Irreplaceable. Back in March of this year we lost Mr. Calvin George Scott, better known as the coolest of them, sweet singing Cocoa Tea. I think that, for so many people (myself and yourself included), Cocoa Tea was the type of individual who, whether we listened to his work consistently or not, we just kind of presumed that he would just be there. Every once in a while you'd get a new song from the singer and he'd even score a hit every few years while, of course, building upon a mountain of tried and trusted output. About a month prior to Cocoa Tea,'Kette Drum' chanter, Determine, left us as well and, although in somewhat of a different way from Cocoa Tea, Determine was also a fairly dependable type (although probably not as often in his case) and someone who was woefully underrated, given his undeniably mountainous level of skill. We have others who're in similar positions and are still with us and I think that we, as fans and listeners of this fantastic sound, have a wonderful opportunity with us to be able to celebrate these individuals while they are still here to appreciate it and are still here to continue to provide us with these healthy moments. I don't know how this is going to work out but the last thing that I finished writing before I just started this one was a Signatures feature on Jah Mason. Today is the 16th of October (two hours left in the day); so a month from tomorrow Jah Mason turns fifty-five years old. He's older than Determine and, despite all of his acomplishments, there're people who still have the nerve to walk around thinking that Jah Mason's a 'one hit wonder' (MADNESS. ABSOLUTE MADNESS!). He's someone who we CLEARLY need to show more love to and, hopefully, I've done my part for the moment and turned some attention to his amazing catalogue of music. You know someone else who belongs in this conversation who almost NEVER gets brought up, Steve Machete! I probably have him on the mind because of a WICKED compilation he once appeared on alongside Jah Mason (and Anthony B) called "Saddle To The East" but he definitely applies here. There is a 0% chance that Steve Machete will ever be alive to appreciate the gratitude that fans have (or should have) for the wonderful music that he has given us throughout the years but, in his case, it may not even come after he's gone. Because of that (and because he's fantastic), I make a point out of just randomly checking to see if he's done anything recently every few weeks or so. Occasionally I get lucky and he does have something new (or something I missed) and it's just about always at least SOLID. I also go to the late Peter Broggs and I am so damn hopeful that man went to his grave with the knowledge that he changed lives with his contribution to the world and is able to rest well due to it.
We do have a number of individuals who have entered a stage of their careers where you would begin to think and HOPE that fans would be keen on showing our appreciation to. I'm not talking about elders such as Beres Hammond or Marcia Griffiths or Horace Andy who will enter eternity knowing EXACTLY how much we love them but another strong group of vocalists who may not feel it inn terms of consistency. We may pull up a certain tune or tunes or maybe even an album or two but they also have a massive body of work to account for as well. In this lot, I include someone like Glen Washington who we, routinely, cover around here and someone else we've always made a point to acknowledge (coincidentally, a native of Clarendon, like both Washington and Cocoa Tea), the WELL ESTEEMED Everton Blender.
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I feel better when Everton Blender is making music. Reggae music, in general, is better when Everton Blender is making music. We can all sit down up 'lift up' constantly songs like 'Lift Up Your Head' ["and hold it up hiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh!"], 'Ghetto People Song', 'Blend Dem', World Corruption' and others but the Blender has has churned out VERY solid material which hasn't received similar praise and it seems like it's been a really long time since he's hit a level (in terms of popularity, not quality) of those tracks... but he's been hard at work. Most recently (I THINK), in 2020 he gifted us his most recent full release, the more than decent "Where Is The Love" for Spider Ranks' Love Injection Production imprint (another longtime favourite of mine). That album would have initially reached during our hiatus but I made it a point to make sure that I reviewed it when I returned and for a similar reason as the foundation of this review. In that one, I essentially referred to Everton Blender's music as "comfort food". It's the type of music where, if you don't know what to listen to, you can always go back to it and will always work for you (I also mentioned someone else who definitely fits into this class of names, Yami Bolo) (Junior Reid is another - just people who're older than you're realizing when you think about them). It's easy to listen to (and can be thrilling at the same time) and very dependable; even with new music that you have not heard before, you know what you're getting from Everton Blender in sound and in grade. He was back at it again (two days after my date of birth), in 2024 with a new release, this time via Blendem Inc (I wonder who that label belongs to???), "Can't Take My Space" (I THINK that's the first time he's done that on his own label). The new release is a blend of songs of various ages but it does seem to have arisen through some distinct design/planning. I don't think Everton Blender just up, one day last year, said that he felt like making an album and put it together and here we are (though I wouldn't be surprised if it took a bit longer than he thought it would when he started). If you're familiar with Blender's work, even if you haven't heard a single one of these tunes before - you should know what to expect. "Can't Take My Space", like every other album he's ever done and ever will do, is a mixture of modern Roots music with vibes of a more old school type, as well as some Lover's Rock. Again, it's always of a certain level of quality and you do not have to worry AT ALL about disappointed by Everton Blender. He is what he is and he'll hit his mark. I guarantee it! Of course, it's particularly sweet when it's even better than what you're expecting and I can HAPPILY say that, as far as anything recently, "Can't Take My Space" shows itself to easily be amongst the Blender's finest.
