Stuff. . . Daddy

Yow!

I'm basically taking the rest of the weekend and Monday off to chill and have fun with the family yeah. Had a good time yesterday (if the little one likes the boats, then the big ones must pretend that we do too!) and keeping it going today and DEFINITELY tomorrow yeah, big things going on. Doing a little traveling on Monday, but will be posting sameway on Tuesday, gotta review coming for the Breadfruit riddim, got a next one coming on Friday for. . . Blaak Lung's new album Rooted In Inity yeah. Oh and I got a new gig too, tell you about that, whenever I tell you about that. So yeah, that's it! See you Tuesday (and that Kartel is out too, three damn emails this morning asking about Kartel) (biggup Zojak) (big review for Bescenta coming soon, speaking of Zojak).

Okay and we find a tune

Biggup Ce'Cile, had a birthday a minute ago, apparently she's 5 and half years older than me, but she looks something like that ^ (and isn't it a time for a sequel or something!) and you can tell how attractive I must be after damn near 400 posts and you never once see my face (and you never will!). So happy Earthday Ce'Cile and everybody have a great weekend!

BALANCE

RasAchis

Coming Soon Vol. 13

Coming Soon

Busy Signal - D.O.B. [VP Records]

Truth be told, no one can roll out with the heavy hitters like VP/Greensleeves in this industry and for the second time in this still very young year (following Sizzla and Sanchez), they do just do that with a double dosage of two of their biggest and most well known artists. First up is Busy Signal who has been mining absolute gold as of late and figures to carry him well into this release D.O.B. This album, his second for VP following 2008’s Loaded is hotly anticipated as Busy has finally lived up to the potential he showed earlier in his career and has become one of the Dancehall’s most dazzling wordsmiths again. The big tune here, a remake of Phil Collins’ ’One More Night’, has been getting big response and was recently featured on an EP for the album. Other potential highlights include ‘Sweet Love [Night Shift]’, previous single ‘Nuh Fraid’ and the surprise entrant ‘Wooeeii Gal Wooeeii’ which features Soca superstar Machel Montano (marking the first time Machel appears on a VP album for the first time in how long?). The album figures also to be an early favourite for Dancehall album of the year and I can’t wait to deal with it, definitely (but am I the only one disappointed that the WICKED ‘Black Belt’ didn’t make the album?).

Potential Rating: 4.5/5

Releases on April 12

Junior Kelly - Red Pond [VP Records]

A week before Busy Signal’s third album is set to drop, VP will also delight fans worldwide with the release of the very first (legitimate) Junior Kelly studio album in four and a half years, Red Pond. This album here, as it gets closer, to my opinion has a VERY STRONG feel surrounding it. Produced by the venerable Firehouse Crew, the album is well on my radars for obvious reasons, but also because it just so happens to feature the big ‘Too Late’ alongside Queen Ifrica and a potentially even bigger ‘Papa’s Song’ alongside none other than Ras Shiloh (Lukie D is also on board). Kelly’s work for VP is typically top notch and seamless and you can well expect similar results on a potential album of the year candidate in Red Pond.

Potential Rating: 5/5

Releases on April 5

Jammy’s From The Roots 1977-1985 [Greensleeves Records]

Not to keep all reissues/classic compilations within 17 North Parade, VP offers this HUGE compilation of THIRTY-TWO of the legendary King Jammy’s productions (and to my opinion there’re tunes here which don’t immediately jump of the page at the most casual listener, so it definitely has a bit of a collector’s item feel to it for the hardcore heads). The piece is spread between two big discs (and who knows whatever else they’ve put in this pack) and it seems as is every few years or so VP decides to release quite a bit of Jammy’s library to the masses and it’s always a big release and you shouldn’t at all expect anything less from Jammy’s From The Roots which features a wide variety of names such as Sugar (and Echo) Minott, Johnny Osbourne, Wayne Smith, Junior Reid (and Delgado) and even Dennis Brown on top notch classic material.

Potential Rating: 5/5

Releases on March 30

Romain Virgo - Introducing Romain Virgo EP [VP Records]

And lastly to clean up on VP/Greensleeves releases this week is a forthcoming drop from one of the label’s newest signees, former Digicel Rising Star champion, Romain Virgo. Virgo has been one of the more active and impressive young singers in the game as of late, stringing together hits largely of the old school/Lover’s Rock variety and it leads into his first official release for VP Records Introducing Romain Virgo. The EP (which I’m pretty sure is exclusively digital) features three of the young singer’s more impressive tracks, current hit ‘This Love’, ‘Alton’s Medley’ (self explanatory) (at least it should be) and ‘Who Feels It Knows It’. Of course, EP’s tend to forecast forthcoming albums and I’m positive we’ll see Virgo’s full length debut before the end of 2010, no doubt about it.

Potential Rating: 4/5

Releases on March 23

Livraison Reggae [Special Delivery Music]

One of my favourite European labels (and any labels anywhere in the world for that matter), Special Delivery from out of France returns with their first release (to my knowledge) following last year’s HUGE Sugar Riddim, Livraison Reggae [Reggae Delivery]. This beautiful compilation features some of the biggest French & French Caribbean (and Afro-French) (biggup Lyricson) artists to have voiced for the label over the years. It seems as if they’re going out of their way (in a good way) specifically to focus on pushing French Reggae and Special Delivery’s vault, in that respect, has to be one of the deepest in the world. So, you can expect big artists such as Admiral T, Tiwony, Saël, Lyricson and others across some of the label’s biggest riddims over the years like the aforementioned Sugar Riddim, the Seven, the Judgment Time and others. This is a VERY nice idea and I can’t wait to get my hands on it actually.

Potential Rating: 4.75

Releases on March 19

Rub A Dub Soldiers [Thompson Sound/Zojak Worldwide]

And lastly (and hopefully quickly) is Rub A Dub Soldiers, simply one of the greatest classic/old school Dancehall compilations of all time. You probably already have this thing on CD or vinyl, but the beautiful people at Zojak Worldwide are FINALLY bringing it to the digital side which is where it belongs (like all compilations) (like all albums everywhere) (of all time). The legendary Linval Thompson released this one probably close to THIRTY years at this point and it’s managed to stay visible and in ‘rotation’ through the strength of classic efforts from the likes of Toyan, Captain Sinbad, Brigadier Jerry, Lui Lepke, Nicodemus and others. Older fans may just claim it to be the best Dancehall compilation of all time, so that lets you know what you’re dealing with if you haven’t picked up, feel free to do so now.

