album out (that label was called Skank Records and I don't know if they're still around, perhaps I should google, be right back, okay they MAY still be around, but I don't know if they're actively in the production of music business). But Dellimore has apparently started his own vibe, Massagana Music, so check it out and if you don't know who the artist is, his debut album Freedom's Journal is still readily available both digitally and hardcopy (actually re-released by Skank), but should find yourself able to track down the ORIGINAL version of that album with the DEVASTATING version of 'Time Has Come', consider yourself lucky. So biggup Ossie Dellimore (who I just vocally referred to as 'Dolly Ossimore') and hopefully he can bring a new album for 2k10 (and speaking of the man, why wasn't the NYC based Dellimore on the recent Focus Riddim???

Did anyone notice that someone (probably an accountant) has made the legendary Dave Kelly aware of this whole digital age thing that's sweeping the world, thus some of his back catalogue has been reissued through the immediate medium, most notably (as an artist's album, WICKED compilations in there as well) Baby Cham's debut album Wow. . . the Story, which you can now pick up (like right now, go ahead). And apparently Philip 'Fatis' Burrell of Xterminator is also in the process of digitizing his vault as well, so you can well expect digital reissues of Luciano, Sizzla and Turbulence albums galore. And don't be fooled into anticipation like I was a little while ago when I saw something like this:

What in the hell is that! And what's going on here?

Can anyone tell me what the hell that is? Okay the first is simply the Praise Ye Jah and the second is exactly what it says (minus the "Part 2" part, of course). There's also Rain Showers and I shouldn't even have to say what that is. My fucking heart just got happy when I saw those and started to think 'oh boy, Fatis FINALLY let out all of those old tunes from Sizzla everybody always knew he had' . . . No. He let out all of those old Sizzla tunes everybody always knew he had because he gave them to us already (although there is apparently a two track release with two previously unheard tunes out there, I would tell you about it, but I cut the screen off already, oh well).

Anddddd, the very reason why I discovered that this was going on was why? Because of a release by Lutan Fyah!

Apparently (and ridiculously), Lutan Fyah's solid 2006 album for VP Healthy Lifestyle had never gone to the digital market (apparently Burrell retained such rights for himself) and it now is so if you don't already have it (shame on you), you can scoot over to your favourite etailer and scoop it up. And while you're there you may just want to pick up Lutan Fyah's other new album (you might have to chillax a bit (biggup Lloyd Brown) because it's not there quite yet, but will be shortly)

Music. The album is apparently step two from the best Reggae producer in the world, Kemar 'Flava' McGregor in going digital with artists albums, following Vibes from Glen Washington and step three is coming also:

Let Jah Be Praised from Teflon, which is kind of a surprise I'd say (who would I have guessed? Hmmmm, maybe Nesbeth, maybe Prestige, maybe Anthony B or someone like that) (I know I'm missing someone.

I digress. Lutan Fyah ALSO (RIDICULOUSLY) has a new album from In The Streetz by the name of The King's Son and you can see all about this album which I now have BIG in my sights right here (I may literally have it in the morning if my Brother-in-law is the genius I know he is).

OKAY! That's enough of everyone else's business. How about some of mine quickly:

Certainly you've seen that I was quoted on Rebellion The Recaller's myspace page with a cool ass rotating banner (which I coincidentally happen to pause on my quote).

And you also saw that I was mentioned on UnitedReggae.com:

The man (biggup Angus) calls me the "capitilising king of the Reggae bloggers"! WHAT! Lil ole' me! REALLY! Okay and stay tuned to UR because I'm going to be doing a little bit here and there with them very shortly (I mean like very shortly, like 2'9 short).

Okay and a very brief statistical analysis of my 300 posts (because I'm sleepy as hell):

155 of my 300 (and 156 of my 301) posts have been reviews and I don't just kind of use that tag for ANYTHING either. When I say REVIEW, I mean that shit! I'm going to say that my reviews average around 2300 (undoubtedly more, 2400 is probably too low actually) and you take 2300 * 155 and you have 356,500 words worth of reviews on my blog, which is just NASTY! New stuff, old stuff, stuff that's not out, stuff that's so far out that it's sold out, stuff that seemingly will never be out (biggup Lutan Fyah). Zouk, Soca and of course Reggae and Dancehall, don't matter, I deal with it all!

