FROM HOW LONG?!!: A Review of "The Remedy" by Turbulence

Hello old friend, it's been too damn long. Do you ever have the feeling that you've been through SO much with someone, personally, that you don't even know??? Be it in one form or another, they have had some type of consistent presence in your life that there now exists some ultra-familiarity with them 'being' in your life in some capacity. I feel like that about a few people when it comes to music. There're the usual cases such as Sizzla Kalonji, Sara Lugo and Vaughn Benjamin and others still such as Spragga Benz (whose music, most unfortunately, played the backdrop to one of the stupidest things I have ever done in my life) (all my fault, of course), Ras Batch or Saik. The bigger point there would speak to the overall power of music and just how extremely personal it can be that we can 'attach' a certain artist or even just a single tune to a portion of life. Today we take a look at another such instance as, back with his very first album in a shockingly long time (more on that in just a second) is Turbulence...... and Turbulence and I have been through some things!

 

"Rising" [2001]

 

I'll spare you the precise details (for the thousandth time) (I'd actually started to write it out again but decided to take it in a different direction), but I have been a fan of Turbulence's, in one form or another, for a shockingly long two decades (in what world do I wake up one day and Turbulence is 41 years old!) (we are all so damn old!). It has been dazzling at times. Given precisely what he is capable of, at points throughout the years Turbulence has thrilled. I always go back to his sophomore album release, "Rising", which may just be one of the top..... 25ish albums that I have ever heard and subsequent releases and singles have shown a diverse artist at a similar level (looking back, this man had such fine works, "Different Thing", "Join Us", "The Future" for the Lustre Kings and others - just personal classics for me these days). WHATEVER it is you are looking for - be it a more aggressive vibes or full-on singing -- he has a tremendous voice which can border on overwhelming, particularly when you hear it live -- Turbulence can not only manage it, but he can excel at it (and this has no context whatsoever and is just EXTREMELY POOR writing on my part, but he had a song called 'On My Way to Zion',..... probably one of the best 10-15 songs I've ever heard from anyone in my entire life). Furthermore, it does speak to some type of overall ability that he has managed to stick around this long. I think it is a trait that we can take for granted at times, but we can go through several names now who have popped up over the past two decades who are either not around at all or are but in a very diminished value. Turbulence isn't that ultra-gifted 'prospect' anymore, but he is now a full esteemed and working veteran (and he has been for quite some time now, seriously, it's been like.... a dozen years if not more).

"Notorious: The Album" [2006]

But just as it has been "dazzling" at times, it's also been somewhat frustrating. There was a point where Turbulence seemed to begin to lean heavily on love songs for his output and, as someone who LOVED his Roots sets, it seemed like he wasn't even attempting to function at his full capacity. To his credit, however, he registered hits in that domain such as 'X-Girlfriend', 'Name & Number' and others. Furthermore, when he did go back to a more familiar ground, it was kind of unremarkable. This version of the artist would be found on albums such as "Songs Of Solomon", "Do Good" and "United" - none of which do I recall as being HORRIBLE, but were so frustrating because you knew he could, without much more effort, do so much better. The result of that was that I began to listen to each and every release, singles and albums with much more of a curious emotion than being excited and, before going back and looking at things for the sake of this review, I had totally forgotten about a few of those albums. Well maybe it's time we got excited again.

Speaking of albums, shockingly, Turbulence did not release a single album during our break (biggup Ras Attitude). Prior to that, however, like several Xterminator 'graduates', he had maintained a hyperactive pace of recording and releasing them. By my count, following the release of his self-titled debut album in the year 2000 (you go back and see how Turbulence looks on that album -- like a little kid -- clearly before he began hitting the weights), the artist would go on to release TWENTY-ONE albums in just a dozen years. While the quality, in my opinion, was front-loaded, as I alluded to (there was another REALLY strong one in there for Al.Ta.Fa.An. called "Different Thing", which was album #3), his QUANTITY was about as dependable as anyone's of that ultra-active era. As I said, some of those later releases were just really lacking and I wasn't very enthused for them when they were forthcoming or even after I had a chance to listen to them. SO! I can now say without virtually any qualifier at all that it has been FIFTEEN YEARS since I have had as much anticipation going into a Turbulence album as I find myself carrying today (there is a caveat in there, of course, because he hasn't made one at all in nine years) (and I actually read an interview where Turbulence said it was by design because he had made so many albums prior to that). The album that I have in mind would have been "Notorious: The Album" from 2016, which was built on the strength of one his biggest hits to date and, personally, it featured the handiwork of one producer Piloni, who was the maestro behind one of the single greatest albums I have ever heard in my entire life, Jah Mason's all-conquering "Never Give Up" (simply one of the greatest albums I have ever heard). "Notorious" wasn't a project which I enjoyed very much (though it did have 'Run Away' on it, big tune) ["Run cow, run pig! Run fi yuh life. Si di cannibal deh ah come wid di knife. Run cow, run pig. Run fi yuh life. Dem ah seh yuh flesh nice and dem well want a slice"] [BOOM!] but it was definitely one of the, if not THE, most high profile release of his career. Fast forward a decade and a half later and I am SO DAMN happy that, for whatever reason, I'm VERY HAPPY to hear a new Turbulence album. "The Remedy" becomes the artist's twenty-second full solo studio project and comes courtesy of Neva Stop Booking and Ineffable Records. So why am I so excited? What's so special about it?? I don't know actually. Outside of hearing some very nice releases which turned out to be on the album, which isn't saying much (while Turbulence may've not made full release in nine years, he did not disappear entirely and I have enjoyed singles that he's done over that time, he is certainly dependable), I can't actually explain it. But, for some reason, I currently have and have from the first time I saw it forthcoming, a REALLY good feeling about "The Remedy". There is just something about it that told me it wasn't just another release and was closer to some of those early gems. The question now is whether or not my instincts are correct. Lets find out.