Rated 5/5

Releases Soon (or maybe already)

In Stores Now

Midnite - What Makes A King? [Afrikan Roots Lab]

Okay, not too long ago I told you about Midnite’s new album and I’ve recently managed to get my hands on it and here it is, What Makes A King. The album is billed as the first non-Midnite collaboration (meaning the first FULL Midnite album) in half a billion years or so. I haven’t managed to dive into it just yet, but perhaps one day I might, in any respect however, you can beat me to it as the album is in stores no and available worldwide.

Lloyd Brown - Brownie Points [Cousins Records]

This one is a bit of a re-release of sorts and one I’m going to go ahead and take some (probably incredibly misguided) credit for because I alerted Lloyd Brown’s manager (biggup Denise) (wherever you may be) that it wasn’t floating around very much anymore, Brownie Points. The album was the 2008 annual release from the UK veteran and although it wasn’t his very best work to date, it was still a very cool type of vibes, which is almost inherently what you get in his case at bare minimum. The album had suspiciously VANISHED from worldwide digital etailers and now it’s back up so definitely if you missed it (BIG tune hear by the name of ‘Forgive Them’, alongside Peter Spence), you should give it a listen and grab it up now (and get Silver while you’re at it).

Rated: 3.5/5

Ayaaso Band - Brighter Day [Ayaaso Roots/Zojak Worldwide]

Okay, this one will be quick. I’m PROBABLY going to end up slapping a review on Brighter Day at some point in the next month or two, but I’ve been meaning to get to it and I’ve had a ton of other things jumping up in place, so I’m going to tell you about it ahead of the review. This thing is MIGHTY! I don’t know very much about the Ayaaso Band, but what you’ll hear on this album is HEAVY and QUALITY Roots Reggae and it is beautiful material, so again, beat me to it and scoop this one because it has magic written all over it (and stay tuned for the review sometime in March/April).

Potential Rating: 4.99999/5

Easy Flow Riddim [Shoe Land Productions/Zojak Worldwide]

And lastly this week (despite the fact that I feel like I’m forgetting something REALLY big) is this cool little release from Shoe Lane Productions and Zojak Worldwide (of course), the Easy Flow Riddim. This riddim was from a few years back actually and I didn’t know it was on Shoe Lane (but names change and people change also), but it is absolutely delightful at times. The riddims features efforts from Tanya Stephens, Tony Rebel, Delly Ranks & Chrisinti and most notably, ‘I’m Trying’ from eternally wicked Dancehall DJ Mega Banton. It isn’t amazing and it most certainly won’t be the greatest thing you’ve ever heard in life, but it’s on the digital side and you can well pick up some nice tunes here and Shoe Lane also has released (through Zojak), a cut of the Rockfort Rock Riddim and the Shamrock Riddim which features two Mega Banton tunes (and a cool piece in ‘Gimmi Your Love‘ from Ras Fraser)- both are currently available so check them all out.

Rated 3.5/5

"By The Pen": A Review of Wadada - The 1st Itation by Various Artists

As I’ve certainly said before, I think that the art of writing song lyrics is one which is largely underrated in music as a whole, but particularly I find that this is true within Reggae music. Besides the typical things involved, such as the dialect/accent issue, I just don’t think that too many actually think about the concept of someone sitting down to write a Reggae song. On top of that, we also have artists who aren’t necessarily open about how the writing process takes place (and that’s not a critique, they can certainly do what they like) for them or if they are, it may be very cryptic (such as I Wayne noting that his ever present source of inspiration for writing all of his songs is “the wind”) to say the least. Still, as a writer myself to some degree, I’ve always found the actual writing of lyrics, that actual process to be a very interesting one insofar as I’ve gotten information on exactly how some of the various different artists do it. Of course my curiosity, however, hasn’t been even remotely satiated to the point of relieving my interest and ultimately I think I’d like if Reggae music was as celebrated lyrically as some of the other forms of music and in doing that I think that it would definitely shed some light on exactly how SIGNIFICANT these words are. I review album after album with lesson after lesson and many people are still oblivious not only to this wonderful music itself, but these wonderful concepts and perspectives had by many of our artists. Perhaps a nice way to bring some attention to some of our writers, especially those who exists almost exclusively behind the scenes would be to actually make an album essentially written by one, particularly one who isn’t very well known and you could, essentially, use the album as a sort of an introduction to the masses. In Reggae we get compilations which are showcases of artists, musicians, labels, producers, styles and even showcases of older artists who are no longer with us, but I’m sitting here and trying to wrack my brain to think of an album which served as a showcase for a WRITER in the most genuine since of the word and I’m not coming up with very much at all actually. I’m tempted to go back further and think of such a thing in the context of Dancehall music, where the existence of a ‘ghost writer’ has long become the norm and could you imagine if one day someone just released an album of - say tunes that Vybz Kartel or Tyrical wrote for other artists and did so before they both made their big break? I definitely think it would have added to what they have become (especially in Tyrical’s case) and on top of that, it would have just been COOL. But, it never happened and it probably never will.

All things are possible, however, as is evident by the project which brings us here today, Wadada: The 1st Itation from the venerable Virgin Island Reggae wizard Tuff Lion’s Outpost Music Workshop. This album is so inherently interesting that I don’t even quite know where to start with talking directly about it. Okay, first of all what the album is basically a compilation, but it’s not in the sense that we’re used to seeing. As I alluded to, most Reggae compilations will have certain things which tie the tunes which comprise them together, like a riddim or a producer or a label, the unifying structure, however, is a writer whose voice you won’t hear one time on this album to my knowledge. The album is named Wadada after the man ’Wadada’, James Gittens, who wrote 80% of the songs on the album (and the other two out of twelve selections were written by his step-son and his good friend) (more on them in a bit). It’s unfortunate that I don’t actually know more of the story behind this album, because given the press release that I read on it, apparently Gittens wrote quite a bit of these tunes, as poems, during a time of his incarceration and upon emerging from that situation, he eventually linked with the Tuff Lion, in a musical sense (I’m going to assume they were quite friendly before he was incarcerated given what happened here). The Lion then took those poems and apparently presented them to some of the absolutely sensational artists with whom he had worked in his career, he developed MUSIC for them and now he releases on his own label what is Wadada: The 1st Itation. That is VERY interesting! That is healthy material. You can very well be sure that upon learning that, the very first thing that went through my mind is that there has to be some SERIOUS vibes here and the poems which Gittens wrote had to be of such a nature to impress Tuff Lion to such a degree which he would subsequently take them on musically (and can you imagine how much work that had to be), take them to the artists and then take them worldwide. These are the actions of a man who has been around music for who knows how long at this point and has probably received music from people all over the world wanting to work with him throughout the years and not only that but - in all frankness - he’s one of the best Reggae producers and musicians on the planet and for him to take such an interest in any bodies of work (much less words which have to be musically translated) is a ‘serious thing’ indeed. The album comes at a time where it is essentially released in tandem with Ras Iba’s outstanding new album Matsahyel which is marking and immediate return to business of sorts for Tuff Lion’s label, Outpost Music Workshop (and apparently there’s a next release forthcoming from an artist by the name of Bless Noble) and hopefully forecasting it to be a more active and ’visible’ year for them in full. Well, first of all, if Ras Iba’s release was any indication (and I’m sure it was) then it is going to be a big 2010 for Tuff Lion and Outpost, but taking Wadada now into account, this album, probably the single most interesting ‘compilation’ which I’ve heard in a long time, would seem to portend a year which is potentially just as INTERESTING as it is mighty.

