What I'm Listening To: November

First Born - “Wake Up Call” [Vizion Sounds Records - 2006]

Feel free to throw the ‘blame’ in the direction of the wonderful people at Zojak Worldwide for bringing back this WONDERFUL album that I’d been searching for, for more than four years, ”Wake Up Call” from Guyanese vocal quintet, First Born for Vizion Sounds. Their other three albums (along with their other various work) definitely made a fan out of me, so I knew I’d get my hands on this someday and, as I alluded to last week, Zojak has recently blew open the vaults of Vizion Sounds and out came pouring digital releases of apparently everything they’ve ever done which included this excellent release (as well as the ”Exodus Chapter 13; Verse 2” album, which contains ‘Prince of Peace’, my favourite song of the group’s EVER and probably one of the single best songs I’ve EVER heard from anyone). For its part, ”Wake Up Call” features combinations with the likes of Natural Black, Gregory Isaacs, Buju Banton and even Dennis Brown. There’re also more than a few nice tunes with the group by itself AND the second disc is chockfull of what? Versions of every song on the album. I’m definitely still working on this one, but don’t at all be surprised to see go mining the vault for a review of it or any of the newly digitally re-release First Born discography (except ”Irits”, of course).

Natural Black - “Far From Reality” [Greensleeves - 2006]

I shouldn’t at all have to make the connection between the first entry here and Natural Black’s ”Far From Reality”, so I’m not, but what I am going to say is that while I find myself shying away from full on declaring Natural Black’s ‘best’ album, listening back through this one . . . I may be getting close these days. I will take the step and declare ”Far From Reality”, which was seemingly formed on the strength that he had FINALLY struck gold with the album’s title track which caught the attention of Greensleeves and rightly so, is his most SPECTACULAR release to date. Besides the title track there was ‘Beautiful Place’, ‘Can’t Mix Intelligence’ (LOVE that tune), ‘Conquer Dem’ on the I Swear Riddim from 5th Element, ‘Hard Ears’ and another big single, ‘Life Be The Same’ from the sublime Istanbul Riddim. The thing was just so nice and fitting for Natural Black’s BIG STAGE debut (his first album on Greensleeves and he still hasn’t had one on VP).

Busy Signal - “Step Out” [Greensleeves - 2006]

Carefully combing through Busy Signal’s most recent release, ”D.O.B.” lead me back through his brief list of albums. The first stop was 2008‘s ”Loaded” which, honestly gets less and less interesting as time goes by (still loving ‘Cool Baby’, however) and then we got back to his debut, ”Step Out” from back in 2006 and again . . . Ehhhh. You REALLY get the feeling that this one was even better than first suspected, which is saying a lot because it was pretty well regarded when it dropped if I recall correctly. While Busy was a bit more ‘brawn’ than ‘finesse’ in his delivery and as a lyricist (arguably) then than he is now largely, there were still very interesting moments. Not the least of which was ‘I Love Yuh’ which featured Reggae songbird Alaine, the inventive ‘That Bad’ which is simply not to be missed, ‘Love Me Not’ which featured Renno Gordon singing (aka Busy Signal) (yep) and of course the closing Soca-fied ‘Pon Di Pole’ ("gyal wining outta control". Still , when I think of the “Step Out” days, it is the big tunes and combinations with a then also up and coming Mavado, ’Real McKoy’ and ’Full Clip’ (the good old days), ’Do The Maths’ alongside the Killer and ‘Bare Tings’ which all helped make this one STILL Busy’s finest album to date.

Zareb - “Authentic Love” [Pow Pow Movement - 2007]

I can remember going through this album and remarking just how many EXCELLENT combinations the largely unknown former Mr. Flash and then newly christened Zareb had managed on to complete on his debut (and only) album ”Authentic Love”. Besides his good friend Fantan Mojah who appeared on FOUR different songs on the album (and I wouldn’t have complain if there were five), there were two other songs featuring Perfect and Jah Mason which gave this one such a star-studded appeal, particularly for a debut album. In the years since, while I honestly haven’t spun it too much, it’s probably grown in my favour. Three of the tunes on which Mojah guests are TRULY big songs - the title track, ‘Rastafari Is The Ruler’ and definitely ‘How Can I Be Ungrateful’ (which has become my own personal new favourite over the years) - And other big tunes such as ‘Love Surround Me’, ‘Burn Dem Red’ and others (like ‘Nah Go Mek It’) really make this one a hidden GEM of an album from just a couple of years back.

Tiwony - “Fly” [Chabine Productions - 2007]

And lastly is an album which has so thankfully made its way back onto my players after spending far too long of a period . . . In a shoebox, the debut solo album from the ultra-talented Tiwony, ”Fly”. Despite the fact that the album checked in at a very slim eleven tracks (the final of which, ‘Bas Les Pattes’, was listed as a ‘bonus track’), it was STUFFED full of hit tunes which would go on to, at least in my opinion, do a great deal of work in establishing the wicked chanter as one of the genre’s lesser known most talented figures. There was my personal favourite, ‘Priyé Jah’, the devastating remix to ‘Longtime’ (which featured an energized cut of Dave Kelly’s 85 Riddim), ‘Plis Difé’, ‘Jah Unit’ and the closing ‘Oupatebizwentousa’ all of which caught fire in the midst of this one. Certainly guesting roles from the likes of The Mighty Kalimba, Straika D, Cali P and former Tiwony partner Féfé Typical didn’t hurt this one’s status either. Had it had just a few more tunes, it may’ve been a modern classic.