With all of the wonderful changes we see Reggae music going through, isn’t it kind of becoming ‘retro-refreshing’ that certain things are remaining the same and constant? Besides the tons and tons of new faces - And not only artists, but producers and labels and even big time promoters as well, we even have new styles developing and old styles being consistently taken in different directions. Of course, the prime example that I point to is what has become of my beloved Dancehall, which has basically become ‘Hip-Hall’ of sorts with the seemingly never ending infatuation of Hip-Hop music and vibes by ‘Dancehall’ producers, which has watered down the entire genre in my opinion. The faces there have changed as well. I can no longer even honestly make the case that either Beenie Man or Bounty Killer wield a larger hand than Vybz Kartel or Mavado locally at this point, because it simply is not true. In the Roots arena, while things are a bit less transferred in terms of styles, the dominate names in the subgenre cannot be listed without naming certain artists who were either toiling in COMPLETE anonymity as recently as a half decade ago, or just not even yet in the business of making Jah’s music at all at that point. So, as I said, the things which have remained present (regardless of their consistencies) can definitely be a refreshing taste of an era which is basically gone. Such an ‘attraction’ would definitely be ‘The Messenjah’, Luciano. The singer has been THE single most popular Roots Reggae singer since the 1994 death of the legendary Garnet Silk, and while you’re now going to have a hard time claiming the same thing (because of the passage of time and his own INCREDIBLE talents, I think that Tarrus Riley now occupies that position), the type of longevity achieved by Luciano in his run, and still, has been a history which belongs to the music itself and not only just the Manchester born singer. And now, although things have most certainly changed - Even to the point of where the PRISTINE reputation he once enjoyed has been disrupted due to a shocking controversy in the last year or so, when Luciano pushes a new project, to most Reggae fans of at least twenty-five years of age or so, it’s going to be a big deal.Especially when that album comes via VP Records who always seems to acquire the best material the singer has to offer and of course with the biggest promotional vehicle to be offered outside of the mainstream for our music, they’re going to make sure it does as well as it possibly can. So, Luciano’s brand new album, ”United States of Africa” was already a big deal, just for the situations surrounding its releasing, before you even get to the parameters of the music itself. The biggest of those most certainly became the fact that the album would be Luciano’s first for yet another new producer (new for him) which, alone, is a pretty big deal, but in this case it’s not just any ‘Johnny Come Lately’. Instead, helming the new Luciano album just so happens to be quietly one of the most active, consistent and experienced names in the Roots arena today, Frenchie from Maximum Sound. Having produced albums for the likes of Jah Mason, Lukie D (more than one) and particularly Anthony B (three or four now I believe), Frenchie has definitely risen to a point in his own career where the weight that his name alone should carry when attached to a project is more than enough to grab the attentions of a great deal of hardcore Reggae heads. On top of that, he’s also done quite a few riddim albums and compilations (including one, ”Bobo Revolution Vol. 2”, which will drop shortly from Greensleeves), but still, if I’m not mistaken this album does mark Frenchie and Maximum Sound’s debut release via the flagship, VP Records. The very suggestion of Luciano working alongside Frenchie on an ALBUM and not just the occasional single here and there, is mouthwatering and although definitely unexpected (although I’m not quite sure why on my part), it is a very welcome surprise. So, if after all of that back story and back situation doesn’t make you interested (then just go up and click that ’next blog’ tab), there’s also the matter of the actual music itself and, of course, you already know what you’re dealing with on ”United States of Africa” is top notch material, but I have noticed a bit of differences in it, here and there. For some reason, Luciano does sound just a teeny tiny bit different than he usually does. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t vibed anything new from him on this type of scale in awhile and my senses have just been readjusted because of it or it was recorded in a different way, but he seems to exhibit a little more energy at times which is a very nice thing to have happen. He just seems to be more comfortable or confident in what’s going on here, even more so than I would say he did his last two VP albums, ”Jah Is My Navigator” (2008) and ”Child of A King” (2006) and that’s not to say that this album is BETTER than those two (but it may be), but it’s something which I noticed which stuck on my attentions. There’s also the matter of the musical direction on the album - This album definitely and clearly is more filled with the old school sounds, even though it doesn’t seem to be as much as the all but forgotten ”God Is Greater Than Man” album from 2007. In this instance it just seems to be a matter of happenstance - a nice coincidence - and to no one’s surprise AT ALL (at least I hope not), Luciano, the very definition of ‘modern Reggae veteran’ has absolutely no difficulties in mixing the old with the new. Having already determined that the album is good (as if you needed me to tell you that), the question is now how good. . . Without comparing it to anything (yet), it is very good. Perhaps more importantly, however, this album is just VERY interesting for several reasons. Let’s discuss!