Any songwriter at any stage of their career would be so fortunate as to have the artists chosen on this album to sing their songs. Not only are you dealing with Tuff Lion on production, but some of the VI Reggae scene’s top talents in general, but of course the ‘star’ here is Wadada, the man, and his beautiful words.

The way the album is set - of the ten tunes written by Gittens, listeners are certain to be familiar with four of the artists on board, who really are stars of Virgin Island Reggae music. The first name you’re definitely going to recognize is Ras Iba’s who gets things off to a BLAZING start for Wadada: The 1st Itation with a tune which would have very well fit on to Matsahyel, ‘Jailhouse Pack’. The tune carries on messages (coincidentally) that Iba explored on his own tune ‘Jah People’ as it espouses on Gittens’ own personal experiences and observations of having been incarcerated and I won’t at all spoil the BEAUTIFULLY poignant Punchline of this tune, which carries a typical lovely bounce via Tuff Lion, but rest assured Gittens very carefully, but SPECIFICALLY makes a point which you can imagine seeing yourself in such a situation. Big tune and definitely one of the album’s finest. Iba returns later on with the slightly aforementioned ‘Serious Thing’ which is apparently the first single from the album and has done quite well. This tune is arguably better than the opener as it goes in a different direction and just may be the strongest written tune on the entire album! There is a stretch (you can call it a bridge if you’d like, or whatever it is on the technical side) later on in ‘Serious Thing’ where Iba goes on making and remaking and stressing a point about “15 to 25” and I could infer SO MUCH from that (my longtime readers probably already know where I‘m headed given the circumstances surrounding Gittens writing much of the album), but instead I’ll just ASSURE you how powerful that portion is and the entire tune where Iba familiarly stresses that “love is the beginning of the answer”, to solve the problems of our planet. INDEED! Sweet singing Army is also on board and when I saw his name I realized that ‘Down & Out’ may just be the first new tune that I’ve heard from the St. Croix veteran in quite awhile and, as usual, he definitely makes a big impression with the tune. The song is very simple and straight forward and essentially and wonderfully suggests that we seek His Majesty at moments where our life or situations in particular aren’t going as planned and it’s yet another very strong addition to the album.

As I tried to make the point earlier, Tuff Lion REALLY liked the material he received from Gittens obviously. So much so, in fact, that he decided to take on three of the compositions himself and Tuff Lion singing is something which unfortunately those of us who aren’t fortunate enough to see him perform live don’t get too often, so its definitely a real blessing here. The Lion first dives in with ‘Tyrants’ which has such a powerful vibes to it, even apart from the actual words on the tune. Those actual words speak of the absolutely RIDICULOUS lengths to which the oppressors of the world will go to preserve their oppression and how it seemingly knows no end (nor boundaries) within the world of those who are the oppressed. And speaking of oppression, the Lion returns with his second effort in the name of the master of the tyrants, ‘Satan’. The power of this tune, for me personally, comes within the possibilities of how it is worded. It doesn’t do anything ‘straight forward’, instead what it does is infuses worldly imagery to an otherworldly figure and doesn’t use Satan as a spirit, but attempts to show that ‘He’ indeed does have man-like characteristics, so I took the tune as a warning of sorts to mind who you spend your time around, definitely. And Tuff Lion’s final selection on Wadada is a lover’s piece, the very nice ‘Though We’re Apart’. This piece has grown to become my favourite amongst the Lion’s offerings on the album. Although it lacks the social or spiritual ramifications of his two previous tunes, there’s certainly room (especially in Reggae) for music which simply MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD and that is exactly what happens on ‘Though We’re Apart’.

The most popular and recognizable name on the album is Ras Attitude. The WICKED chanter from out of St. Croix has been dazzling fans for years and may arguably be the single most talented vocalist (all-around) from out of the Virgin Islands as of yet. His first go on the album is the curiously very familiar ‘Peaceful Man’ (which I’m almost sure I know from somewhere). I could have quite a bit of fun analyzing the source of this tune on Gittens’ part, because it sounds maybe like something he’s been through and it’s definitely a big vibes which Attitude conveys nearly perfect (especially when he defiantly says, “I won’t lose my peace to these beasts”). Attitude next returns with my favourite of his three tunes, ‘Country Man’. As a country youth myself, it definitely struck a heavy chord with me and I well appreciated its simplicity, but its candidness as well, such as when Attitude says, “Natty can’t go hungry in the country, nuff food deh bout fi keep I structure healthy”. It is a very lovely tune and not only Attitude’s best, but one of the best on the entire album as well. Ras Attitude’s final effort is also the closer on Wadada, the title track. The first thing you might want to know about the song is that it is well over eleven minutes long. The tune itself is just about appreciation of the vibes and the music and life in general, but the real star here is the music as the Lion crafts a wonderful and HEAVY one-drop which eventually ascends to being the main attraction on the tune and I could listen to Tuff Lion instrumentals all day long, so you know I enjoyed this one and so will you, I’m sure.

