Synchronized: A review of Natural Is The Mystic by Micah Shemaiah

Earned. If you make a car, you want it to be functional and durable but you're also well aware that HOW IT LOOKS is the first thing someone will notice. Even if the buyer doesn't seem to particularly care and price isn't an issue; if your ride and that of another maker serves the same function and costs the same amount but theirs is more visually pleasing, they're more likely to make the sell. Comparatively speaking, I'd like to think that it is amongst the many goals of someone who sets out to make good Roots music that they, ultimately, want to make something that can be educational and informative while not limiting its entertainment value. I write these things and I attempt to get very in-depth and cover things as fine as I possibly can to the best of my ability but I have to admit: I've heard MANY songs that may've had a good direction and been lyrically stout but... just are not interesting to listen to. They seem as if though if you were to READ them and not actually have to endure hearing them, you might even get more satisfaction from it. On the other end of that, I've also come across records that may be just fine, musically, but offer very little/nothing in the way of substance when it comes to actually making points and saying things of note ["EXILE"]. Of course, this is a difficult road to trod because what is pleasing to one person may be trash to another (and that "one person" reserves the right to change their mind and to do so IMMEDIATELY if they want) but, in just speaking for myself, I LOOK for moments that are either equally gratifying to the mind and the soul or fairly close to it. I also look at how my personal tastes have changed throughout the years and how I, as I get older, have a different idea of what sounding good is. Once upon a time, I didn't count myself much of a fan of Vaughn Benjamin's because... I didn't think his music sounded very good. Even back then, I had the ability, to some degree, to appreciate what he was saying (and even if I didn't on a certain song, his commitment to his craft was POWERFULLY OBVIOUS and I could definitely give him his due for that) but he made music that required a level of effort that was more than I, in my early 20's, was willing to give. Nowadays, I regard that "level of effort" as part of the enjoyment and while there're others who make a brand of Roots that is more instantly charming (about to tell you about a few of them), Benjamin does it as well in his own special way. I'd point to others such as long favourites Mark Wonder and Queen Omega, Anthony B, Capleton... as individuals who're STILL making Roots Reggae that walks the common ground that the genre does and also just really makes their listeners feel something for what they're hearing.

You know someone else who pulls that off really well?? Chezidek. Because of THAT voice, Chezidek's music generally has an inherent quality to it that makes it interesting to hear but when that man is at/near his best, what results is downright magical ["INNA DEM EYEYEYEYE!"]. Let's take, for example... oh let's take a quick look at an album he did way back in 2010 called "Judgement Time". Armed with big, LOVELY tunes such as 'Ganja Tree' ["MARIJUANA TREEEEEEE!"], 'In My Heart', 'Uplift Yourself', the SUGARY 'Jah Love' and, of course, 'Walk With Jah', "Judgement Time" was definitely one of Chezidek's most immediately appealing albums to date (and it still is). Three years on from "Judgement Time" was its direct follow-up, "The Order Of Melchezedik". This was another gorgeous monster of a set which has also aged quite well (I don't recall what my favourite song was on "The Order Of Melchezedik", at first, and I don't feel like looking it up; but 'Praises To Jah' is absolutely DESTROYING me at this moment. Has been on repeat for nearly half an hour at this point). "Judgement Time" and "The Order Of Melchezedik" share origins as they were both created within "the highest region". 