While the lion’s share of the tunes on the album are completely new to me, the album, unsurprisingly, is built on the backs of tunes Luciano has done for Maximum Sound over the years. As I alluded to, the label continues to remain very active and Luciano’s has been one of a few names Frenchie has been sure to link when he has new material, so it isn’t like they bumped into one another at a football match or something. The title track is what introduces the listener to Luciano’s new album, ”United States of Africa” and even though I think that there is certainly better material on the album, in terms of transmitting the message and the vibes, this STERLING tune works so well in tandem with a later effort, in my opinion. This is one of the tunes where I think he sounds as if he’s ever so slightly pushing more energy into his tones and here, it works to a nice effect. Of course the concept of the song has been explored in our music previously (Cruzan chanter Xkaliba also had an album with this same title a couple of years back), but as is his norm, you’ll NEVER hear anyone sing it like Luciano. And although I NEVER do something like this, I almost feel that I have to - Later on we run into a very bubbly tune in ‘Unite Africa’, which is, of course, on a similar vibes as the title track. This one may even be a bit stronger (although I still favour the opener), but I think that they work so well together because with the first tune, it’s almost like a repatriation message. The latter is more about - ‘Okay now that we’ve arrived, we have work to do’ - so they both work together in bringing through the proper message, I’m sure. “Babylon is my footstool” is the stirring statement Luciano makes before diving in on ‘Footstool’ and literally that alone made me smile from ear to ear when I first heard it (and the second and third times also). The tune is nearly vintage Messenjah as it calls in inspirations from the highest source possible and does so with a downright intoxicating vibes! I’m going to call it maybe the third best selection on the entire album, which is saying a great deal in this case. The third tune on ”United States of Africa”, ‘In This Recession’ may also rise to such a status, however, for me the story with this tune is just that it’s incredibly interesting and unique for Luciano. I always say that the singer is far more of a spiritual singer than a tangible one and this tune is the complete antithesis of that as he speaks on the troubles of the world economy (even referencing the nefarious Bernie Madoff by name at one point). What you think is on its way, the spiritual connect in the song, never really comes and the song stands a very big and fascinating social commentary.
Even though the album does start of quite well, there is a stretch of about seven tunes on ”United States of Africa” which really takes things to the proverbial ‘next level’ in my opinion in terms of quality. It begins with the previous single, ‘Invasion’, the album’s obligatory herbalist track. Fittingly, the tune comes across Maximum Sound’s I Know My Herbs Riddim and it speaks of just the fight that people (farmers in particular get in regards to the herb and you know that Luciano sings these type of songs pretty much unlike anyone else in the world, so you can expect something BIG. Not quite as big, however, as the tune which chases ‘Invasion’, ‘Be Aware‘, my favourite tune on the album altogether. This song is SPECTACULAR! It kind of reminds me of a Bushman song, ‘Creatures of The Night’ ( ”Signs” album) because what it is, is a big warning for righteous living and keeping people to stay far from those who aren’t quite as uplifted in their own journey. It’s also very vibrant and colourful and when you push a song with such a heavy message and one which just sounds so pleasing to the senses, you’ve won in my opinion and ‘Be Aware’ is a HUGE goal for this album. Incidentally, with that tune having set the bar SO high, a better tune to keep the standard up probably couldn’t have been chosen as it is followed by my choice as the set’s second finest selection altogether, ‘King Of Kings’. Lest you thought, from ‘In This Recession’, that Luciano was moving in a new direction, there’s a tune like this one (and pretty much almost every other one on the album) to reassure you otherwise. This tune is very interesting because what it does is, by way of certain people’s destructive acts, to lead Luciano to question whether or not their heart and their intents are in the right place as far as exactly Whom they serve (“some go to church on a Sunday, disregarding the seventh day”). I could play with this thing for a long time and I probably will - You might also because it is excellent. The next tune, ‘A No Like We No Like Them’ should probably be the oldest on the album as it featured prominently across the World Jam Riddim, Frenchie’s relick of the famed World A Music Riddim (aka the Welcome to Jamrock Riddim), the World Jam. The tune was ultimately a pretty decent sized hit for the singer and it remains a very nice and far from stale addition to this album, half a decade on. The aforementioned ‘Unite Africa’ is also in this stretch as is the very nice lover’s piece ‘Nubian Queen’ and the MONSTROUS spiritual track ‘Hosanna’, which I knew I’d heard before and upon researching it, I found that the version that I knew featured Luciano’s sweet singing comrade, Mikey General (who isn’t on this version, unfortunately). The tune is still VERY strong and one of the undeniable highlights from this album (when he jumps in to start with, “I wanna sing about the King of Kings” . . . TEARS!).