Can you think of a better phrase to describe Everton Blender's voice than "BRIGHT"? When he pushes it to any degree whatsoever, it literally SPARKLES. It turns on and it illuminates EVERYTHING it crosses. For example, take the very first tune from his latest offering, "Can't Take My Space", 'Reparation Time'. Riding a cut of some classic riddim that I don't feel like figuring out the name of, the Blender dazzles in the name of calling for some amends and changes to be made ["Over four hundred years of slaver, backra masters still nah waan pay wi"]. This song PERFECTLY exemplifies what I mean when I talk about how dependable and reliable Everton Blender can be. 'Reparation Time', for the most part, is done. It's already had its run and it wasn't a HIT, but you listen to this thing and doubt its quality. I dare you! It is a FINE tune with a big heart and, definitely, one of the best tunes on this album. We get our first bite of Lover's Rock very early on with 'All Day', which was a single here and did pretty well, actually. Though you will find better tracks of its type on "Can't Take My Space", I've got no problem with 'All Day' (minus the talking in the middle which is kind of cringe and it always is on love songs) and it actually has grown on me just a bit from the first time I heard it (the riddim behind is a GORGEOUS piece of instrumentation. It's probably one of the strongest on the entire album). 'She Is So Mellow' is also near the front of "Can't Take My Place" and is probably just a touch stronger than 'All Day'. 'She Is So Mellow' is just a SWING. It's just a vibe. There is substance there (I GUESS), but you won't dare focus on that at all. Things get to soaring again courtesy of the tried and trusted 'Another One'. As far as I know, this song might just be around twenty-five years old at this point. It was produced by Jr. Reid and featured on "Tribute To Grammy" a compilation done in honour of the late younger brother of the 'One Blood' singer, which released in the year 2001. Because it's SO old, I would presume that this is a personal favourite of the Blender's and he felt compelled to include it on an album over which he had total control. I have no problem with that. 'Another One' has somewhat of an odd trajectory (you're going to have something of a problem trying to justify a chorus like that with most of the song's lyrics from the verses) but, in full, it's still very, very good and if it's managed to slip between the proverbial cracks for you, ENJOY your first flash of it here. Also featured in the first lot of tunes from "Can't Take My Space" is another older tune, 'Babylon Get A Blow'.
"Woke up this morning, behold the sun come shining
Three little birds by my doorstep singing
This is what they're saying -
'Babylon must get a blow
They must get a beaten
Babylon must get a blow
They must get a beaten' "
The song is a production of the once mighty Cousins Records (memba them???) and though, unlike virtually EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HIS PEERS, Everton Blender never got around to doing a full album with Donville Davis and co. at Cousins, a tune like this one, and its ULTRA-cool vibe (it is a revolution song but it's so damn chilled for the most part) and common-sense edge, it definitely makes you think of what might've come from such a union in full.
