Coming Soon Vol. 13

Coming Soon

Busy Signal - D.O.B. [VP Records]

Truth be told, no one can roll out with the heavy hitters like VP/Greensleeves in this industry and for the second time in this still very young year (following Sizzla and Sanchez), they do just do that with a double dosage of two of their biggest and most well known artists. First up is Busy Signal who has been mining absolute gold as of late and figures to carry him well into this release D.O.B. This album, his second for VP following 2008’s Loaded is hotly anticipated as Busy has finally lived up to the potential he showed earlier in his career and has become one of the Dancehall’s most dazzling wordsmiths again. The big tune here, a remake of Phil Collins’ ’One More Night’, has been getting big response and was recently featured on an EP for the album. Other potential highlights include ‘Sweet Love [Night Shift]’, previous single ‘Nuh Fraid’ and the surprise entrant ‘Wooeeii Gal Wooeeii’ which features Soca superstar Machel Montano (marking the first time Machel appears on a VP album for the first time in how long?). The album figures also to be an early favourite for Dancehall album of the year and I can’t wait to deal with it, definitely (but am I the only one disappointed that the WICKED ‘Black Belt’ didn’t make the album?).

Potential Rating: 4.5/5

Releases on April 12

Junior Kelly - Red Pond [VP Records]

A week before Busy Signal’s third album is set to drop, VP will also delight fans worldwide with the release of the very first (legitimate) Junior Kelly studio album in four and a half years, Red Pond. This album here, as it gets closer, to my opinion has a VERY STRONG feel surrounding it. Produced by the venerable Firehouse Crew, the album is well on my radars for obvious reasons, but also because it just so happens to feature the big ‘Too Late’ alongside Queen Ifrica and a potentially even bigger ‘Papa’s Song’ alongside none other than Ras Shiloh (Lukie D is also on board). Kelly’s work for VP is typically top notch and seamless and you can well expect similar results on a potential album of the year candidate in Red Pond.

Potential Rating: 5/5

Releases on April 5

Jammy’s From The Roots 1977-1985 [Greensleeves Records]

Not to keep all reissues/classic compilations within 17 North Parade, VP offers this HUGE compilation of THIRTY-TWO of the legendary King Jammy’s productions (and to my opinion there’re tunes here which don’t immediately jump of the page at the most casual listener, so it definitely has a bit of a collector’s item feel to it for the hardcore heads). The piece is spread between two big discs (and who knows whatever else they’ve put in this pack) and it seems as is every few years or so VP decides to release quite a bit of Jammy’s library to the masses and it’s always a big release and you shouldn’t at all expect anything less from Jammy’s From The Roots which features a wide variety of names such as Sugar (and Echo) Minott, Johnny Osbourne, Wayne Smith, Junior Reid (and Delgado) and even Dennis Brown on top notch classic material.

Potential Rating: 5/5

Releases on March 30

Romain Virgo - Introducing Romain Virgo EP [VP Records]

And lastly to clean up on VP/Greensleeves releases this week is a forthcoming drop from one of the label’s newest signees, former Digicel Rising Star champion, Romain Virgo. Virgo has been one of the more active and impressive young singers in the game as of late, stringing together hits largely of the old school/Lover’s Rock variety and it leads into his first official release for VP Records Introducing Romain Virgo. The EP (which I’m pretty sure is exclusively digital) features three of the young singer’s more impressive tracks, current hit ‘This Love’, ‘Alton’s Medley’ (self explanatory) (at least it should be) and ‘Who Feels It Knows It’. Of course, EP’s tend to forecast forthcoming albums and I’m positive we’ll see Virgo’s full length debut before the end of 2010, no doubt about it.

Potential Rating: 4/5

Releases on March 23

Livraison Reggae [Special Delivery Music]

One of my favourite European labels (and any labels anywhere in the world for that matter), Special Delivery from out of France returns with their first release (to my knowledge) following last year’s HUGE Sugar Riddim, Livraison Reggae [Reggae Delivery]. This beautiful compilation features some of the biggest French & French Caribbean (and Afro-French) (biggup Lyricson) artists to have voiced for the label over the years. It seems as if they’re going out of their way (in a good way) specifically to focus on pushing French Reggae and Special Delivery’s vault, in that respect, has to be one of the deepest in the world. So, you can expect big artists such as Admiral T, Tiwony, Saël, Lyricson and others across some of the label’s biggest riddims over the years like the aforementioned Sugar Riddim, the Seven, the Judgment Time and others. This is a VERY nice idea and I can’t wait to get my hands on it actually.

