'Pow Pow!': A Review of The Everlasting Riddim by Various Artists

At least we’re consistent. I like to think that one of the best things about we, as Reggae fans, is the fact that we can be quite loyal. Of course, music fans, almost by definition, are fickle and it is that same fickleness which surely helps the music business (that we’re open to hear new things and new artists), but I’d like to think that we jump wagons even less than big fans of most other genres. The greatest example of our both our loyalty and our capricious ways comes in the form of how are elder artists are treated and how they are revered. On one hand, the downright heartbreaking stories of once mighty artists being down on their luck seemingly has no end in Reggae and as more artists age, it seems to be a trend which is likely to continue. But on the other side of that, how many times have you yourself referred to the work of such an artist as “classic” and done so simply based on the age of the work or the experience level and age of its creator. The word is probably as common in the genre as “riddim”. To expound on that idea, I can well add myself because as I look into what I’ve been doing and speaking on in 2010, I definitely see it in my own case as well. Like where? Let’s talk about European labels. 2010 for me has been a very informative one on so many levels in the specific subgenre of European Reggae. How so? While I’ve spent a great deal of time singing the praises of fairly new entities such as Necessary Mayhem, Oneness Records, Rock ’N Vibes and Akom Records (and Own Mission, and Hemp Higher and almost countless others as well), I’ve also managed to cover a bit of work from the real modern pillars of the music in the region as well. Frenchie and Maximum Sound has had quite a strong year, producing both the second installment of ”Bobo Revolution” as well as Luciano’s latest VP album, ”United States of Africa”. There’s also been the incredibly active Irie Ites, Peckings and, most indirectly, Don’s Music, doing big things for French Caribbean and French Reggae. So we’ve covered a wide arrangement of labels this year, but I have to say that after all of that, it still doesn’t kind of seem like something is missing doesn’t it? There’s something or someone out there who would really help to wrap up the year if they managed to release a project.

Perhaps that someone is the arguably the most esteemed French label today, Special Delivery? After working on (I THINK) Lyricson’s solid return album, "Messages”, the label recently did drop their very nice Westside Riddim and just like was the case with the end of the year in 2009, that label is joined by their German counterpart, arguably the biggest and most popular of all of the German Reggae imprints, Pow Pow Productions. Last year there was the Sugar Riddim from Special Delivery (which I think I called THE best riddim of 2009) and the Surfer from Pow Pow, this year the German label chases the Westside with their own return, the Everlasting Riddim. It’s so interesting that now, doing my research, I see and remember that the only release that I knew of Pow Pow having in 2010, prior to this one of course, was a ‘Best Of’ release which was apparently released to celebrate the label’s twentieth year in the business, but apart from that and appearance on Gentleman’s “Diversity” album, I can’t say that we’ve heard much from them in terms of releases (I should mention that they also have a pretty well established sound and reportedly are one of the most active on that continent so they certainly haven’t just been . . . Sitting around). BUT that all changed the second the Everlasting Riddim dropped didn’t it? When I first heard this riddim I wasn’t very impressed and it did, for some reason, kind of remind me of an older set from a couple of years back or so, the Movements Riddim from Jamplified (every time I hear the Everlasting, still, in the back of my head I find myself singing ‘Far Away‘ by Queen Ifrica). But when you REALLY tune in on the Everlasting Riddim, I mean REALLY do it, all of it’s little . . . ‘Activity’ begins to develop and flourish right before your ears and while I’m not trying to call it the label’s greatest of inventions, it’s definitely well worth the lofty “Pow Pow” tag which it carries. To that end and furthermore, I could probably go on to make a very strong argument for this one, on the foundation of it alone, being one of the better developed and crafted riddims that I’ve heard in all of 2010 - Yes, it’s that good. Now, with that being said, everyone knows that the most important part with a riddim album like such is the achieving not only the proper mix of artists with the riddim itself, but also achieving the proper vocals from those artists with the riddim and in the case of the Everlasting Riddim, it doesn’t quite go over too well in my opinion, there’re more than a couple of ‘so-so’ efforts here and, unlike in most cases, it stands out to me with Pow Pow’s work, not only because of their obviously large stature and standing in the business (so the levels for them aren’t exactly the levels for everyone, because they have shown that not only can they be great, but they can sustain it as well), but because they do have a very rich history of doing strong riddim albums and scoring hits along the way as well. The Everlasting Riddim, as undeniably GORGEOUS as it is, kind of proves itself to belong to a very unfortunate group of riddims which are spectacular or nearly spectacular, but unable to produce an album of a similar quality level. Clearly that isn’t due to the quality of artists on board either as merely looking up and down the roster of names here, regardless of the compilation, I’m pretty damn impressed. And it I’m definitely not trying to say that the album is horrible either, but like I said, the standards are (or at least should be) raised in Pow Pow’s case. Ultimately while the album may not live up to those standards (or the even more lofty ones which accompany its riddim’s name) it does manage to provide a few thrills from a few big and will be big names.