2023

Our old friends as JahSolidRock helmed both sets and they've also worked with the likes of Earl Sixteen, Addis Pablo, Apple Gabriel, Kenny Smyth and others (remember Benaissa and Lloyd De Meza, back in da day?? ["Another burial weh dem ahgo get!"]) over the years, which has demonstrated a signature sound. JSR makes beautiful and HARDY Roots Reggae music. I initially wrote this and I used the word -- "malleable" -- but that isn't really what it is. Their sound is very much grounded in Roots music (and it is heavily so) but it is very open to the artist's interpretation and talent. What results is a sound that is very accessible to MELODY and distinction. A better word than "malleable" would be "FLUID": If you put a JSR riddim in Chezidek's hands, it's going to sound like Chezidek. If you put it in.... Micah Shemaiah's hands, it'll probably sound like Micah Shemaiah. As far as I can tell, the relationship between Shemaiah and JahSolidRock goes back quite a few years ago and they've worked extensively together (CLEARLY), so it should come to the surprise of absolutely no one that the Kingston native now links up with the Dutch label on an official, full collection of their work together, "Natural Is The Mystic" (they had a song, years ago, by the name of 'Zion's Gates' that I was familiar with but had no idea was a JSR production). When last we heard from Shemaiah, he was dealing the extremely well received "Jamaica Jamaica". That set came through Evidence Music and was done alongside Little Lion Sound back in 2023 and appeared on many Album of The Year lists for its time and deservingly so, in retrospect. Prior to that was "Still" and EP (it had eight songs and four dubs. I'm calling it an EP) for the venerable Zion I Kings (absolutely GLORIOUS record on that release, 'Wicked Babylon') (and its dub version) and Shemaiah's also worked with the esteemed likes of Irie Ites, the Green Lion Crew, Easy Star Records, Addis Records from out of Switzerland, Silly Walks and even Digital B. So the man's talents have LONG been recognized by some of the biggest names in production over the years and we have arrived at the point in his career where, when he does an album, it should be looked upon and respected as a legit big deal. That's a lot of accolades, however, and no one's perfect, so maybe "Natural Is The Mystic" doesn't turn out so well??

--NO WAY IN HELL--

If you're going to talk about Micah Shemaiah's music, you have to at least spend a second or two discussing his VOICE. To me (and likely ONLY to me), he sounds like a more grounded version of someone like Duane Stephenson. Where Stephenson has this ultra-refined aspect to his tones (it's literally perfect), Shemaiah has a more earthly feel to him. To be honest (and not for the sake of comparison, like I said, Stephenson's voice is PERFECT), when you really get into Shemaiah's voice... it's kind of intoxicating. It's fantastic and when he's in a fine form, what he's capable of places him in very rare company; and he is in fine form throughout "Natural Is The Mystic". Check the first piece of evidence to this in the form of the album's title track and opener. By the ABSOLUTE TINIEST OF MARGINS (I mean, you can barely even hear it), 'Natural Is The Mystic' is the best tune on the album named after it (I'm  going to tell you right now: The entire second half of this album is downright MURDEROUS. All of its tracks are vicious in every possible way!). The song does kinda/sorta make itself an open supporter of nature but it also is more of a broad social commentary as well. It's also wrapped up in this damn near divine presentation (descending all the way from the cover, where we see this naturally, organically grown weapon!). Credits well go to the players of instruments as well as to the BACKING SINGER (credited as Monique Smith) really do loads in pushing this one to the heights it manages to reach. Next up is sublime previous single, 'When Yuh Right'. I gave a direct credit to a backing singer on 'Natural Is The Mystic' and I'm going to do the same for Hector Lewis on this one, for the infectious drumming he does throughout. Accompanying the single release was a lovely dub which is well worth checking out as well. As for the actual song, 'When Yuh Right' is  gorgeous. 

"In this life, when yuh right, yuh getting a fight

Now the world's gone soft, to the devil's delight"

What I would take from the concept of 'When Yuh Right' is the importance of doing positive things, regardless of the push-back you may get when you do them. Shemaiah doesn't directly go into it but I apply it to concepts like perseverance and unity as well (it's good to do good but its even GOODER when you have others doing good with you or you can inspire others to do good). Again, the instrumentation here is exquisite and, obviously, someone agrees with me on that because that dub version does exist. The old school-ish 'Play Me Some' took a couple of spins to make a fan out of me but it did eventually get there. This is a track giving honour and credit the music and some of the artist of an older era and THAT IS IT. You've ran into others like it, surely, and arguably the most important aspect of such selections is that they have to sound great. You can have all the interesting and different approaches to it that you want but if you want to talk about great music and great musicians -- at least in my opinion -- the greatest homage is in making something that they would enjoy hearing and I think "some Bob Marley - some Dennis Brown" would be delighted by 'Play Some More'. You wanna talk about something sounding nice and being delighting, you check both 'Mellow Mood' and 'Strickly Rubadub'. The former is probably going to give a lot of people toothaches in their ears with as much damn SUGAR is packed in on 'Mellow Mood'. I think I had some 'best case scenario' charted in my head for this song - it ended up being better than my best case scenario. 'Strickly Rubadub', on the other hand sounds almost NOTHING like I imagined it would ('Mellow Mood' actually sounds more like a song that would be called 'Strickly Rubadub'). It's more... somber than I would expect but it doesn't matter (and "somber" might be too harsh of a term, HEAVY might be a better one): The musicianship on 'Strickly Rubadub' is some of the finest on the whole of "Natural Is The Mystic". It is STERLING. This was also a previous release from a few years back but, MOST UNFORTUNATELY, unlike 'When Yuh Right', the single release of 'Strickly Rubadub' didn't include a dub version, however, we are given a nice capture of what may've been over the course of the song's final forty seconds or so and it is immaculate; one of the most attention-grabbing stretches on the entire album in my opinion.