Lastly, there’re three artists here who you probably won’t be familiar with at all, just as I wasn’t for the most part. ‘Ghetto Children’ is a BIG tune here featuring Soul Sista (who you’ll hear singing backing vocals throughout the album alongside Empress Tonya Encarnacion and Sahra Indio (who I’ll probably tell you more about in a couple of weeks)) alongside a chanter named Ginjah Roots. I love Soul Sista’s very mellow tones and by contrast there’s Ginjah’s (not that Ginjah) somewhat excited chanting on a very powerful tune aimed at uplifting the children of the world and doing a great job in my opinion. Later on, you’ll hear a tune called ‘Don’t Want You Around’ which is by an artist by the name of Coman who just so happens to be James Gittens’ stepson. His is one of the two tunes not written by Gittens on the album and I’ll tell you something - when you first listen this tune you might not like it and it’s still not my one my favourites on the album after many listens, BUT it is better than you might think after your initial spin and I wouldn’t at all be surprised if it grows on me even more (the riddim on that tune is AMAZING!). And finally, after all of that, it is probably anti-climatic and I am somewhat embarrassed to say that my absolute favourite tune on Wadada the album wasn’t actually written by Wadada the man. Doc James’ is a name which I think I’m somewhat familiar with to some degree (and the press release lists him as a “veteran bandleader, bassist and vocalist”) and his tune here, ‘Burnin’ is downright hypnotic. His name sounds like someone from out of the Old West and he actually sounds like it also, with this kind of gravelly kind of murmuring style of delivery which mines pure GOLD on this song. The tune speaks of just stepping up and being accountable for what you do and say and not running away from what may come and it is simply BEAUTIFUL and within this still young year, it’s may be the best Reggae tune I’ve heard thus far. Yes, it’s that good!

Overall, as usual with Tuff Lion releases, I feel inclined to mention just how well done throughout this one is musically. It goes to show just how impressed (and rightly) so that he must’ve been with Wadada’s material to go to this level to support his pieces with some WORLD CLASS backdrops which didn’t create themselves and most certainly took quite a bit of time. Apart from that, what struck me, particularly in the case of Iba (who I feel has more of a pinpointed and specific style than the other familiar vocalists on the album), was how well the lyrics written by Gittens matched something that the artist might write and sing on their own. As I said, ‘Jailhouse Pack’ sounded directly like something from Iba’s most recent album and although I haven’t heard MUCH from Tuff Lion, none of the tunes he sings sounded like something which was out of his general scope and definitely none of them should surprise you. I’m also quite interested in the fact that the album is subbed - ‘The 1st Itation’ - which to me means we may be in store for a series of sorts and can you imagine the potential lineups of artists to voice some of Gittens’ tunes from Tuff Lion’s ‘connections’ (and I may even be interested in hearing some of these same tunes voiced by other artists also). Be it the case of being the first in a series or a standalone release, Wadada: The 1st Itation is an excellent release. HEAVY fans of Reggae are sure to enjoy it and it’s an early favourite for compilation of the year. I love the idea of focusing on a WRITER, it’s one which is long overdue and Wadada’s messages are of the type where now is a PERFECT time for them to be released to the masses, myself included and hopefully you as well.

Rated 4.5/5

The Outpost Music Workshop

2010

Tuff Lion

Tuff Lion @ Myspace

"Vibes So Nice": The Best of Junior Kelly

Junior Kelly

Okay so, we’re almost exactly a month out from the expected release date of Junior Kelly’s increasingly anticipated new album from VP Records, Red Pond. The album will potentially be his first (legitimate) studio release in four years and because of that and to celebrate the occasion, as a Junior Kelly album is a REALLY big deal in my opinion (and should be in yours also), I thought I’d stop for a second to take a look back. Junior Kelly’s has been one of the most underappreciated and underrated in the annals of modern Reggae and it is so unfortunate because, besides the big tunes which everyone knows from throughout the years, he’s scored quite a few BIG albums as well which many people don’t even know about. Thankfully, with the release of the new album, as is generally the case in Reggae, fans will have an opportunity (and a MOTIVATION) to go back and to look at exactly what he’s done if they haven’t before. So, if you are such a fan, I thought I’d make things easier on you and submit for your approval, The Best of Junior Kelly.

{note: I don't know if that's the actual album cover, I got it from Amazon}

{note 2: I have included Jet Star/Charm/Penitentiary albums because I THINK they are legitimate to some degree, however, I make it a point to advise all to use EXTREME caution in purchasing them}

#5. Rise [Jet Star/Charm, 2000]

Where it all began. I was very much under the impression that it was actually the Juvenile set which was Junior Kelly’s debut album but I was very surprised to find that it was, in fact, Rise which was his true debut album and it’s remained all these years as one of his most COMPLETE works to date. While this album certainly hasn’t gotten the respect and attention that Juvenile has gotten over the years, I definitely feel it is the stronger of the two Jet Star albums via the material at the very top of the album (in terms of quality and literally the songs at the top of the album). When this album is good, it was REALLY good and very close to great with tunes like ’Be Blessed’, ’Purified’, ’More A Dat’, ’Last Days (big tune)’, the title track and others as well (like ’Let It Grow’). I don’t reach for this one very often, but certainly there’re some very near classic tunes on Rise a decade on.

Best Tune: ‘Purified’

#4. Smile [VP Records/2003]

A big bright grin is the type of expression elicited by this wonderful album which may actually be Junior Kelly’s most recognizable to date (and I can’t exactly explain why, but over the years I find this one to be the most oft-referenced of his lot). Smile was just beautiful, it was packed with a lot of upful material, as the title would suggest and it just seemed as if it were specifically ‘aimed’ at just raising the spirits and consciousness of its listeners. That’s not to say, however, that it was just flare and glitter which made it what it was - ‘I Nah Bow’, ‘Black I Am, ‘Til The Soil’ and definitely ‘Can’t Meditate’, would beg to differ that the allure of Smile was just ‘smoke and mirrors’, it most certainly was not.

Best Tune: ‘Smile’

#3. Conscious Voice [Jet Star/Penitentiary, 2002]

Call it an upset but REALLY, I really LOVE this album and I have for around eight years or so. You may have to someday have to put up with me making the case for Conscious Voice being a modern classic because almost every tune on this album is a classic for me. Despite the fact that I have it ranked third (and believe me I was tempted as hell to rank it second), there isn’t a doubt in my mind that I have spun through this album much more times than any other on this list over the years. Why? Because it was gorgeous. This uptempo piece, like Smile, didn’t have to sacrifice its message nor its impact for the sake of having a nice and loose vibes. However, where the previous album was geared towards making the listener just feel good, Conscious Voice wanted you to feel so good that you got up and did some moving to the wonderful selections here. Oh and the fact that it has a few of my favourite JK tunes and one MAMMOTH shot which is definitely one of his finest (see ‘best tune) certainly doesn’t hurt things either. Don’t call it 3, call it 2b.