 

 

Well. Kind of. Is "The Remedy" as strong as "Rising", "The Future", "Join Us" etc.? NOPE. It is not. Is it better than.... about fourteen or fifteen of his other sets? Absolutely. It's better than they are and with room to spare (he had an album for Love Injection in '04 called "Words of Wisdom", I don't think that album got nearly the attention it deserved, it was very strong) ["Where were you (!) when we want a shelter? Where were you (!) when we need a helper? You betta fly out, like the Air Force delta!] [BOOM!] (and I could say the same thing about an album from that very same year called "I Believe" - a pair of ridiculously overlooked and underrated projects in my opinion) and, for right now, that's enough. It's what I was looking for. Turbulence's brand new set, "The Remedy", gets up and going with 'Let's Go', which is both quite curious and one of its standouts. This is love song but it's also very nice and, though I haven't always enjoyed Turbulence in this vibe (and it's not that he isn't good at them, it's just that it always seemed to be SO MANY of them and when you have a preponderance of them, it becomes so difficult to distinguish between them all). 'Let's Go' is very open, well constructed and just SMOOTH and a well done composition. That riddim, whatever it may be called, is  golden as well and one of the most pleasing you'll find here. Excellent start. Next in is the even more immediately fascinating 'Celebration of Life', which was an early single from "The Remedy". What's so interesting about it "immediately"? Well, as I said, this release is Turbulence's first full one since 2012. That album was actually called "Celebration Of Life". Going back and listening to it now, it was an unremarkable project and, despite the fact that we reviewed it -- which means that I probably wrote a couple of thousand words on it -- I remember virtually nothing of it and, literally, used my own review as a research point for it (incidentally, the release just prior to it, "The Journey", was a better album and I've retained even less of it over the years). There was a title track (kind of, it was called 'Celebration', and it was pretty good actually) and this isn't it (thankfully, he isn't using a decade old tune as a single for his new album) although they are somewhat similarly written. This particular celebration took awhile to grow on me, and it may still be doing so, but I do enjoy the vibes it brings. It's kind of slower and, by its end, it is definitely one of the best songs on the album..... but I'm still working on it for some reason. It isn't  terribly complicated, but I do have the feeling  that there might be a MONSTER of a song in there somewhere. However, at the same time, I can see why it was chosen as a single, which is just a very compelling set of circumstances.

 

 

When I first heard 'Change', I had a similar thought about it: It would have been a fine choice for a single and, to my pleasant surprise, I'd missed it and it was. Arguably even stronger than the first two selections on "The Remedy", just about everything you need from 'Change', you will get from the very first listen. It is absolutely dynamic and infectious and, pretty near to what I would call a 'vintage' Turbulence. 

 

 

On paper, the tracklist for "The Remedy" easily produces one focal point that is going to and has already drawn your attention, 'Defenders'. This BIG tune features Turbulence alongside  most esteemed ace chanter Anthony B. You don't (or at least I don't) really associate Turbulence with doing continuous combinations throughout the years, but if you really think about it, he's done works along names like Lutan Fyah, Luciano, Mark Wonder, of course Sasha and Norris Man. 'Defenders', to my knowledge, is at least the second link between these two mighty artists and it does not disappoint. Oddly enough (not really), 'Defenders' doesn't at all drift too far away from their previous combination, 'Real Warriors' from Maximum Sound. You will be instantly drawn to this tune and, most fortunately, it doesn't disappoint as, besides serving as a visual highlight, 'Defenders' also provides some of the strongest music here. Though expected, it is interesting and rewarding that, for his part, Turbulence takes a softer tone here while Anthony B goes more aggressive on the combination which also finds both in a fine form lyrically.