As I alluded to earlier, the second half of "Natural Is The Mystic" is a serious problem (and I mean that in a great way) for listeners, as it presents us with some real killer songs. The first is the album's sole combination (one combination in ten songs is just fine), 'Glory' which taps LOOOOOOOOOONGTIME, grizzled veteran Telford Nelson (man has been singing Reggae music for, literally, half a century). When I originally set it, I mentioned that the "final four songs" on the album were of supreme quality but the more I listened to 'Glory'... it just had to be included in that lot. It almost perfectly exemplifies what I meant when I talked about making music that carries a significant message and has a pleasing, entertaining sound. 'Glory' is a praising song and it has such a powerful vibe to it as well with these downright ROYAL sounding horns and just a full, VIBRANT display to it. It sounds like someone very important is about to walk into the room as it plays and biggup Shemaiah and JSR (and whoever else's idea it may've been) for linking him together with someone like Telford Nelson ["OH WHAT A GLORY!"]. The album's most recent single (I THINK), 'Not For Sale', is in next and I LOVE this song and have from the very first time I heard it, last November. 

"This one for sale

That one for sale

So much for sale

Oh, for sale

She is for sale

He is for sale

They are for sale

Oh, for sale

I'M NOT FOR SALE"

'Not For Sale' is about authenticity and originality and it is beautifully DUSTY AND WORN, earthly sounding Roots Reggae music.... and I'm now seriously reconsidering my choice as the album's finest. I'm going to keep questioning things courtesy of a piece I was particularly curious about, given its title 'Artificially' (and I did skip ahead one but the song before it, which I'll tell you about in just a minute, is even better than 'Artificially'). This one kind of builds on the sentiments of the title track where Micah Shemaiah is trying to draw the focus of the masses back  to a more natural approach to life, while eschewing more, potentially disastrous, man-made facets ["There is a natural way and order to things. But the way we are living these days - only destruction it brings. Mostly for the future; now sure our youth dem will inherit the mayhem"]. I'm tempted to get into telling you about just how damn sweet the music is on 'Artificially' but... at this point, I think you understand; so let's move on! Moving backwards, check the MAMMOTH 'Be Brave'. Though he goes semi-direct with the thought here, I think Shemaiah is, essentially, saying that we all have things that we have to go through in life 'trials & tribulations' and we have to be prepared to face what is coming. There is a spot, right in the middle of 'Be Brave' which just levels things up entirely. It is when the first verse repeats and, by that time, the song has settled in and it's good and warmed up and it's subtly more intense than the first time around. THAT, for me, is such a powerful moment on this tune because, after that, things really pick up and when you combine the two halves... if you want to make an argument for 'Be Brave' as THE best song on this album, it'd be hard to put up a fight against when it sounds like this!

Finally is yet another candidate for album's finest riddim, unity anthem 'Together We Are Strong'. This tune contains a very clever lyrical effect when Shemaiah says:

"Beat that drum"

He says it, seemingly, in the way you say it to drum up (figuratively speaking) support for an idea but when he does say it, you actually hear someone beating a drum in the background! It made me smile when I realized it because it's obvious but it isn't the most glaring of sounds that you hear at the time. As for the rest of the song, the singer is saying that MAYBE it's a good idea for us all to look for things that bring us closer than differences that push us apart. It is lovely sentiment and, again, a lovely vibe to end things on.

Okay, here is the point where I would typically look at the album and say that there're only ten songs and I wish there were more and I'm going to say that here as well, HOWEVER; the ten songs that construct 'Natural Is The Mystic" take up forty-one minutes. The album's shortest song ('Artificially') is within twenty seconds of four minutes, while its joint longests ('Strickly Rubadub' and 'Not For Sale' are of basically the same length) are not five minutes. So they all kind of hover around four minutes, which is just fine. So while I would have definitely loved another couple of tracks (even if they were dubs/instrumentals and JSR has a history of doing such a thing: The aforementioned "Judgement Time" had several of them and "The Order Of Melchezedik" would have been very similar with ten songs and a couple of instrumentals or so), what actually is on "Natural Is The Mystic" is very HEALTHY and meal-like Reggae music. They don't bring us a plate of salt and pepper and forget that we.... actually need something to put it on. 