Reading over the press surrounding the riddim one thing which stood out, but not in a surprising manner, was the fact that the riddim here was actually laid by the venerable Firehouse Crew. I don’t know at this point how many times I’ve done work on their productions (especially considering all of that Sizzla stuff) and in terms of this modern era, they’re probably my favourites and it surely helped create that CRISP sound heard in this case. Also not coming as a shock is that most likely the first time anyone ever heard the new Everlasting Riddim from Pow Pow Productions was earlier this year with what is essentially the riddim’s title track, ‘Everlasting Love’ from the aforementioned Gentleman on his aforementioned 2010 release, "Diversity”. It would only make sense that the real big German label links with the real big German artist and time again on tunes such as ‘Runaway’, ‘Unconditional Love’ and definitely ‘Superior’, it’s proven to be a mighty link and with this big tune, there’s been no deviation from the norm. This one was a highlight from that double album of Gentleman’s and . . . Yeah, in all honesty it’s probably the best song on the riddim named after it as well (of course I’m bias, however. More on that later). Next, Pow Pow continues to put it’s best foot forward at the beginning of the album by drawing another big tune, ‘Just Be There’ from the always welcomed Natural Black. The Guyanese chanter can probably do more with a straight forward vibes like such than anyone in the game today because he just infuses so much of his own personality and while I’m still working on this one, I’m very comfortable in saying that it’s one of the riddim’s finest. The big names continue to roll in as up next is Chuck Fenda with the LOUD and forceful ‘Deyah Long Time’. Big tune.

“Nothing no new to wi
Cah wi deh yah longtime
A millions of years and wi still deh yah a climb
No new to wi
Cah wi deh yah longtime
Marcus Garvey prophesize a wi seed come shine”

Not that the first two selections are exactly melancholy, but Fenda definitely gives the Everlasting a kick in the ass in terms of the pace and the tempo of the tunes and interestingly enough, charged with keeping that tempo up is an artist who is pretty regularly compared to Chuck Fenda in sound, Bescenta who is wrapping up arguably the biggest year of his career thus far with his tune ‘Health & Strength’. This is one of the biggest tunes on the riddim as well. On his album, ”Genuine”, Bescenta (in my opinion), made the mistake of incorporating too many love style tunes when the big sounding cultural/spiritual tunes are what he really does best (especially with ones which have a bit of ‘bite‘ to them) - ‘Health & Strength is one of those types of songs and it well helps to make my point even further. Other big names on board the Everlasting are the expectedly strange Perfect with the riddim’s obligatory herbalist number ‘My Herbs’, as he continues to find melodies which don’t seem to exist for any of his peers and furthers his standing as one of the most inventive Rootsmen today; and there’s also Ginjah, another artist enjoying a seriously big year, who offers up my second favourite tune on the riddim, the immaculately done ‘Serpent’.

“I dreamt of all the serpents in the sky
Last nite!
Putting up a fight
I dreamt of all the serpents in the sky
Searching for soul
Hunting to take control”

And to make that point as glaring as I can. Although I certainly have criticisms for this album (about to get to them now actually), it should be said that with the possible exception of Perfect, the biggest names on the Everlasting Riddim (all of whom are situated on the first half of the riddim’s album) do a VERY good job with it.

The ‘up and comers’? Not exactly. I was really delighted that there were three females voicing the Everlasting Riddim, but two of them don’t really hit the mark. The first, Jennifer Washington, is very impressive. Her voice sounds so nice on her song, ‘I Wanna Know’ and she has no problems staying in touch with the riddim but . . . I just don’t like her song. It’s pretty average and I’d really like to hear something else from her. Then there is Tamika who sounds VERY interesting on her tune ‘Gotta Focus’, but there seems to be some type of disconnect between her vocals and the riddim itself which makes it sound like she’s simply off-beat at times - She seems to ‘over-sing’ or ’out-sing’ the riddim actually.