The few tunes outside of that lot and the beginning are also pretty good. The excellently vibed ‘I Will Follow’ (which almost certainly features Dean Fraser on saxophone) is probably the best of them all. This tune is another piece of classic Luciano material, which is sure to please older fans of the artist (and I stress that this one definitely sounds like one from an older batch than, at least presumably, most of the selections on this album). ‘Moving On’ may very well be a remake - As if the classic riddim weren’t enough, I found myself either just doing an excellent job of anticipating what was going to be said, or just knowing the song already for some reason or another. This tune, I’m anticipating growing on me and maybe even to a large degree which will be saying something DEFINITELY as I already enjoy the kind of personal and reflective type of vibes (and despite the general ‘mood’ of the song, I definitely feel it to be somewhat melancholy and stoic and that’s not to the detriment of it in this case). The high-stepping ‘Murder & Thief’ is a song I’m not terribly high on right now and I don’t really know why because it’s obviously very good and it also features Luciano doing a bit of deejaying to boot, which is rare and he does it well in this instance. So I’m going to predict that by time you read this, I’ll be pretty impressed by this one and you will also be. I’m also not very fond of ‘Only Jah Can Save Us Now’ and this one might stay like such. It’s just a testimonial type of song (acoustic of course) and it doesn’t really go anywhere after that. It’s the type of tune we’ve heard time after time from the singer and so much, in fact, that you start to look for something to differentiate it from the pack and I didn’t find anything here, but you may, so definitely give it a few opportunities to grab you up. And lastly, the final tune on the album is sure to catch attentions as it just happens to be the sole combination on ”United States of Africa”, ‘Another Terrorist Attack’, which pairs Luci up with the big chanting Fantan Mojah. You know very well I would have criticized the album had it been sans such a tune and I’m happy that I don’t have to particularly because (like a reverse of ‘Hosanna’) it seems to have been redone with Mojah on board because I knew it as a solo track on Maximum Sound’s EPIC Zion Train Riddim. Mojah only adds to a tune which didn’t need any help (but got it anyway) and makes a formidable pair with The Messenjah that I hope to get to hear again some day. The tune itself makes a pretty powerful statement and it’s one which is strong enough to conclude this even stronger album on to my ears.
Overall, as I said it definitely sounds slightly like a more enthused version of the singer, which goes to add to my notion that this one is easily one of his most interesting and colourful releases to date. How does it stack up to the others? Right now (albeit VERY fresh in my mind) I have no problems calling ”United States of Africa” one of Luciano’s 4-5 best albums to date and you know he has like forty, so that’s well saying something. Typically the singer does his best work for VP so that next great album (whatever it was going to be) would almost certainly come that route. I’m going to recommend this one for more seasoned Luciano fans (who hopefully will agree me with in the slight change variation) (and thus confirm that I am not insane) almost strictly who’ll absolutely LOVE an addition to your collections from the singer which comes with a twist or two, but by its end proves to be yet another stellar release.
Rated 4.35/5
VP Records
2010
CD & Digital
{Digital available now. CD Releases August 3}
Luciano
Luciano @ Myspace
{Album officially releases today, Digital and CD}
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