Best Tune: ‘God Bless’

#2. Tough Life [VP Records, 2005]

Tough Life was a bit heavier and more serious version of the Smile album to my ears, first and foremost. In retrospect it was also pretty much a masterpiece (very near ‘modern classic’ level actually) as throughout its seventeen tracks, Junior Kelly displayed almost everything which is to enjoy about his wonderful style and also showed himself to be an artist capable of all of the things one might assume given his accomplishments and experience. This album, blessed with tunes like the very Luciano-ish title track, ‘Blaze’ from Pow Pow’s hit riddim of the same name, the scathing ‘Rasta Should Be Deeper’, the biggest hit ‘Receive’, ‘Hold The Faith [alongside Dennis Brown]’, ‘Youths Dem Nah Cool’, ‘Ease My Pain (I Swear Riddim)’ and really I could name every damn tune on the entire album (and I didn’t even name my favourite in there), because it was absolute magic from beginning to end and the only album on this list capable of giving my subsequent number one a run for the top spot.

Best Tune: ‘Satan Throne’

#1. Love So Nice [VP Records, 2001]

I can remember reading a retrospectively hilarious interview with Junior Kelly in which he rather casually mentioned the fact that after he had written the tune ‘Love So Nice’ how he had this great feeling that tune would be a certain hit and so much so did was he positive for it that when he was approached for an album by Jet Star, he intentionally neglected to mention that he had the tune so as to seemingly preserve it for a bigger moment. Well what eventually became the album Love So Nice from VP was definitely such a moment and the album didn’t disappoint as it surrounding the HUGE tune with completely special material. ‘Clean Heart’, ‘Boom Draw’, ‘Juvenile (*wink wink*)’, ‘Hungry Days’, ‘Jah Nuh Dead’, ‘Jewel Of The Nile’, and ‘Go Down Satan’ were just some of the BIG tunes chosen to accompany the divine title track on an album every bit fitting to carry such a tune. Where the two previous sets kid of blur the edges, Love So Nice was most certainly a modern classic and it was also the best album of Junior Kelly’s career. Period.

Best Tune: ‘Love So Nice’

"Road Rage": An Analysis of Road March Winning Songs

If you haven’t noticed at all, it’s been rather Soca-ish around here lately. Of course TnT Carnival is over and many of the big artists, the heavy hitters are rolling out new projects and I’ve done fairly well at following along I think and I’m trying to give a bit of coverage because those big albums are definitely in demand right now. Well, with a few seemingly on the way like Alison Hinds’ Caribbean Girl and Bunji Garlin’s I Am, I thought I’d take a little step further (although after this, it’s Reggae time all day, at least until I get my hands on Hinds’ new album) and take a brief look at one of Carnival’s most competitive and interesting topics - Road March. A Road March tune is essentially the most popular and the biggest tune from a particular season and it is shown to be so (in the technical sense. In the literal sense it’s usually pretty damn obvious) during Carnival where the various groups play the various tunes on the road and mysterious ‘judges’ tabulate the amount of times a particular tune is played at various mysterious ‘checkpoints’. But like I said, which tune will take the title is usually pretty clear and the actual tabulating becomes more of a formality than an actual competitive deal.

This year in Trinidad, things were just that - a formality. JW & Blaze's 'Palance' swept the competition, just as it did at Soca Monarch and just as it was increasingly expected to do. Last year, things were just as clear (and probably more so if I recall the numbers correctly), with Fay-Ann Lyons’ ‘Meet Super Blue’ taking the road and turning it into a living breathing tribute to her Father. I thought I’d take a look at exactly what seems to make up a Road March winning tune in this day and age by taking a look at the last half decade worth of winners in of the crown in Trinidad and seeing what, if any, similarities they might have in common musically speaking.

In my own mind what I’ll say is that I USUALLY favour the big and powerful and completely RANDOM type of songs for Road March. In my mind, the tune which takes the crown is the one which exudes absolute MADNESS. It’s not very complicated, it’s a ‘jump and wave’ tune of the highest order and it doesn’t exactly try to revolutionize anything per se, it just is what it is and what it is a tune which expedites the process of aiding one to LOSE ONE’S MIND on the road and do so on a neo-consistent basis. Let’s examine, however, the facts:

2010 - Palance by JW & Blaze

Exhibit A. If my notions are true and prevailing, then ‘Palance’ was the absolute PERFECT tune to take Road March this year. It was indeed the biggest and craziest RANDOM jump and wave tune to be found and the masses certainly reacted to it as such. This one actually was also a bit gimmicky as it left many a reveler wondering exactly what in the hell it meant to Palance (and literally I can’t tell you how many times I’ve now heard it referred to as ‘Balance’) and I don’t know that that is a quality a see in the other four tunes here, but it’s not something which I look down on, in retrospect. The music itself is of the type where it’s meant to be remembered by the year specifically and 2010 was DEFINITELY the year of Palaaaaaaaaance!’

The Competition? While it was clear to see that no tune had the legs to take down JW & Blaze in 2010, it was also just as clear what the second place tune was going to be (and watch this). I am FULLY convinced that in terms of everything I use to ‘judge’ music (and I am by no means an expert although I think I know a little about what I’m speaking of), Fay-Ann’s ‘True Lies’ is a better tune. But it wasn’t a better fit for Road March. That tune is a very complicated song. It’s difficult to sing, it has so many different vibes in it, it literally sounds like two or three tunes wrapped into one. It also has a definitive message of Fay-Ann being blamed for doing something (which she is completely guilty of doing) and really it’s just too much damn thinking to take the crown. The tune which ultimately placed third in the race is actually a much stronger candidate, ostensibly, ‘No Behaviour’ from Machel Montano. That tune may even be stronger than ‘Palance’, but it’s simply not as catchy and the energy certainly isn’t as high. And I’ll even mention my own personal favourite power Soca tune from 2010, ‘Brave’ from Bunji Garlin - It wouldn’t have been a strong candidate for the Road either because it too is kind of complicated and EXCEPTIONALLY lyrical. A BEAST of a tune, but not a Road March (and unforgettably Bunji has already declared that he favours lyrics over Road March specifically).

2009 - Meet Super Blue by Fay-Ann Lyons

Out of Bounds. Remember what I just said? All of that stuff about songs being too specific and too complicated? Well in 2009 that stuff didn’t apply very well at all as Fay-Ann simply OVERPOWERED the competition to take an even clearer victory than we saw this year. ‘Meet Super Blue’ was pretty damn complicated. It had very different type of lyrics that everybody had to learn (I think people are still trying to learn them) and shit and I remember the first time I heard it and I was trying to figure out exactly what was going on there and that’s when the madness set in. The song is BEAUTIFUL. It was one of her absolute best and saying that about arguably the hottest Soca artist anywhere over the past half decade is saying a great deal definitely, but was it the right TYPE of song for Road March? Maybe not.