The middle portion of the album really represents the class of "Can't Take My Space", including its single finest moment altogether. 'Right Girl' (by the slimmest of margins) is probably its strongest piece of Lover's Rock (with respect to one song I'm going to tell you about in a bit) (...I might as well just mention it now, give me a second). 'Right Girl' is kind of infectious. It's very hard to shake certain parts of it atop what sounds like a cut of the Picture on The Wall Riddim, which Blender uses to tell the tale of how someone special caught his eye once upon a time. Much later on, we get the interesting 'Lady Madonna', which isn't too far behind the level of 'Right Girl' (if at all). In his catalogue, Everton Blender has a downright SPECIAL tune (with an album just as precious named after it) called 'King Man'. 'Lady Madonna' is also lovely to listen to (probably going to turn out to be my Wife's favourite tune on this album - she is LOVING it at the moment) with a highly catchy track underpinning it and a slightly unusual (not really) style to the Blender's vocals. You'll also find here a track that we actually covered a couple of years back, the excellent call to revolution 'Slavery Ship'. I was both happy and unsurprised to see 'Slavery Ship' aboard this album as, if I recall correctly, it did quite a bit of damage in its time and was relatively popular for Blender. A year on, it was a perfect fit for this album or any other album from the singer as he predicted, "Babylon ship ahgo capsize tonight". You might also recall the very similarly ruddered 'Going Down'. This tune, just like 'Slavery Ship', declared the days of oppressors to be approaching an end. You could not find a damn thing wrong with this one if you were to grind it down to its absolutely powderiest (probably not an actual word but who cares?) core. 'Going Down' is just solid modern Roots Reggae, with a very nice message (and one which does have its own blend, slightly, as Blender is keen to comment on the importance of respecting Mother Nature) and a lovely sound. For its part, despite its title, 'Good Old Days' does have a little something different to it; a little spiciness (let's call it... horns!). The instrumentation on the song is damn impressive, it's going to get you moving and keep you there, meanwhile the Blender goes about making his poignant point.
"Back in those days in the dance when a man step on your shoe-
It was just love between me and you
But nowadays the man dem face ah screw
Calling on the youths to make love flow through
There's a message in the song reaching out to you
So take a tip from your brother, Bubbaru"
"Can't Take My Space" reaches its zenith on the song for which it is named as 'Can't Take My Space', the song, rather EASILY, became one of the very best Everton Blender has ever done the second he finished it. He warns that "my shoes are too big for their feet" in not only an attempt to substantiate the lofty levels he's achieved in life (lest we forget) but the tune also (of course) has a spiritual side to it. The biggest shoes are worn by His Majesty and should anyone try to fill THOSE, they will surely stumble over their own feet in the attempt. DJ Virus (Star Bwoy Virus) takes both a producer's and featuring artist's credit on the clear champion of the album.
The album's closer, 'Don't Be Used', is its only other combination, this one pulling in Isha Blender, Everton's daughter. This song is actually a remake/remix of an older one for Star Trail and while I do prefer the original (it's a touch more... 'agile' than the heavier new recording), this one, while definitely heavier -- and almost somber -- is still a fine offering, and Isha adds a fire as it progresses through but I would suggest that you track down the original for some contrast. I'll tell you (warn you), that you probably may not care for 'Money' (THE SONG) the first time or two that you go through it. It can be a little awkward, particularly early on, but it will pick up, I assure you; though it does not ever completely shed a most deserved "awkward" label (that chorus is just... something else). Give it time! You often hear pieces that shred money but the Blender injects a bit of realism into things with this effort. The last bona fide GREAT song on "Can't Take My Space" is the anti-violence set, 'Too Much Guns' which, as far as I can tell, is the album's most recent single (with the official music video just dropping yesterday as of my writing this, apparently). Songs like this are plentiful and downright infinite in the genre but they rarely sound so damn SWEET at this one. Blessed with another classic track, Blender serves up SUBSTANCE and IDEOLOGY in abundance in making his point but he also takes care to appreciate the moment. Later on, he soars in calling up some of the greats of Reggae music who've passed to gun violence such as Peter Tosh, Hugh Mundell and Nitty Gritty as well as others such as Tupac Shakur and the Notorious BIG in suffering similar fates. 'Too Much Guns' is a fantastic song, an strong choice for a single and I'm expecting (and hoping) that it reaches many pairs of receptive ears.
Overall, in doing some research on myself, I've noticed that this is now the fourth of Everton Blender's albums that I've reviewed and I mention that just to kind of stress the mindset here: Again, I think it's so important that not only show our appreciation in the historical sense for what he HAS done and the contributions that he HAS made but as well as what he's continuing to do in the music. We will forever (literally, FOREVER) be celebrating the greats. Someone, somewhere will be listening to 'Lift Up Your Head' and thoroughly enjoying it (if they have good taste) (and sense) but hopefully we recognize that this hole goes much deeper than just that tune and a handful of others. There is work to be heard on throughout the career of Everton Blender, such as right here, for which the case could be made being just as stellar. "Can't Take My Space" is a perfect title for Everton Blender album right now. It stresses what he's done and how he's come to be where he is, while also signifying that he is not yet ready to abdicate his throne. Long live the Blender. Well done.
Rated: 4.15/5
Blendem Inc
2024
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