Coming Soon Vol. 25

{Note: Written a few days ago. Check the dates, some of this stuff may actually have been released already}

Coming Soon

Jahdan Blakkamoore - “Babylon Nightmare” [Lustre Kings Productions]

And unless I’m really forgetting something, this release, by far, is the one that I’m most looking forward to as an artist who has been SCALDING over the past eighteen months or so FINALLY brings forth his new album - It’s Jahdan Blakkamoore with ”Babylon Nightmare” from one of my favourite labels (even though they never response their email), Lustre Kings Productions. Okay, the big question here, following his debut solo release is whether or not this album will be a Reggae album. The first album, ”Buzzrock Warrior” was pretty much a Hip-Hop album, if I recall correctly, but given the LKP label and the various labels with which they associate (particularly Zion High Productions and I Grade), this one definitely figures to be heavy on the Reggae and having perused the tracklist, I can’t say that there’s much in the way of combinations, but DAMN! I am so looking forward to sinking my reviewer’s teeth into this one, so you know, review coming soon.

Rated Potential: 4.9999999/5
Releases on December 7
CD & Digital

“Cultural Vibes Vol. 1” [Jahsolidrock & Not Easy At All Productions]

Have a label? Need a compilation. The last time the increasingly wicked Jahsolidrock and Not Easy At All Productions linked up . . . Well, technically speaking the LAST time was back in April when they dropped Chezidek’s dominant ”Judgement Time” album. There’s also, so I hear, a forthcoming album from Apple Gabriel, which would be his first in more than a decade and at the same damn time they’re releasing an eighteen track compilation as well - ”Cultural Vibes Vol. 1”. Wow. From the looks of it (and I already have it) (biggup Denco), this compilation seems pretty good and who knows, I might slap a review on it someday (and if you know me any at all, you know that means that most likely I’m going to review it pretty soon, but who knows). Of course Chezidek is here with two of the biggest tunes from his album (curiously Apple Gabriel is not) and joining him are the likes of Mikey General, Junior Murvin, Earl 16 (who I believe also has an album forthcoming from the labels) and Benaïssa, Joggo, Wild Life and everyone’s favourite pudgy airplane flirt, Lloyd De Meza. And there’re also a couple of surprises, which I won’t spoil for you here.

Rated Potential: 4.5/5
Releases on November 15
CD & Digital

The Dancehall Again Riddim [Daseca]

How odd is this??? A Dancehall label drops a Dancehall riddim and scores BIG in the process. It sounds straight forward enough, but it doesn’t happen as often these days and you might think. Fortunately, the boys at Daseca have remembered that they are, in fact, a Dancehall label (or at least they used to be) and have dropped the first of their riddims that I’ve actually liked in how long, the Dancehall Again Riddim and it just sounds SO NICE! The riddim itself is pretty unexceptional, but because actual Dancehall these days has well become an endangered species, I’LL TAKE IT! Agent Sasco absolutely SMASHES the riddim with the title track (“Mi nah have Nuttin against R&B, Jazz and Pop, but mi represent di Gold and di Green and di Black”) (BOOM!), but whatever is left is left to the likes of Beenie Man, Aidonia, Mr. Vegas, Fambo and of course Serani (twice) and Bugle. Hopefully this will start a trend of sorts and maybe 2011 will see Dancehall rise and run again.

Digital
Releases November 12

The New Day Riddim [Jahlight Records]

I’m always happy to see new labels pop up from some of my favourite places so back a few months ago when a rep of Trini label, Jahlight Records, linked me (partially to inform me that Royal Dainties had, in fact, changed his name to Mr. Royal) and told me about their forthcoming project, the New Day Riddim, I was all ears . . . I mean eyes. The riddim is kind of a ‘funky’ Roots piece and it fittingly features a whole heap of Trini artists, including favourites of mine like the aforementioned Mr. Royal (big big tune with the riddim title track), King Solomon and Ras Pilot and also on board is Gounzman who apparently scored quite the local hit with ‘What Monkey See’. And Jahlight is here to stay so they’ll definitely be fun to watch going into 2011.

Releases on December 7
Digital

Etana - “Free” (EP) [VP Records]

‘So we’ll try it again’: As far as I can tell there’s nothing HUGE planned for the final 7 or 8 weeks of 2010 by Reggae giant VP Records in the way of new albums, but what they are planning to do (again) is to give us a taste of what will probably be their biggest earliest release of next year, ”Free Expression” from the divine Etana. So, in anticipation of the moment, the label is releasing ANOTHER digital EP from Etana, "Free", and not so surprisingly the first, ”Happy Heart” has now gone missing. But who cares??? The main point of concern here is that after now three or four delays, February 8 appears to be a GO for Etana’s new album and it really isn’t that far away if you think about it.

Releases on December 7
Digital

The Best of Tony Prescott [T&T Entertainment]

Finally this week, I have to admit that I’m not the largest Tony Prescott fan in the world, but that certainly doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate his music and don’t recognize his place in the music, because I do. And because of that and the fact that I, most thankfully, have the ability to appreciate good music when I hear it, I was pretty happy to see that T&T Entertainment (which I think is one of the 8,000 or so sublabels of Faluma) (yep, it is) was going to be releasing a “Best of” album for him and I’m planning on picking it up as well. The piece contains all of the Tony Prescott favourites that I have like ‘All Aboard’ and ‘Sailing Away’ as well as ‘On De Road’, ‘Wukkin Up’ and the gorgeous ‘Outta Africa’. So! Should you be interested in some really really cool Groovy style Soca, do check out ”The Best of Tony Prescott”.