The Competition? The PERFECT tune for 2009 Road March, in my most certainly partial as hell opinion, would have been the DEVASTATING ‘Bacchanal’ by the heavenly Destra Garcia. This tune had pretty much everything you would want in a rapture inducing tune and it wasn’t a lyrical dud either. ‘Bacchanal’ certainly wasn’t as ‘high maintenance’ as the winner, but it wasn’t your average, everyday jump and wave effort. To my opinion it was the ‘descendant’ of the previous year’s winner and of course it was my favourite tune from 2009 and I wasn’t alone in that opinion. The other two main entries, ‘Tusty’ from Blaxx and ‘Wild Antz’ from Montano were very good as well (although I think I’m in a very thin group in the opinion of the latter), but they simply weren’t as good as either the winner or eventual runner-up, still both tunes, especially ‘Tusty’ will probably never be forgotten in retrospect.

2008 - Get On by Fay-Ann Lyons

Perfection. Lyons’ second Road March taking tune ‘Get On’, looking back, was the absolute PERFECT type of a song for the kind of new age of Soca music, because although complicated to a degree and lyrical also (which is just her style if you haven’t noticed), its complicatedness and its messages and its colours and really everything about the tune were about Carnival. She didn’t reach to an outside source (like her Father) (biggup Super Blue) (every time) and the tune wasn’t very hard to sing or to learn, it was just a mad ass masterpiece of a tune. It was also VERY catchy. The beginning and subsequent backdrop of the tune is pretty timeless and I still get excited just hearing it start up, two years later. You listen this song and relate it to almost anything and how and why it reached the title is pretty clear and pretty clear almost immediately.

The Competition? Two tunes, from two very familiar sources, ultimately made up the wonderful ‘pack’ of songs from 2008. The first was a song which, until recently, was arguably as strong in my mind as ‘Get On’, the incredibly ‘Breathless’ from Blaxx. The tune wasn’t as POWERFUL in the sense of getting that craziness up and letting the people do whatever they want. It was, however, probably a catchier song and one which, were it toned back a couple of notches would have probably been EXCELLENT on the dance floor. Still, it is worth mentioning how much I love this tune and I fully think it’s better than a couple of tunes you’ll see mentioned here, as winners. The other song, ‘Blazin’ De Trail’, from a man I’m about to speak a lot about, Machel Montano, was very good and better than I gave it credit for. STILL, it was probably the third best tune (at best) that he had that year with other surefire winners like ‘Unconditional’, ‘Rollin (with Patrice)’ and maybe even ‘Wining Season’ being stronger. The tune itself definitely had the energy (maybe too much even) and it was catchy as hell, everything you’ve come to expect from the superstar.

2007 - Jumbie by Machel Montano HD

Glory. There’s something inherently beautiful about the favourite winning in my opinion. Of course the way things are set, when there is an upset and the underdog actually takes the victory, it is going to be a bigger ‘deal’ in a sense, however, win someone is SUPPOSED to do something and they do it, that’s a beautiful thing to me at times. Such was the three years ago when Soca superstar Machel Montano claimed his second consecutive and third overall Road March title with ‘Jumbie’. I don’t too have too much to say about this one, considering how wonderful the circumstances were, but the season was a magical touch for Machel who definitely had a ‘Midas touch’ of sorts. ‘Jumbie’ itself was a masterpiece. Despite the kind of obvious ‘strangeness’ it had to it, it was PERFECT choice for Road March. It had an insanity to it, which seemed to override any type of common sense one might have and surely any inclinations one might have to pick a next tune.

The Competition? It’s weird because when I started writing for this year, there was one rather huge tune which I forgot which actually officially placed a distant second on the road, ‘Open The Gate’ by Shurwayne Winchester (who won the crown consecutively in 2004-05), which was robbed blind at Soca Monarch that year (by Iwer George). That tune was probably a bit too complicated and definitely more of Monarch type of a song and it was absolutely LOVELY as well. The second tune was by Fay-Ann, ‘Make A Stage [‘M.A.S’]’ and when I looked it up I was actually surprised to see that it didn’t place in the top five in the official standings (which is just fucking awful), but it too was lovely. The tune was a beautiful one which would have made a very nice champion here from an artist who, herself, had won the crown just a few years earlier. And lastly, there was the very strange ‘Sugar Boy’ from Patrice Roberts. Which sounded NOTHING like a Road March tune AT ALL. It was candidate OBVIOUSLY on the strength of the fact that it was ABSOLUTELY DIVINE! It may have actually been the best Soca tune of that season and people knew it and they just had to do something with it (and if I recall correctly she even entered it in the POWER Soca Monarch competition and placed). Road March? No. Everything else? Absolutely.

2006 - Band Of De Year by Machel Montano & Patrice Roberts

Crystal Clear. Machel’s second time taking Road March would also be a first for his young disciple, Roberts as the two began an association at the highest level of the game which I have grown so accustomed to hearing (and damn near broke my heart that I didn’t get this year, at least not yet) and has been so successful. ‘Band Of De Year [BODY]’ was a song which took awhile to warm up to me, but as evident by the fact that I got out of this chair and started dancing when I just cut it on here, it did that and then some. The tune was a clear choice for the Road. It was kind of specific, and more so than some of the other contenders but it wasn’t very heavy lyrically and seriously there may not be a simply more CATCHY tune on this entire list (with respect to ‘Palance‘). I always remember it with Patrice singing the, “We reached the stage, we warming up throw your hands dem in the air. . .” Damn!

The Competition? Although Machel and Patrice owned the road and did so clearly in 2006, everything else went to Shurwayne Winchester. The winner of the two previous years' Road March (you have no idea how many times I have typed the word ‘roach’ instead of ‘road march’ (and I just did it again there)) was going for his third consecutive crown and although he was denied in that quest, his tune, the excellent ‘Can’t Wait’, earned him Power Monarch that year and he also took groovy honours with the infectious ‘Don’t Stop’. ‘Can’t Wait’ was a perfect Monarch tune, but it wasn’t as strong for the road as ‘BODY’. It wasn’t as catchy, it was kind of darkly intense, two qualities which may not translate perfectly without a performance. Other contenders would have included ‘One Island’ from Nadia Batson and ‘Ting 4 Da Road’ from Batson good friend Mista Vybe as well as Machel himself, whose tune ‘Scandalous’ also placed that year. All very strong, but none more fitting for the Road than the winner.