There’s also Nature who does his very best Jah Cure impression on ’In Love’. This tune certainly isn’t a bad one, but it’s almost wholly unexceptional as the world seemingly has yet to figure out that Jah Cure is the only one who can sound like Jah Cure (and Zamunda sometimes). I wasn’t too fond of ‘Love How It Feels’ from Singing U (who I believe has an album which I’ve been trying to track down for the better part of a year) (I THINK it exists) alongside Shocking Murray. Murray is just a bit too shocking on the vocals on this one and I’ve never been a big fan of his, but he’s done better material than this and his rock and HARSH delivery, for some reason, sounds even harsher in this instance and his lyrics aren’t top notch either. And finally in the negative and most disappointing is the fact that one of my very favourite newer artists, Smiley from out of Aruba, has a tune on the Everlasting Riddim by the name of ‘Bad Mind’ which I just do not like and don’t like it from the first note. He’s done WAYYYYY better material and this may be my least favourite from him catalogue altogether that I’ve heard thus far. The song is very mechanical and with his type of FREE and natural style it’s most unfortunate.

Now that’s not to say that every non-huge name on the Everlasting Riddim fails to deliver because that’s certainly not the case. I hesitate to put the big voiced Raymond Wright in this camp simply because although he may not be the biggest name, as his 2009 debut album, ”Many As One”, could attest, he’s no new artist and particularly not new to Pow Pow (who did that album). His tune here ‘Time’ is nearly special and it’s clearly one of the best times to be had here. I wasn’t terribly impressed by his album, but perhaps it’s well time to dig it up and have a next listen. Also impressing, rather surprisingly, is the Norwegian artist Nico D with ‘Make It One Day’. I was originally going to include Nico (biggup Nico!) in the pack not too hot up and comers but the more I vibed his tune, the more impressed I became. It’s still not the GREATEST song I’ve ever heard, but I have to say that there is something to be said for musical ARRANGEMENT and harmonies and in both of those aspects this tune delivers big time. I also had the same initial experience with the very strange ‘Zero Tolerance’ from Malijah. This song seems as if it’s stuck in a sort of middle vibes and while you spend the entire duration of the song (which just so happens to be the shortest on the album, by the way) waiting for this EXPLOSION to take place - It never really happens. BUT! With that being said, where it is “stuck”, if you keep listening, is pretty nice and very original.

“Everywhere you go is sireeeeeen
Babylon and dem destructive machiiiiiiiiiiine
Dem waan fi wipe out communities cleeeeeeeean
Dem alla fight di Binghi man fi him Red, him Gold, him Green”

The song shows itself to be one weird, but mighty, social commentary, with a powerful spiritual edge to it as well and I’m thinking that it might be destined to be ‘lost in the shuffle’, but if you read this, definitely spend a bit more time on it before risking losing this nearly excellent tune.

And finally Pow Pow delivers a personal BOOM for me as arguably my greatest and favourite new find of the last year or so, Sara Lugo, also hops on the Everlasting Riddim, dropping ‘Bombs Of Love’ on every corner of the globe.

“I’m gonna stay on track
There’s no looking back
I’m ready to attack if I have to
No, they’re not going to fool me with their lies

I’ve got bombs of love dropping dropping dropping dropping dropping down”

The tune, like just about every song I’ve heard from her to date, just makes me smile! It also is probably one of her better vocal performances to date as well (which probably makes the ear-to-ear extended smile even wider) and she goes onto declare the fight a complete "lose-lose" situation for babylon. And, while I’ve said that 2010 may’ve felt slightly incomplete had Pow Pow not dropped a next riddim this year, I have to say that a final completely new tune from Sara Lugo isn’t bad either - It has been an UTTER JOY in 2010 listening to her develop.

And Pow Pow was (smart and -) nice enough to include a clean version of the Everlasting Riddim which is divine. It is BEAUTIFUL with the saxophone dancing so gracefully right over the top of it.

Overall, maybe the album is better than I thought. While there clearly are soft spots, the tunes ranging from ‘pretty good’ and better outnumber them greatly and it manages to provide scintillating moments as well. Most importantly, even if you ultimately think it an average project on the whole, is the fact that the riddim itself is so nice which is the work of the producer and I always think that one of the most important things in all of music is that whoever is on TOP, for whatever reason and however they got there, continues to show that they deserve to be there. And because Germany is known as being such a Reggae-hungry region, surely whoever is on top of that scene should be pushing material like such. That line of thinking also extends to the artists here and I did stress the point that most of the ‘big names’ here do perform well. The Everlasting Riddim album from Pow Pow isn’t their greatest piece of work to date, no question about it, but it does help to make quite the lovely ribbon on the gift that was Reggae music in 2010.

Rated: 3.75/5
Pow Pow Productions
2010
CD + Digital

Pow Pow
Pow Pow @ Myspace