Overall, I'm not going to overdo it (outside of writing an entirely too long review but that's just what I do) but "Natural Is The Mystic" is EXCELLENT, MODERN ROOTS REGGAE MUSIC. It just is. While that may or may not appeal to someone who is completely new to the genre (I know there are some poor, malnourished souls out there who just cannot appreciate it), for virtually anyone else, with the way it is done, I am extremely confident that something here will appeal to you. Combining a continuously and consistently COLOURFUL sound, with solid writing and dexterous lyrics, in "Natural Is The Mystic", Micah Shemaiah & JahSolidRock come together and produce one of the first truly BIG Reggae albums of 2026. Excellent. 

Rated: 4.6/5

JahSolidRock

2026

The Vault Reviews: Conscious Love by Joggo

Vol. 2. What's your type? I think most often when that question is asked it's in reference to people who we may or may not be interested in, but it well applies in any and all questions of tastes and preferences. It is helped and streamlined, immediately, by the usage of things such as categories. For example, if you go to a restaurant, before the very first time you eat there while you may not know what EXACTLY they cook, you have an idea of which type of food they serve based on its name or some other characteristic which you do not even have to go into the place to understand. When it comes to music, we have these wonderfully helpful things known as 'GENRES' which are immediate and superficial identifiers of what you can expect to hear from a particular artist or sound and though they may not always be wholly accurate (as we've discussed in the past), they do aid to at least point you in the right direction of what you may be looking for. When you get into the 'meat' of looking at certain genres, you can also begin to distinguish between sounds within them as well. For example, "Dancehall" can mean a variety of different things - from the most harmless of dance-inspired tunes to the mass-murdering displays of Bounty Killer, Mad Cobra and the likes... but we place it within the same category (even though it clearly is not) (I mean REALLY). Soca music, on the other hand, does do a fine job in differentiating itself with 'groovy' and 'power'; the former being, essentially, an infectious brand of Caribbean Pop music, while the latter can often be found on the road between Dancehall and Heavy Metal. The actual artists, themselves, can also be very involved in not only defining the sound for the entire style of music as far not only what they do but the standards that they set for those who are to come later (I don't have to tell you (having already mentioned, arguably, THE most influential star the Dancehall has ever produced in this review) -- as well as their peers -- and they can also come through with certain characteristics and sounds which become signatures of an individual and are downright delicious traits which you and I (whether we realize it or not) cling to and celebrate (that was a very long sentence). In Roots Reggae music, specifically, where there seems to exist more uniformity in sounds and where you will typically find less in the way of.... eccentricity, than in the Dancehall (there isn't an Alkaline in Roots Reggae music, for example), there tends to be these wonderfully SUBTLE exhibitions of diversity and today we will take a look at someone with an approach and a manner ever so slightly, but FANTASTICALLY, separating him from the pack. 

If you were to ask me of who in modern Reggae music I would most recommend to someone just getting into the genre that I thought may be the best 'entry point' for them, I'd likely say Tarrus Riley. The artist has a very CLEAN style and refined PRESENTATION  of his music which, at least in my old ass, grizzled opinion, would make it very digestible for someone just really experiencing the vibes for the first time. I'd also give you names such as Etana's, maybe Ziggy, Steven & Ky-Mani Marley and a handful of others. Within that next lot, I'd like to think that someone who has popped up on our radars just within the past dozen years or so would also appear, the always-welcomed Joggo. The Surinamese/Dutch artist would make a HEAVY entrance courtesy of one of the strongest debut sets that I've heard.... hell, maybe ever, 2011's "Modern Rockers Vol. 1" and, in doing so, immediately displayed himself as someone not only to listen to at the time, but to also keep an eye on moving forward.