So what have we learned? Well, while my own personal conditions for a Road March winning tune are pretty good and I think they are generally the standard for the winning song, to a degree. There certainly are WONDERFUL exceptions. Soca in general is becoming more lyrical and complicated so when I look at that specific criterion, I have to apply it in a more comparable way. ‘Palance’, for instance’ isn’t very complicated, but had I kept going back further and further, I wouldn’t have exited the decade before you saw a tune or two which sounded flat out outdated by comparison. Meanwhile, a tune like ‘Meet Super Blue’ (and especially ‘True Lies’) sound space age-ish at times. It is also by that ‘growth’ of the music itself (you can call it “growth” or just a matter of taking a different direction, although I think it is one which is inevitable and has been for quite some time) (you can jump and wave for so long dammit!) is something which may just open things up for someone like Bunji Garlin to take the crown in the next few years and a nearly 30 year old Fay-Ann Lyons, given her style and approach, figures to be a candidate for perhaps the next decade or so and may establish a legacy as a Road March champion which will NEVER be equaled by a female in Soca, when her time is done. Still, that being said, tunes like there will hopefully always be room for tunes like ‘Palance’ and ‘Jumbie’ and ‘Band Of De Year’ which just serve no earthly purpose besides being musical adrenaline inhibitors. THAT is what Road March should be for me and hopefully even when/if things continue to get more and more progressive and intellectual, it is a trait which is not lost in the shuffle, none at all.

"Vanishing Act": A Review of Album 34 by Machel Montano

Think about this: This year’s Carnival season in Trinidad definitely had more than its fair share of stories, especially considering what last year turned out to be. Of course there was the ‘leftovers’ from 2009, a season which was musically dominated by the one Fay-Ann Lyons and the questions were whether or not she could have a similar reign of dominance (and although she didn’t, Lyons’ Carnival 2010 was very impressive to say the least) in the new year and even if she didn’t, what could she possibly do as an encore was definitely a big question. What would subsequently become the biggest highlight of the season, a wee little tune called ‘Palance’, also became a VERY large story on its own. Coming from radio guys essentially, in JW & Blaze, the tune was arguably one of the biggest since the turn of the century and its dominance at both Soca Monarch and Road March demonstrated just that. And there were the typical signs of light from Bunji Garlin, Iwer George, Blaxx and a whole heap of others as well which were to be seen. All in all, I do have to say that, musically speaking in retrospect, I was quite happy with what became of 2010 from Trinidad Carnival. Still, with all of that going on and all of the big artists being present and all of the new artists coming through, one of the biggest stories of Trinidad Carnival 2010 was DEFINITELY an artist who intentionally chose to make himself absent for the most part, Machel Montano. Even the most casual observers of the music would see that as a big thing because with so much to talk about in front of you, what type of status would an artist have to enjoy to be discussed arguably as much as any occurrence in Carnival for MERELY NOT BEING AROUND! I don’t think it could have been that way for any other artist on the scene today, but it was exactly that case for Montano who didn’t perform very much at all for the season, didn’t release a video and did so with his increasingly WICKED HD Camp of artists (Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy, Umi Marcano etc.) having collectively and individually one of their best years altogether. Montano was said to be working on several things this year, following a very STRANGE 2009 for himself, which are supposedly to include the release a full length film of all things (Bollywood style) (don’t even ask) (because I don’t know) and there was also word of a very ‘different’ album release from Montano this year as well. Well, with Carnival well in the bag, it’s now time to play a bit of show and tell with the Soca superstar and take a bit of a glimpse into what exactly he spent his time doing instead of losing his mind on stage for the enjoyment of thousands.

34. Thankfully, Machel Montano didn’t take the entire year off and had spent considerable amount of time in the studio, otherwise looking forward to this one may have been even stranger than his 2009 effort Heavenly Drum. However, what he did record was quite strange as well (and personally I was disappointed as FUCK that he didn’t deliver what has become a yearly personal favourite of mine - a combination alongside Patrice Roberts) as he didn’t even seem to go along musically with the HD artists and instead seemed to run his own thing. Well, what he “ran” is to be found on his brand new album release for Carnival 2010, Album 34. Now where do I begin? Perhaps I should deal with the cover of the album being a collage of Machel Montano’s, Xtatik’s and Machel Montano HD’s albums to date over the years. On top of that, what you’re likely also to notice (if you’re a fan) is the fact that Montano is going sans the actual ‘HD’ label this year as well and if you’re really a keen observer, you’ll also notice that he chose to count (amongst his thirty-four now) the HD Family album from last year, as well as the Wining Season album (which I believe was an American doppelganger for the Flame On album two years ago). The idiosyncrasies do not stop there either, the music on the album has a bit of a different feel to it also and I’ve felt that through hearing what I’ve heard recently, it appears as if 2010 was just a year where, like last year, Machel just decided to take things a bit slower and play his hand a bit different and that is reflected in the album certainly. It should also be said to that end, however, that if you take a listen to what he did in 2010 from a music standpoint, you probably won’t walk away from it unsatisfied at all because, despite the strangeness and the absence, the case can be made (and I’m sure it already has been that Machel actually had one of his stronger years in the last few years or so as an aggregate. While there didn’t seem to be that one mega shot of any type, what Montano did was offer a series of bright and colourful tunes which went to build what is, in my opinion, perhaps one of his most (if not his absolute most) CONSISTENT seasons in a very long time actually. And again, all of that comes from an artist who deliberately tried to stay out of the limelight in 2010 (and I think doing so was largely successful as it definitely help to take members of the HD Family to the next level, especially the two youngest members - Umi Marcano who rather easily had the most musically impressive season of his young career - and Roberts who has more or less become a legitimate Soca STAR by this point of her career), such a fact should not go overlooked because, again, can you think of someone else who could have done such a thing? Bunji decided to skip out on competing for Soca Monarch, but was very visible (even at Soca Monarch) and had his own season of lyrical dominance in the process, but I don’t think even he could have essentially vacated the premises and STILL had all eyes on his (non-existing) movements as Montano did in 2010.

