'What You See Is What You Get': A Review of "Words & Melody" by Bobby Tenna

I’m going to make the case that, despite all of the very strange things we see from artists and the trending of the time, which is seemingly to incorporate as many different styles into Reggae music as humanly possible, there has to be some type of uniqueness in knowing what one does well and consistently accentuating it. I can take this in so many directions, but really, when you think about it, we’ve established so many things in defining what Reggae music is and how it sounds in its most basic form and although certainly nothing is wrong with ‘changing things up’, it almost seems as if we’ve given artists and producer more and more credit and praise for going further and further away from the ‘norm’. That is very unfortunate, so I think that it is very important, when given the opportunity, to highlight some of the artists who don’t necessarily seem to shy away from the usage of the term ‘Reggae artist’ in regards to their music. Of course, I could deal with people like the Lutan Fyahs and Bushmans of the world. Both of those and people like Jah Mason and the vast majority of the prominent artists from out of the Virgin Islands, almost seem to revel in the task of taking on a musical genre which is often (incorrectly and unfairly in my opinion) thought of as being a ‘template’ based or ‘cookie cutter’ genre and differentiating themselves WITHIN that. But, you already know their names, that’s why I so much look forward to speaking about a next group of similarly vibed artists who may not get that type of attention and exposure, at least not yet, but are certain to catch on with the same huge vibes-starving group of fans (and I myself am, of course, a member of such insatiable group). Not too long ago, I told you about the St. Vincy born Ossie Dellimore who was definitely in that same circle of very solid artists who don’t stray from the road of Reggae music (so much so that he even name his album ”Reggae Music”) and I feel like I always mention them, but really who else speaks of artists such as Prince Theo, Elijah Prophet and Ras Mac Bean with such a fervor and I’ll also mention Achis Reggae favourite, Messenjah Selah as well. I have a very unusual and STRONG respect for these artists and their music because it would be one thing in the case of the others that I mentioned who are very very successful and internationally renowned artists, but this next class, all extremely talented, almost seem to prove that this music is so important to them that they don’t need the big attention and are willing to sing and vibe and tap the emotions of the people who are so lucky to receive them, however many or however few. Well, we have a very nice opportunity this time around to add yet another very deserving and very powerful artist to the lot - Meet Bobby Tenna.

Hopefully you were already on board when, just a couple of years ago now, Bobby Tenna WONDERFULLY impressed through his debut album, ”Give Thanx 4 Life”. I don’t know exactly how well received that album was (besides my own, I don’t think I ever read a very detailed review of that album) (which is so regrettably nearly always the case) (which is why I do what I do), but to my own opinion it was very strong and when you REALLY dug into, the album literally OPENED right in front of your ears and you came away very impressed by Bobby Tenna’s work and his obvious commitment to his craft. More than that, I really just like to ‘stumble’ upon an artist who is ambitious enough and, again, believes in themselves enough to literally make their introduction to the wide Reggae listening world, for the most part, with a full album. Since then, things certainly haven’t been stagnant for the singer and he and his own label, Wile Fiya (which I believe is based in the state of California, as is Tenna himself) - They have been at work. Most notably, up until now, there was the Fugitive Riddim, which released not too long after the ”Give Thanx 4 Life” album and featured the likes of Jah Mason, Fantan Mojah and most unforgettably, the devastating Silver Cat as well as Tenna (more on that later). And they also released a digital single as well (more on that later too). Also, I should mention that it was certainly by no means very regular, but every so often the name Bobby Tenna did pop up on the occasional riddim release from various producers, here and there. All of this, presumably, was done in anticipation of a brand new album from Bobby Tenna and although we probably had to wait a little longer than was expected, which is so often the case with independent labels, eventually things were set in motion and set in order and now Bobby Tenna delivers his sophomore release, ”Words & Melody”. I hope that there are more than a few people who’re REALLY excited about this one. I got to the point personally, where I didn’t even know that this album’s release was imminent, but AS SOON as I saw that it was I was definitely excited about hearing just how Bobby Tenna might follow up the first one and even if he could top it as well. ”GT4L” was an album which definitely did well in introducing the artist, but one of the most interesting things about watching any artist develop is that period which arises between the first and second album because sometimes it is there when an artist may show his/her MOST development in their entire career and in Tenna’s case it was definitely going to be fascinating. While the nature and the substance of this album isn’t very different from the first (thankfully, if it were it’d make the entire foundation of this review pretty meaningless), what ends up becoming clear is that ”Words & Melody” is obviously a better album than its older sibling and that is saying a great deal. Lyrically the album is just a tad stronger and it shows itself to be a very STRONG refresher’s course in exactly why I so much enjoyed Bobby Tenna’s vibes the first time around.