And I'm not going to hail you by name (only a few of you), but definitely biggup everyone who stops by here on a daily basis to see what I'm running my mouth about and biggup all the people behind the scenes who help me run the place like my Brother-in-law definitely, wouldn't ever get a damn thing done without you watching my back and the people at ZOJAK WORLDWIDE. You google 'Zojak Emusic' and see everything they have their hands in and it's just amazing. Those two albums I mentioned and showed by Lutan Fyah and Teflon, that's Zojak digital distribution, that Tinga Stewart, you'll be reading about Saturday morning while you have your breakfast, that's Zojak. That Steve Steppa you'll be reading about next week, Zojak too. That ROLL of CRAZY Flava riddims like the Triumphant, the Rub A Dub, the 83, the Trumpet and etc. ALLLLLL of that stuff when it jumps up in the next two weeks ACOUSTIC STYLE, that's all Zojak. What! Flava's library Acoustically, I'm listening to it right now. Here look:

What is that! The Drop It riddim acoustic???! Beres Hammond singing I SURRENDER acoustically! SHIT!

I'm going to bed, I'll see you tomorrow, Tinga Stewart review, I'll see you all next week, lists yeah, reviews from Lutan Fyah (duh), Steve Steppa, LION FUCKING D (featuring Lutan Fyah) and who knows who or what else. Post number 300, this was fun, biggup all my friends and my readers I'll certainly find a way to say thanks more directly at some point in the future.

big respect everytime,

BALANCE

RasAchis

Coming Soon Vol. 8

Crucial Times by Sizzla [Greensleeves Records]

First up is a quick update on this now eagerly anticipated release from Sizzla Kalonji (which apparently now has a new release date), we now have a tracklist!

1. Precious Gift

2. Crucial Time

3. Take A Stand

4. Agriculture & Education

5. Charming

6. Jolly Good Time

7. Rat Race

8. There’s No Pain

9. Sufferation & Poverty

10. Foundation

11. Atta Clap

12. Progress

13. Get Rid Ah Dem

Few things look familiar, like the first two tunes and ’There’s No Pain’, ‘Progress’ and ‘Atta Clap‘. BUT, by far the most attractive gem on this lineup is #7, the MASSIVE ‘Rat Race’, which is a tune I have loved for years, but only encountered on the rare opportunity on radio (and Sirius used to play it when I had it). Definitely looking forward to this even more now.

Caveman Culture Sound Vol. 1 [Afrojam]

Fittingly, next in this week is a compilation (which may or may not be mixed) from the very same sound, Caveman (at least I’m going to assume it’s the same one) with which Sizzla got his start, Caveman who is about to deliver something potentially of the ‘can’t miss’ variety, Caveman Culture Sound Vol.1. The piece features material from the likes of Sizzla (DUH), Lutan Fyah, Natural Black, Norris Man, Half Pint, Fred Locks and Mikey General amongst others. I just have a very good feeling about this one and, yeah, I could be wrong but for my money (literally), this one looks to be one of 2009’s finest compilations period (and hopefully the “Vol. 1” portion of the title portends that there’ll be a “Vol. 2” at some point).

Releases on December 15

Potential Rating: 4.5/5

Break Down Babylon by Taffari [Digital Link International/Zojak Worldwide]

TAFFARI has a new album! Okay, this one is a little ’special’ circumstances and I was sooooooo about to jump in on a review for it. Taffari (the ’Ta’ of always welcomed production unit, Al.Ta.Fa.An) is bringing forth a new album of sorts to the masses with Breaking Down Babylon. If you didn’t catch on the first time (Addicted To Music style), then this thing is definitely for you, it is GORGEOUS! Checking in now at a ROBUST eighteen tracks, it’s bigger and better than ever and it’s definitely an album which has grown on me considerably over time. Beautiful.

Releases this month

Rated 4.5/5

The Sugar Riddim [Special Delivery Music]

Wicked Frenchie production duo Bost & Bim of Special Delivery are apparently back at work again and are releasing their SPARKLING Sugar riddim on an album to the masses. I always look forward to releases from Special Delivery and even more so to their album releases and the Sugar riddim may just be one of the (if not THE) best that they’ve done thus far. This thing is GORGEOUS! Highlighted by a sweet guitar, although the Sweet riddim lacks Special Delivery staples like Queen Omega, Mark Wonder and Gentleman, it does come complete with well known lights such as Demarco, Peetah Morgan, Ziggi (whose ‘Gonna Leave You’ is probably going to be the best tune on the riddim) and label friend Lyricson, as well as a healthy dosage of up and comers like UK star Gappy Ranks. Torch and Hawaiian songstress Irie Love. Can’t wait to hear the finished product of the album for one the best riddims of 2009.