How did he do that, exactly??? If you listen to "Modern Rockers Vol. 1", even all of these years later, a pair of things stand out: The first of those and the most relevant for us today was the clear fact that Joggo had either gone somewhere and developed or had been born with such a powerful natural gift. He was extremely talented! The little I know of his youth is that Joggo, born Jurgen Seedorf was a footballer at a high level, having spells at both Real Madrid and Ajax as a midfielder. One of his brothers, Clarence Seedorf, had a FINE career - spending years at Ajax, Madrid, Inter, AC Milan and the Dutch National team. At the end of his football career, Joggo CLEARLY had a backup plan and it  brought him to the musical world, THANKFULLY. The other thing that stood out in regards to that first album was Joggo's clear influence by an older sound of Reggae music. Along with the most obvious trait being the title ["Israel Vibration say, 'play me on your MTV'. 2010 wi deh now, still no Reggae to see"], the actual music on that release (as brief as it unfortunately was), was saturated with a more vintage Roots vibe and Joggo utilized it to his absolute best in delivering one of the better albums we've dealt with in the history of this blog. So I'm going to go ahead and presume that Joggo didn't stumble into a studio one day in Holland, on accident, and messed around in the booth, discovering that he had some talent in a genre like old school Roots Reggae music. The more likely scenario is that it was a lifelong interest of his and he probably dabbled in music during his athletic campaign. I love when I have older albums that I've reviewed and can go back and read my thoughts of and see how I feel about them years later. In this case, it was nearly eleven years ago when we looked at "Modern Rockers Vol. 1" and it has not lost a shread of luster in that time and, having not heard it in quite awhile now, it's sounding excellent (if you haven't heard it (shame on you!), it is very easy to find now, definitely feel free to stop reading this review and go and check it out) (I'll wait) (back?) (okay let's continue). Tunes like 'Strong Black Woman', 'DJ Play Me Some Roots', 'Peace and Love' and the all-conquering 'I&I Know' stand up today as high as ever and, pretty much every selection on that big drop remains well worth a spin. The one critique I had for "Modern Rockrers Vol. 1" was, despite how DENSE it may've been, it was still only eleven songs spread across less than forty-three minutes. It kind of latched on to you and got you nice and hooked.... and then it dropped you off somewhere and it would take Joggo a good four years to come back and pick your ass up which is precisely what he did in 2015 with his sophomore full set, "Conscious Love". While "Modern Rockers Vol. 1" would come via Jah Decko and Dredda Records, its followup would find Joggo taking things behind the scenes to the next level and sending it through his own (I guess it's his label. Would be kinda strange if it wasn't, wouldn't it???) Joggo Music Productions (if you are curious, and you might be, Dredda Records are still around as far as I know, releasing "Amsterdam Revival" from Miriam Simone just a couple of years back now). Clocking it at a full hour across fifteen songs with an intro and outro (more on that in just a second), "Conscious Love" would INSTANTLY progress ahead of its older sibling and, most fortunately, it would continue to build upon the GORGEOUS foundation set by "Modern Rockers Vol. 1". Let's talk about it! Let's do it!

I brought up Tarrus Riley's name not too long ago not only to make the point but also because in a sorta/kinda way, Joggo reminds me of the star. It isn't that he really sounds like Riley, he does not. Joggo is not as refined or as polished (virtually no one is) and he doesn't sound like he grew up going to fine music and singing schools across the world. He's far more rugged and rough around the proverbial edges. Where the two are similar, at least in my opinion, is in how they both present their music. I can't think of a Tarrus Riley song that I've heard and thought that it was missing something glaringly. I may not love or even like ALL of them, but the work always comes through as if that particular selection was EXACTLY as the artist intended it to be in that moment. Maybe time has changed it for them, but at the time, it seems as if they got what they were wanting. Such a unique characteristic often leads to some amazing music and you need not go any further than even the Intro/title track of Joggo's second album, "Conscious Love". There's an old Turbulence album by the name of "Hail To The King" which had a similar intro/title song that I am bringing up because, off the top of my head (though I'm sure something else has to at least be in the conversation), it's probably the only intro that I can think of being as good as this one ("Hail To The King" was a pretty good album) (I want to say that Capleton also had a great one as well once upon a time). This thing is golden and, at more than two and a half minutes, it almost comes off as just quick but FULL tune. The intro is also a fine example of what I just said in regards to Joggo and Tarrus Riley's levels. He gets SO much out of it and it also serves the purpose of setting the stage for what is to follow (SERIOUSLY: If you wanted to call the intro the finest song on this album, I'd disagree with you, but I wouldn't hang on to the argument too much). Another of the album's biggest selections, 'Come Down', is its first complete offering and it continues the quality run established by our intro. This one is a fairly straight-forward social commentary, aimed at oppressive society ["I and I ah testify when babylon ah fall down now"], from Joggo's end and I simply must mention the guitar player, whoever he/she may be because they dazzle, especially during the later portions of 'Come Down'. Things get positively JOYOUS next courtesy of the GORGEOUS praise that is 'Everytime I Go Away' - the single best tune to be found on the whole of "Conscious Love" to my opinion.