Potential Rating: 4.5/5
Releases on December 3
Digital

In Stores Now

Sizzla - ‘Sufferation’ (single) [Ghetto Youths Distribution]

How wonderfully nice would it be if Sizzla Kalonji tunes started rolling out digitally like . . . Mavado songs. Of course that doesn’t happen so it made it all the more surprising when I saw this very random release of this big big tune, ‘Sufferation’ by Ghetto Youths Distribution. And I’ll leave it there because my mind is . . . Yeah it’s going in a few different directions. But the tune is strong, and it’s Sizzla and my biases are still WELL intact, but do check it out.

Digital

Jah Cure, Rick Ross & Mavado - ‘Like I See It’ (single) [SoBe Entertainment & Maybach Music/Zojak Worldwide]

And speaking of singles (and Mavado), Jah Cure is another artist who maintains a very high presence on the digital scene and now he has even more of a reason to do just that as early 2011 will reportedly see the release of his new album, ”World Cry” and in the meantime the Cure is making big and international links with his latest release, ‘Like I See It’ which features popular Hip-Hopper Rick Ross as well as Dancehall star, Mavado (incidentally, Magazeen - formerly Reagan, who works for Ross should have ABSOLUTELY been on this tune). It’s a very dark and somewhat ’dirty’ sound for the Cure, definitely not what we’re used to, but even if you’re not into all of that (and of course I’m not), also included is a version featuring Jah Cure on his own, which still isn’t my favourite, but is the highlight here for me.

Digital

The Lucky Girl Riddim [Stingray Records/Zojak Worldwide]

While they may or may not actually have a tune on Lloyd Brown’s soon to be released (I forget and am entirely too lazy to check) album, ”Cornerstone”, it has definitely been awhile since I’ve last heard anything from the boys at Stingray from out of the UK and they obviously agree which is the sole reason that (of course it is) they’re back at work and delivering a new piece (I think it‘s new), the Lucky Girl Riddim. It’s pretty much what you’d expect I think - A top notch kind of old school vibed Lover’s Rock piece and it may even be a remake. The cast of artists is also not unexpected to some degree with names such as Marcia Griffiths, Mikey Spice, George Nooks, Glen Washington, Tenna Star and Empress Ayeola taking the spotlight on the lovely composition.

Digital

The Victory Riddim [Payday Music]

I kind of feel like I may’ve mentioned this one already, but I’m not sure and it certainly can’t hurt to bring it up again. The very nice people over at Payday Music, as usual, waste absolutely no time in returning to the scene and this time they have a new riddim (like the always do) the Victory. This SPECTACULAR sounding piece may just be the label’s best composition to date and I just really like the overall movement of Payday because, although they may not come in with a TON of fanfare all the time, they always seem to be working towards something and the release of that next project is never too far off. This time around, they’re working with a big bag of up and comers such as Netari, Ishawna, Tenuke and Bridgez who is having a great year (all of those girls by the way) and they join heavy hitters such as Norris Man (alongside Iyara), the angriest man in the world, Einstein (alongside K. Queens), Raine Seville and of course Lutan Fyah whose ‘Nuh Lose Nuh More Artist’ tops the Victory Riddim to my opinion.

Digital

“Dread & Alive: The Lose Tapes Vol. 2” [Soul of The Lion]

I suppose that Soul of The Lion could very well snap out one of these each and every month as it was just back in September when they delivered the first (very impressive) installment of their comic book inspired ”Dread & Alive” series and this second edition has already been around for four weeks now (oops!). The lineup of artists on the first edition was very nice - It had a really healthy and UNUSUAL vibe to it (meaning that there were some of the expected names mixed with very unexpected names) and that trend continues here. On one hand we have the expected/kind of expected names like Turbulence (big tune, ‘On & On‘), Perfect, Bunny Rugs and even Jahmali (less so in the latter two cases), but then they’re mixed in amongst artists such as Kenyatta Fire, Odel Johnson, Abijah (with probably the best tune on this album, ‘State of Emergency’) and Freddy Locks (FREDDY, not Fred). More unexpected still are that the final two selections Erup (big song alongside Nature, ‘Trample Dem’) and Lady Saw (with her tune on the Gearbox Riddim, ‘Lord Lord’) AND - Oh yeah, Mutabaruka's ‘Dis Poem’ is also on board. . . . I mean. . . Kiddus I is here too . . . What can I say. Give it to Soul of The Lion strikes again with something that makes me think and it’s already November so I guess we can look forward to Vol. 3 which will probably feature like Grace Jones or someone like that.

Digital

“NYC-2-Africa” [Subatomic Sound]

And finally (again), last Week I told you about a very ‘different’ type of stage given to a tune from Elephant Man, ‘Vampires & Informers’ from Subatomic Sound, a label which essentially specializes in the ‘different’ and they also seem to be in a hurry as they IMMEDIATELY chase that release (alongside Nomadic Wax) with what is, at least in my opinion, an even stronger effort in ”NYC-2-Africa”. Okay, there’s a pretty detailed and interesting backstory behind this one apparently, but I’ll just tell you about what you’ll hear - This riddim is insanity and there is an Anthony B song on this release, ‘Dem Can’t Stop We From Talk’, which is MADNESS! That song is just RIDICULOUS and after that, coincidentally, you’d also find a tune from Jahdan Blakkamoore as well (which is very good) and another strong effort from and artist from out of Sierra Leone, Bajah. Also there’s the usual remixing and dubbing you’ve come to know from Subatomic.

Digital