Releases on December 11

Potential Rating 4.5/5

The Arena Riddim [Tiger Records]

Apparently our friend Sherkhan has bills to pay! Almost immediately after releasing Perfect’s latest long player French Connection, one of the breakout producers of the year now releases an EP for his agitated sounding Dancehall riddim, the Arena. The piece features four tracks, including two from the insanely talented Busy Signal, one from the insanely underrated Teflon, a tune from potentially SCALDINGLY talented youth, Jah Trouble (the wickedest 13 year old sounding DJ on the earth) and a clean version of the hype, video game sound effect laced composition which is the Arena riddim.

Releases on December 11

Potential Rating: 4/5

In Stores Now

Grillaras Catalogue [Grillaras/Zojak Worldwide]

Of course the boys and girls at Zojak Worldwide are at it again and what they’ve pulled out of their hats this week is the very small (at least for now), but definitely significant catalogue of Grillaras Production which is once again, after having seemingly vanished for about a year or so, available digitally. I know what you’re thinking - ‘What the hell is a Grillaras and why should I care?’- but of their at least four releases, two are very strong full blown albums: Captura, one of Norris Man’s best albums ever and Tha Bitta Stretch, the debut album from the angriest man in the world, UT Ras. There’re also riddim albums for the Real Time (which you may know from Capleton’s tune from the Reign Of Fire album, ‘Open Your Eyes’ and it also features the likes of Turbulence (recycled lyrics), of course Lutan Fyah and Chezidek, the aforementioned UT Ras, the late Daddigon and WICKED tune from the underrated Military Man, alongside a slew of ‘usual suspects’) and the Good Time (which features many of the same names (including Military Man and Daddigon) and RIDICULOUSLY a tune from Moses I of all people (David House all over the place!), which is always fun. Certainly there’s something here for everyone.

Rated In Full: 4.5/5

Blossoming by Patrice Roberts [Hometown Music/VP Records]

Speaking of ridiculous, there’s this. Wayyyyyyyy before the light which simply is Mr. Machel Montano HD began to shine in her direction, Patrice Roberts was already well on her way (well it wasn’t “wayyyyyyyy”, I think she’s all of 23 years old) to being the Soca superstar which she is today and the greatest single spot of evidence of that would come on her debut album from 2003, the well titled Blossoming which SHOCKINGLY is now available for mass consumption worldwide via Hometown Music, which is doing a lot of great reissuing for Soca/Calypso (including the Maestro Greatest Hitz album) digitally. This album wasn’t great or amazing, or anything like such and, when you really look at it, the ten tunes are actually split up with only six actual tunes and four riddim tracks, but what is here - tunes like ‘Sprinkle’, ‘Determine’ and ‘De Day I Saw Red’, really do show an artist well on her way and . . . Blossoming. Now if we could just get them to update the masses with the Looking Hot album. . .

Rated 3.5/5

The Tek A Train Riddim [Rootdown Records]

I’m sure the man has done other things, but for my money (again, literally), Teka, the producer at Rootdown Records, will forever be known as the guy who vibed one of my favourite riddims from last year (I THINK that was last year), the HUGE iLove riddim. Well, now both Teka and Rootdown, from out of Germany are back and with him, he’s bringing Ziggim Anthony B, Cali P and Smiley with a whole heap of German artists (including one named Slonesta apparently who is very impressive and sounds a bit like [General] Degree to voice his spanking new riddim, the Tek A Train. For my non-German speaking readers (like me), you may want to kind of work on this one a bit and thankfully it’s digital so we can do just that.

Rated 3.75/5

Justice Must Come by Steve Steppa [Irie Sounds/Zojak Worldwide]

Call this one a work in progress because I’m still dealing with it (and you may very well see review of it someday here). The previously unknown (to me) Stevie Steppa has an album in Justice Must Come which sounds very different to my ears. I don’t know if it’s his accent or his overall approach (or both), but there’s something her. . ., you know what? I’ll tell you about it next time.