"BECAUSE MI ROOTS AND MI KING ARE MI DIAMONDS AND MI KING

Mi nah go leave mi culture cause mi know it a mi strength

Such a natural beauty when I pray and risen

It makes mi overstand mi own feeling

So when mi did done deh deh, mi ready fi blaze

Work so hard sometimes, mi nah sleep fi days

But mi know di road mi ah trod and haffi keep it this way"

This one really struck me as being about HUMILITY. It's about giving thanks in both times of joy and hardship and appreciating what you do have regardless of what you're going  through. I also need to mention the riddim. Though you may find one or two better compositions on "Conscious Love", the one backing 'Everytime I Go Away' is sterling and it GRIPS the tune (and helps to give it a very pleasant vibe which ties into what is being said), making for an even stronger offering. A later piece of a similar theme also registered with me EXTREMELY high, 'Jah Almighty'. Again, this one has a very nice and upful vibes to it and Joggo puts it to good usage in giving praise. He also, delightfully, channels Bob Marley during one of the most memorable passages you will find at all here. For me, 'Jah Almighty' was the album's second strongest tune altogether and sticking with the same topic, also check 'Rasta Deh Pan The Rise', yet another mighty effort in praise of His Imperial Majesty. Though not as strong as either 'Jah Almighty' or 'Everytime I Go Away', 'Rasta Deh Pan The Rise' definitely has its shines and has its moments as a fairly straight forward (but BEAUTIFUL) offering. The riddim on that tune is exquisite and, clearly (and deservedly), Joggo is proud of it as he is quick to point out its origins at its beginnings, "It's a Joggo Music production!". "Modern Rockers Vol. 1" featured a couple of combinations with the one to grab attentions on paper being 'Strong Like Lion' as it tapped Turbulence and the aforementioned Jah Decko, "Conscious Love" also had a pair of tunes featuring guests, with the one that leaps out at you, 'The Change', bringing in the lovely Chantelle Ernandez who.... immediately continues to make us all wish that she were far more active than she was as, not only is that voice as beautiful as it always is, but she also says this:

"Oh government, why you loot and plunder your own just to satisfy yourselves and your friends?

Sell out your owna people and your country for a kingsize bed

You seem to forget-

We're one in the same

WHAT YOU DO TO US YOU DO TO YOURSELF

Cause in the end, together we fall and together we rise"

I don't know what shes up to these days, but it's been an unfortunate few years since I can recall hearing anything from Ernandez and that's too bad. The other tune here which took the helping hand of another artist, 'Can't Breathe', was also very nice as well. Joggo pulls in fellow Dutch born of Surinamese heritage, Le Prince for the golden social commentary. The track behind this one has a wonderful old school appeal to it, which would  have made it perfect on the first album and it's not sounding too bad on "Conscious Love" either (it would also work for Joggo's next album and the one after that and the one after that...). I don't know too much about Le Prince, but he did release an album by the name of "The Journey" just last year so I may check it out someday. You may want to do that as well, but before you get there, also check the WONDERFUL 'Revolution Warriors' ["Wi are revolution warriors and we gone fight until wi see freedom"]. It won't take much time, because the tune is entirely too damn short, but I'm pretty sure that you will well enjoy what you hear. This one is kind of a call to action because I get that not only is Joggo saying that HE is apart of the revolution, but that You and I and everyone else is welcome to join him. With that being said, the vibes of the piece are more laidback and highlighted by a downright hypnotic background singer/s who almost sounds, dare I say, Dezarie-ish at times (biggup Dezarie) (whatever she may be up to these days). The delightfully licked 'Keep It Burning' was a single from "Conscious Love" and it was also, seemingly, like the tune preceding it here (which I'm going to tell you about right here) 'A VIBE'. Both 'Keep It Burning' and 'Take It Slow' brought in a very unplanned and organic type of quality. They had similar directions -- about taking time to appreciate some of the less obvious, but extremely pleasing, aspects of life and having REVERENCE for those things and moments -- but neither one seemed to come through as very strict or rigid (and that would have taken away from the message of both, in my opinion), but they found their way, respectively, as two of the best songs on this album. And speaking of a song that didn't seem to have a great deal of mapping out beforehand - I saw the title 'University' and I can remember thinking that what I was going to be listening to was some a track espousing the wonders and values of an education, but what I would ultimately take away from this song was that it was about maturing. Joggo deals with relatively basic ideas ["We don't want no greed, all we want is love"], but he deals with them in terms of SEEKING them and, of course I'm an overthinker, so I come away from 'University' thinking that his idea of attending a university (or at least the one he's referring to here) is one almost entirely internal. It doesn't hit me as tough as either 'Keep It Burning' or 'Take It Slow', but I'm thinking, hearing it now, maybe I should spend a bit more time on 'University' - it couldn't hurt.