 

 

Another effort which pops on paper immediately follows 'Defenders' here and.... may be even stronger actually. 'Time Machine' is excellent. It just is. I was really looking forward to hearing this one as well and seeing which direction in which it went and I was actually correct in my assumption. Here, the artist talks about rewinding the state of things to a more pleasant time gone by. In the process, Turbulence calls upon names such as Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X and even Mother Teresa and, by its end, may just provide the album with its single biggest moment. Or, perhaps that title could be claimed by the nearly massive 'Mountain Top'. WHAT AN INTERESTING SONG! What we have here is a fine spiritual tune which is delivered in a packing which is GOLDEN. Simply: 'Mountain Top' is really fun to listen to. It will make you feel good and you will enjoy it even without the focusing on the words. When you do actually listen to it lyrically, however, it will "rise" and take a step higher. It is beautiful.  On the opposite side of 'Time Machine' and 'Defenders', songs which leap out at you on the tracklist, would be both 'Only In Love' and 'My Girl'. As I've said, I haven't been the biggest fan of Turbulence making love songs throughout the years and I.... really didn't have a good feeling about these strictly based on the titles. In the case of 'Only In Love', I was miserably off target. This isn't a love song at all and it is actually quite nice. Here, we find the artist simply attempting to infuse a bit of love of UNDERSTANDING into the world. At the heart of 'Only In Love', at least in my opinion, is a very strong bit of open-mindedness and the idea and practice of stop judging people based on certain things about them. It's kind of a 'mind-your-own-damn-business' moment and it brings in one of the most thrilling lyrical performance on the whole of this release in defining it.

 

 

"SO WHAT! If mi drink
SO WHAT! If mi smoke
SO WHAT! If mi a vegan and mi no nyam pork
SO WHAT! If Rasta on run certain joke, marijuana it a di sacrament, mi no tek coke
SO WHAT! If mi Black
SO WHAT! If ya White
SO WHAT! No, that no mean wi fi fight
Wah! You a Christian, Muslim or Rasta -
WI SHOULD ALL UNITE!"

I also have to mention that, at just over two and a half minutes, 'Only In Love' clocks in at least forty-eight second shorter than anything else present here. It's too damn short! It just is. 'My Girl', on the other hand, is precisely what I was suspecting that it might be. It isn't horrible and it isn't even my least favourite song on "The Remedy", but the R&B vibed track (and he actually straight raps just a little as well) isn't amongst the best either. I will say  to its credit, however, 'My Girl' isn't overdone at all and they generally aren't from Turbulence. As I said, my problem was never that he had made love songs, it was that he seemed to be intent on making so many of them, but that is not a prevailing area of concern on this project. Turbulence says a full GOODBYE to all of those that we have lost along the way on the stirring 'Not Forgotten'. This song isn't really as much as a tribute to the fallen as it is an anti-violence social commentary and he kind of uses those individuals as a conduit to make his point. Said point is an excellent one and it is wrapped in a very unique package which blends the edges somewhere between Reggae, R&B and maybe even a bit of Gospel.

 

 

'Who Jah Bless' took awhile to grow on me for some reason. The actual sound here is VERY simple and straight forward but, to its credit, 'Who Jah Bless' is likely destined to be an underrated lyrical GEM. It may just be the single finest written selection on the whole of "The Remedy" - I mean it is really well done. I'm thinking that I heard it and kind of fixed my mind on something else or something not as detailed and, as I listened more and more, 'Who Jah Bless' began to take off. So pay a special amount of attention on that one. I won't tell you to do the same thing on the penultimate offering here, 'Shooting Star'. I gave this one its fair shot (and I will continue to do so), but it doesn't really do much for me at all. I don't know what to call  the sound, precisely. It is vibrant and not bad, but the song is kind of cliched just a bit and never moves off that stance for the most part. Finally, Turbulence pays tribute to his mother on 'Mama Viva' ["Life giver!"]. Songs espousing the wonders of mothers aren't very difficult to find in Reggae music, you can actually put together ALBUMS full of them, and Turbulence has been someone who has constantly provided such tunes throughout the years ["Mama is here and Papa disappear, she alone him lef fi face di problems out there. Mama is here and disappear, seems like him just get up and vanish in thin air.... MAMA BUILD DI SHIP AND PAPA SAIL OUT!"] [WHAT!] [BOOM!] and many of them have been high quality, making his mother, 'Mama Viva', probably one of the most well known mothers in the genre alongside Miss Ivy. To my knowledge, he lost his mother a couple of years ago now and this is yet another piece of musical gratitude to her. Most fortunately, however, he did do many of them while she was still with us, but you know as long as he is making music Turbulence will be making songs like this and that is fine with me.

 

 

Overall, I do want to note a couple of things about the album, in full, as well. First of all, its very clear that I am not the only person who had a good feeling about "The Remedy". Someone not only clearly spent a lot of time with it, they also invested quite a bit of money into it as well. If this works out according to plan, you'll see quite a few videos from the songs on this album and we may have missed one or two. So that's a good sign and I don't know if it just kind of materialized when/as the music did or if someone heard it and thought that they had something special on their hands. Also, Turbulence himself may have never pushed an album like he is pushing this one, apparently. He is clearly quite proud of it and he should be. "The Remedy" isn't his finest work to date, but it does demonstrate the VAULT of talent he has shown since I first heard him. A few years from now, I am SURE that I won't speak of it like its most immediate predecessors and hopefully it represents a return to form for someone who has been one of the  greatest sleeping giants in all of Reggae music. Well done.

Neva Stop Production

Digital

2021