So what exactly was going on with this music that Machel Montano refused to showcase this year for the most part? Was it really fucking horrible? NO! Like I said (or at least I think I did), it was actually pretty good and although I struggle to find a consistent ‘theme’ like he had last year, Machel Montano’s own 2010 musically was just all around solid for the most part. And it’s all reflected in his new album Album 34 his thirty-fourth to date (DUH!) and a pretty. The first two selections on the album are two of the bigger tunes from Machel from this season, the very clever ‘Bumper To Fender’ and ‘Ramajay’. The first is just a COOL tune, to say the least. The Dwaingerous production is a very vibrant, yet decidedly groovy, piece which really shows s a near master class to my opinion and it did considerable damage as well and is rather easily one of the finest outings on the album. ‘Ramajay’ may be even better, however. This similarly vibed tune is just so nice and I’ll tell you on the side - my Wife absolutely LOVES this thing and just a slim spin through and it’s very easy to see why as the tune was probably one of the best done midtempo sets of Carnival this year and although I don’t think it ultimately got the respect that it deserved, I’m not going to complain TOO much, because I don’t even think Machel himself would mind too much actually. The third tune in is a tune in ‘Hot Like’ which just happens to be the first of several combinations on Album 34. It actually features Dancehall star Serani who really isn’t one of my favourites, but the tune isn’t HORRIBLE, I don’t terribly dislike and am predominately largely neutral towards its vibes. But a lot of people well enjoyed this one, so you may as well; definitely don’t just take my word for it. A very nice start indeed for the album.

The album definitely touches a variety of vibes and that’s to its credit that it reaches both on the COOL and GROOVY side as well as on the more edgier and powerful end as well. On that groovier vibes there’re very fine tunes on Album 34. Check the EXCELLENT ‘Thiefin’. This one is just sparkling and actually feeds into more of the ‘less is more’ variety which works wonders for it as it ranks as one of the album’s finest. Next in would be the very familiar ‘Slow Wine’ which Montano dropped on the Bubble Up riddim for Spice Mas 2009 (it also appears on Homebase’s Fully Loaded compilation). This one I’ve kind of grown neutral on a bit (from having heard it SO much), but it is a very nice tune and it did a bit impact as well. There’s also the combination ‘Really Hot’ with Trini Hip-Hopper Wildfire. I don’t too much rank this tune, but again, it isn’t BAD actually, just not on my vibes actually. Dancehall ace Busy Signal replaces Wildfire on the next tune ‘Wooeeii Gyal Wooeeii’ and he steps the levels up, although I’m still not too sure on what to make of this tune. It’s not actually Soca and it’s definitely Dancehall. It has heavy Afrikan drumming (it actually sounds like something from The Lion King film or something like that). It is most certainly infectious and it will stay with you for a VERY long time, but I haven’t quite figured out if that’s a good thing or not. And later on the BIG tune ‘Not Going Home’ captivates and scintillates as one of the strongest tunes altogether on Album 34. This one has a big vibes and it just makes you feel good and makes you kind of sad (that you had to go home) at the same damn time!

On the harder side, although not hit as often as the groovy vibes, I feel that Machel actually scores more in less attempts. Such is the case on the album’s biggest tune altogether, the DOMINANT ‘Doh Hold Meh Back’. This tune (I THINK) dropped for last year’s Crop Over and it has HAD ME ever since, I do love this tune with its kind of marching type of vibes which kind of keeps the vibes ‘in check’, but not really, because the tune flourishes despite having a ‘cap’ of sorts. It’s quietly one of the most complex tunes that Machel has dropped in quite awhile and the results were worth the effort because the tune is madness. In the traditional sense, however, it’s not as “mad” as ‘No Behaviour’, which was Montano’s Road March hope (if he had such a thing) for 2010. This one actually didn’t have as much hype behind it as one might’ve thought though, but I do have to admit that it’s grown on me considerably since the first time that I heard it. In retrospect, it had no hope for the road, but it’s a very strong tune as is and one which hopefully won’t just be kind of ‘swept away’ with the passage of time. It is LOVELY. And then there’s ‘FETTING ON’ which for me was the most significant combination on Album 34 in total (biggup Busy) (biggup ST. ANN’Z) as it features another of my personal favourites, reigning consecutive Vincy Monarch, Skinny Fabulous. The tune definitely did a bit for Skinny, showing to which levels he had risen to and it’s a HUGE tune and my choice as the album’s second strongest and I do so hope that I should get the opportunity to see it performed live at least once (now if I could just get a Patrice/Skinny combination, I could die a happy man).

Besides that, there is a very healthy (and expected) number of remixes on the album as well. I’m never a fan of remixes for the most part and here is no difference. Of the five on the album, the on paper highlight is definitely the remix of ‘Ramajay’ which features good friend and constant collaborator of Montano’s, American Hip-Hopper, Pitbull. The musical highlight is probably ‘No Behaviour’ or even the more enthused version of ‘Wooeeii Gyal Wooeeii’, but as I said, for me personally, I don’t typically pay much attention to the remixes.

Overall, this most curious of efforts from Machel I feel pans out better than most may have thought that it would. Seriously speaking, Machel Montano just may be (STILL) the most talented Soca artist ‘pound for pound’ in the world today and in saying that, he enjoys the ability to be able to not have to consistently bring his best material time and time again and not only still maintain his popularity, but still score consistent hits (even when he’s not trying to apparently). Album 34 certainly isn’t his best outing, but it’s also FAR from his worst. The album which arose through the most mysterious of circumstances does manage to captivate and thrill and just thoroughly entertain the listener just enough to meet the high expectations of the artist and his fans. Now, I’m hoping like anything that Montano doesn’t pull off a similar vanishing act in Carnival 2011, however, even if he does, I’m sure I’ll be around for Album 35. Well done.

Rated 4/5

Machel Montano/Mad Bull

2010

Machel Montano HD

Machel Montano @ Myspace

Free Stuff 2: Jalena

Have your attention don't?

Reigning Queen Clown of Soca (the reigning King, of course, is John Mahameed), the inimitable Jalena, from out of the BVI (biggup my Aunt Lalay) (and biggup Sistah Joyce) is giving away free stuff on her myspace blog. If you don't know Jalena, she's a seemingly delightful and oft-hilarious Soca/Poppish singer from out of Tortola who just kind of started popping up one day on Slaughter Arts riddims and since then has done quite well for herself with a steady stream of nice tunes. Tunes like 'In My System', 'Roll', 'Rusty Waist' and my own personal favourite the ridiculous 'Bumpa'. And she's a clown also (and I mean that in the nicest way possible), while on her myspace looking for free music, be sure to check out her pictures which include, amongst other things, Jalena whining on a woman about 3 times her size.

Anyway, apparently she was going to release an album and it's taking too damn long, so she's decided to just randomly give away most of her big tunes, including the solo version of the aforementioned 'Roll', which I didn't have before. And within the last year or so, I think she's REALLY developed, she had, in 'In My System', which was probably one of the best Groovy kind of Soca tunes I've heard this year (she had the remix version of the tune last year and just this year ran the solo version which is much better) (the remix wasn't bad either). So head over and introduce yourself to TRULY one of the most delightful (and a little strange) and hidden talents of Caribbean Music.

Jalena @ Myspace