The name "Conscious Love" not only served the purpose of... providing this release with... a title (because that's what album titles do) (DUH!), but it also describes the actual music here as well. After dealing with the "conscious" side of things, much of its latter stages covers the "love". Not the strongest of them (although it is close), but likely the most interesting is 'All Around The World', which is a remake of a classic Pop tune by Lisa Stansfield from the 1980s. As random of a selection as it may be, on paper, Joggo does definitely make it work, unsurprisingly. About halfway through, 'All Around The World' hits another gear (it 'Reggaefies') which is well enjoyable and, like I said, there is a stronger love song on "Conscious Love", but it isn't by much and credit goes here for taking a risk. The solid 'Private Performer' was another single and while it may not change your life (it won't), it is sure to get your fingers tapping and your head knocking. There is a value in that and 'Private Performer' has it to spare. 'Sugar Love' is a bad title. It just is, there's no way around it. We have to acknowledge it. What results does not rank amongst my favourites on "Conscious Love", but it wasn't the overly sappy..... sugar love, piece that I was bracing for. And while it isn't nearly as joyous as 'Private Performer', the riddm on 'Sugar Love' is POWERFUL. There is an intoxicating saxophone in there somewhere that does not dominate, but so perfectly adds to things and I would LOVE to hear an instrumental of this one. The best love[ish] song you will find here is 'When Things Go Wrong' and I think Joggo knew it when he made it as he says early on, "when things go wrong, you should listen to this song". He is correct. Though it does focus more on the falling apart of relationships, for some reason 'When Things Go Wrong' makes me smile and it always has. There's just such a TIDYNESS to the vibes. As I said about Joggo's music, in general, this one makes me feel like he got EVERYTHING out of it that he wanted. It is a lovely song and, unless I'm forgetting something big, the best of its kind that's he has ever made for me. The final full song on "Conscious Love", 'Thank You', sends us back to the conscious side and it does so mightily.

"Six years long, struggling for my life to be-

Normal again, cause that time - it just wasn't me

Whoa Jah, didn't knew that people were finding me

We give thanks to Jah cause He gave me a family

Who always guiding and protecting me

Without them, oh Jah, where would I be?

No joke, a  true story

Only if you could know the pain I had inside of me

The pain I had inside of me 

Oh Jah, thank you for saving my life!

Oh Jah, without you I would not survive!

Mama - thank you for the day that you gave me life

Father - cause it was you that stayed by her side 

I won't forget, Jah Jah, what You did for me

Hard times, but that time You were like a shield for me

Discipline of miself, mi wife and kids kept empowering me

Even things went bad, oh Lord, yes You always stood beside me

Jah Jah look at me now

Seems like I never went away, always was around

Nuff a dem thought that they stolen my crown

BUT THE CROWN I'M WEARING THEY WON'T SEE CAUSE THEY JUST DON'T KNOW!

They just don't know!"

'Thank You' is a giant bit of gratitude from Joggo to several of the people, The Almighty and his family, who helped him through a tough spot in his life. I like drops like this which're so specific because they're more relatable. It just seems like Joggo was down on his luck for a few years and such things happens to many, many people - myself included. Lastly, our Outro is the second half of the wonderful Intro (fits so nicely, doesn't it?!). If you place them together as a single song and you want to call THAT SONG the single best on "Conscious Love", I'm not fighting you much, if at all, on that. By themselves they are glorious, together, even more. 