Potential Rating: 4.75

Releases on March 19

Rub A Dub Soldiers [Thompson Sound/Zojak Worldwide]

And lastly (and hopefully quickly) is Rub A Dub Soldiers, simply one of the greatest classic/old school Dancehall compilations of all time. You probably already have this thing on CD or vinyl, but the beautiful people at Zojak Worldwide are FINALLY bringing it to the digital side which is where it belongs (like all compilations) (like all albums everywhere) (of all time). The legendary Linval Thompson released this one probably close to THIRTY years at this point and it’s managed to stay visible and in ‘rotation’ through the strength of classic efforts from the likes of Toyan, Captain Sinbad, Brigadier Jerry, Lui Lepke, Nicodemus and others. Older fans may just claim it to be the best Dancehall compilation of all time, so that lets you know what you’re dealing with if you haven’t picked up, feel free to do so now.

Rated 5/5

Releases Soon (or maybe already)

In Stores Now

Midnite - What Makes A King? [Afrikan Roots Lab]

Okay, not too long ago I told you about Midnite’s new album and I’ve recently managed to get my hands on it and here it is, What Makes A King. The album is billed as the first non-Midnite collaboration (meaning the first FULL Midnite album) in half a billion years or so. I haven’t managed to dive into it just yet, but perhaps one day I might, in any respect however, you can beat me to it as the album is in stores no and available worldwide.

Lloyd Brown - Brownie Points [Cousins Records]

This one is a bit of a re-release of sorts and one I’m going to go ahead and take some (probably incredibly misguided) credit for because I alerted Lloyd Brown’s manager (biggup Denise) (wherever you may be) that it wasn’t floating around very much anymore, Brownie Points. The album was the 2008 annual release from the UK veteran and although it wasn’t his very best work to date, it was still a very cool type of vibes, which is almost inherently what you get in his case at bare minimum. The album had suspiciously VANISHED from worldwide digital etailers and now it’s back up so definitely if you missed it (BIG tune hear by the name of ‘Forgive Them’, alongside Peter Spence), you should give it a listen and grab it up now (and get Silver while you’re at it).

Rated: 3.5/5

Ayaaso Band - Brighter Day [Ayaaso Roots/Zojak Worldwide]

Okay, this one will be quick. I’m PROBABLY going to end up slapping a review on Brighter Day at some point in the next month or two, but I’ve been meaning to get to it and I’ve had a ton of other things jumping up in place, so I’m going to tell you about it ahead of the review. This thing is MIGHTY! I don’t know very much about the Ayaaso Band, but what you’ll hear on this album is HEAVY and QUALITY Roots Reggae and it is beautiful material, so again, beat me to it and scoop this one because it has magic written all over it (and stay tuned for the review sometime in March/April).

Potential Rating: 4.99999/5

Easy Flow Riddim [Shoe Land Productions/Zojak Worldwide]

And lastly this week (despite the fact that I feel like I’m forgetting something REALLY big) is this cool little release from Shoe Lane Productions and Zojak Worldwide (of course), the Easy Flow Riddim. This riddim was from a few years back actually and I didn’t know it was on Shoe Lane (but names change and people change also), but it is absolutely delightful at times. The riddims features efforts from Tanya Stephens, Tony Rebel, Delly Ranks & Chrisinti and most notably, ‘I’m Trying’ from eternally wicked Dancehall DJ Mega Banton. It isn’t amazing and it most certainly won’t be the greatest thing you’ve ever heard in life, but it’s on the digital side and you can well pick up some nice tunes here and Shoe Lane also has released (through Zojak), a cut of the Rockfort Rock Riddim and the Shamrock Riddim which features two Mega Banton tunes (and a cool piece in ‘Gimmi Your Love‘ from Ras Fraser)- both are currently available so check them all out.

Rated 3.5/5