Speaking of “the first time around”, one of the nicest bits of information I’d come into contact with back then was the fact that Bobby Tenna hadn’t necessarily honed his skills in the more typical manner for Reggae music. Instead of kind of hopping around from producer to producer releasing various singles as a young artist, Tenna had spent his musical formative years singing for tourists in cabarets across Jamaica and I was so happy to see, this time around, a bio for the singer where he mentions that he now considers that time as somewhat of a musical “college” experience for him - very very interesting. Also very Interesting is the tune ‘Nah Easy’ which gets things going on Bobby Tenna’s new album, ”Words & Melody”. This big and vibrant tune is Tenna’s cut of the previously mentioned Fugitive Riddim and it is absolutely SPARKLING. The tune speaks, primarily, of just holding firm when things get rough and seeking various forms of inspiration to achieve that. This tune is rather poignant in the context of the album because you’ll see this subjectry revisited more than once, and in more than one way, by Tenna throughout the duration of the album. Such a case is on the very next tune, ‘Where There’s A Will’, which, as I said, was the tune released as a digital single last year. This tune has more of a HEAVY uplifting type of vibes and colour to it in comparison to the opener (I.e. saying things like, “it’s going to be okay” and “keep moving forward”), but it doesn’t get to the point where it sounds corny and actually, by its end, the tune is definitely one of the more sonically pleasing pieces to be heard on the whole of the album. And finally from the opening lot of songs is the finest of said bunch, the sublime ‘Nothing Comes Easy’. This tune - I was almost SURE that I’d heard it before and after researching it, what I found is that it just happened to appear on the Top Rated Riddim, which was a BIG underrated piece from a year or so ago. That thing is beautiful and it only sounds better supporting Tenna, with another tune urging determination from the masses - This time accentuating that PATIENCE is also a requirement in such an ideology.

I was very happy for myself that I’d been paying good enough attention to Bobby Tenna’s dealings that there turned out to be quite a few very nice songs with which I was fairly familiar throughout ”Words & Melody”. Besides the first three selections, there was the fourth, ‘Battlefield’, which is the most recognizable to me on the entire album due to the fact that it comes over the mighty 83 Riddim from Kemar ‘Flava’ McGregor (and it was an official set, even appearing on the riddim’s album from Greensleeves). Having now REALLY vibed this tune for some time, I have to say that it is, lyrically, one of the most interesting sets from Bobby Tenna that I’ve heard altogether. It seems as if he’s saying to be firm and not to shy away from the ‘battlefield’, but it also seems as if he suggests that living a better life and a more faithful life to His Imperial Majesty can eliminate the need to live on said battlefield. I could really spend hours talking about a song like this and while you may not have a similar (ridiculously overactive brain) train of thought about it, you will most certainly be able to appreciate it from a most superficial level, at least, because it is beautiful as well. I also recognized the fifth tune on the album, ‘Nuff Nuh Mek It’, because it comes over the delicious Addiction Riddim from Flava Squad. I don’t actually know if I recall hearing it from the original batch of tunes on that excellent composition (which included efforts from the likes of Anthony B, Lutan Fyah and even Mad Cobra) or if the riddim, at this point, is so familiar to me that I just think I know. Whichever the case, here is another very strong tune which also speaks on self-determination and, ultimately, giving thanks for your ‘longevity’ because so many haven’t and won’t make it:

“The situation so critical
It vertical, it horizontal
Completely asymmetrical
It messing up the youths dem mind”

Rest assured I could WELL have a great time breaking down that passage (particularly that wonderful usage the of the term “ASYMMETRICAL” in that setting), but I’ll relent and just tell you to definitely take notice of the lyrics on this tune. ‘Children of The World’ is another song that I know from somewhere (where exactly? I couldn’t tell you) and it is a very nice piece as well. Somewhat ‘reserved’ and ‘bright’, but once again, it doesn’t drag into dealing with clichés and becoming stale and corny. It’s just a lovely vibes preaching against violence on the worldwide scales. I probably should also mention ‘Can I Take You Out’, which is, to my opinion, the only misstep on the album. The song is a remake of one of the final hits of American R&B great, Luther Vandross, and that original tune is definitely a COOL song to say the least. Bobby Tenna’s version, however, is average at best, although ultimately harmless and it’s not particularly set up as a feature of any sorts as far as I can tell, either. And finally, the last tune with which I was fairly familiar was ‘Just Like The Wind’, the first of two combinations on the album. This tune, which features I Wayne spar, Fire Starr (apparently Tenna and I Wayne’s entire camp are good friends as Bobby Tenna has done shows with the Portmore star in the States) (biggup Jessica) (and he also voiced Buzhrock on the Fugitive Riddim), comes through on the BIG Chemistry Riddim from Sons of Spoon. The tune is pretty much a UNITY track and it registers very highly on those channels with the duo, unsurprisingly making a big big duo to my opinion.

Still, with all that being said, not only my favourite moment, but my two favourites on ”Words & Melody” were two tunes which were both fresh and unheard by my ears. The biggest star of the album is the MASSIVE ‘Way Back’ which, after its Freddy Krueger/Jason Vorhees type of intro, eventually ascends into this HUGE and POUNDING trip to ‘back in the day’. You hear songs like this which are kind of lame and just seem to be an artist simply thinking out loud, but this one clearly has some bigger relevance than that as Tenna seems to want to lift the times gone by and bring them back today and if that isn’t possible (and it isn’t), he wants to, at least, apply some of the lessons learned at the time which he feels (correctly) are still applicable now. This one is definitely going to get the heads knocking, but hopefully you’ll take a moment to really give a deep listen to what is being said as well. BIG BIG tune. My second favourite song on the album comes later on in the form of the heavy praising song, ‘Deliver Me’. Should you want to call this one THE best tune on the album, I wouldn’t put up too much of an argument, none at all, because it is a GORGEOUS vibes and definitely it pushes a sentiment which lingers well after the final tune has spun.

As for the balance of ”Words & Melody”, it actually contains the tune which is certain to get the lion’s share of the attention on paper. That tune, ‘4 The Hard Way' features none other than Reggae superstars Anthony B and Capleton, as well as the late and great Garnet Silk alongside Bobby Tenna. Obviously the tune is kind of pieced together and it features vocals from the same Hard Nut To Crack Riddim over which it rides. It’s interesting how it’s carried out is so nice because you come away with one dominant theme for the entire song - Again, self determination - which is so rare on such a tune . . . Oh and between you and I, Anthony B definitely steals the show. Also check the kind of ‘funky’ 'Day & Night’, which is absolutely delightful and outside of ‘Can I Take You Out’ is the definitive changeup for the album (and one which will stay on your players for quite some time I imagine, just like mine). There’re the BIG old school vibed piece ’Give Thanx’ which, on title alone, had me thinking that it may be some type of renamed holdover from the first album, but it isn’t, thankfully. I’m even more thankful that the praising tune is EXCELLENT and although it’ll probably be ‘lost in the shuffle’, I don’t care, I LIKE IT! I’m also quite fond of ‘Blood Dat Dem Shed’, although it didn’t start out that way. Give this one a couple of spins or so to REALLY grow on you before you decide to pass on it because it grows into this kind of old school rub-a-dub type of Dancehall number which is downright dazzling by its end and there is a message within as well. The final tune on ”Words & Melody” ‘Better Place’ isn’t one of my favourites and it is VERY borderline sappy, but it too is harmless at its center and well before it even strikes in on the album, the point has been made. What point? This album is a very very good.

Overall, I’m very nearly THRILLED by how well this one turned out. I haven’t been as vocal in singing the praises of Bobby Tenna over the past couple of years in comparison to some of my other not so well known favourites, but that’s definitely about to change and it’s going to change on the strength of ”Words & Melody”. If you are a fan of modern Reggae, right now, it’s going to be REALLY difficult for me to imagine you not liking this release and, as I mentioned earlier, it’s not like Bobby Tenna is really doing anything out of the ordinary to gain you as a fan, but what he is doing is something well worth noting - As he does throughout this album. By no means is this the best album I’ve heard in 2010, but what ”Words & Melody” is, is a very solid and well carried out piece of Reggae music by a very impressive up and coming artist. Thankfully, I’m a fan of such situations. Thankfully, so are you. Well done.

Rated: 4.35/5
Wile Fiya Inc
2010
CD & Digital


Bobby Tenna
Bobby Tenna @ Myspace