Overall, what's my type? Joggo's music is my type. In a relatively small amount of output (and I am including in that, "Love Ova War", which would become his third.... album-ish thing in 2019. It was only nine tunes and I don't feel right calling it an album, but whatever you want to call it -- album or EP -- it was very impressive), he has managed to thoroughly make a fan out of me. Given the fact that he has had four years in between all of his projects, I'm anticipating hearing new material from Joggo relatively soon and that's exciting for me, even just in theory. Listening back to "Conscious Love" (and a lot of "Modern Rockers Vol. 1", by extension) these days - I feel much of the same vibes I can recall originally getting from the first album around the first time we heard it. He just has this very PRODUCTIVE quality to his music which, as I said, gives it such a full and COMPLETE type of sound. However I attempt to (and fail to) explain it, Joggo's music will likely always find space on my players. Want to know why? Take a listen to "Conscious Love" and I'm sure you'll figure it out. Well done.

Rated: 4.35/5

Joggo Music Productions

2015

Digital

A Place Of His Own: A review of Melodies From The House Of Levi by Addis Pablo

Construction. I look around at these pages and, the older they get, I find myself very hopeful that someday, someone besides me can find wealth in them. I already use them as a form of research for myself in terms of seeing maybe how my opinions have developed and changed over the years or what I thought at a particular time and, if I'm successful, for as long as they're up, others potentially will have the ability to find some research material here on the critical side (meaning, something other than just looking at track lists and such things which you can find anywhere). That's just me: Teeny, tiny insignificant me - attempting (and hoping) to do my part. Were I an actual musician, I'd like to think that my attitude would be the same. I'd be hoping to have made my contribution and done something for someone at the end of my career. All of that goes into the idea of how artists can begin to build a legacy for themselves and how/why they will ultimately be remembered long after their days are over/ Of course, without the perspective of time, it is a question currently unanswerable in any case (you could have someone put together an excellent career and then have some controversy emerge which will go to on trump anything they may've done musically) (I believe there's a fellow by the name of Alcock who would be a good example of that), but in some cases we can begin to see in which direction things are trending. I'm going to intentionally bring up the example (normally I just write these things with what I'm feeling at the time, when I'm pulling up comparisons) of the Marleys. Anyone named 'Marley' making music of any kind is sure to draw attention on the value of their name alone. This is magnified to an almost infinite degree when the genre of music is Reggae. The progeny of the legendary Bob Marley have made an undeniable mark on the music, regardless of their name and its origins but, first and foremost, they will ALWAYS be the descendants of Bob Marley. You can run down the line of names which includes Ziggy, who has won EIGHT Grammy Awards (including seven for best Reggae album) (and is, REALLY, won of the most successful artists Reggae has ever produced), the brilliant Stephen, Ky-Mani and personal favourite, Damian who has, so wonderfully, brought his music into a wholly modernized style. It doesn't. All of them will always be the offspring of Bob Marley and it is situation they have obviously embraced (if they didn't, they probably would have found something else to do than pursue an artform for which your father is the face of). If you look at similar situations, however, it isn't necessarily the same case. For example, if the Marleys are the 'first family' of Reggae music (they are), the Morgans may very well be its second. When you hear "Morgan" in regards to Reggae music, you immediately go to Morgan Heritage and then draw the line back to their father, Denroy Morgan (biggup Denroy Morgan and congratulations on a life well lived) and you're likely to do similar things with a few others such as Tarrus Riley and Queen Ifrica, so it definitely works both ways.

2014

I bring those examples up because (that's just what I do) what they show are situations where offspring of former greats have not only walked the same road as their elders, but have also embraced the journey. They knew, for better or for worse, that they would immediately be compared to their parent and, in many cases, it would be a situation of spending an entire career in the shadow of someone else. To do that and still manage to build some type of a legacy of your own is truly remarkable. It is one thing to maybe remake some of your parent's old songs or maybe do them in performance (or maybe even a full album), but we've seen certain individuals take it even a step further. Such is the case of one Addis Pablo. Addis Pablo's father is an undisputed, unchallenged king in a very specific area of Reggae music. The legendary Augustus Pablo popularized (within the capacity of actually making music, professionally) a relatively obscure instrument in the melodica which was, perhaps, best known as a child's toy prior to his work. The elder Pablo would clearly not only fall in love with the melodica but instead of doing what you might imagine he would have and held it as something of a hobby, he played it straight into immortality.

And his son has followed in his footsteps. As I think about it more and more, Addis Pablo's situation is even more interesting because if he does it just 'right' (and so far, so good) he stands a pretty good chance of DIRECTLY inheriting his father's kingdom. Because of the scarcity of the melodica, were someone to come around and, like Augustus, basically lay claim to the instrument, that would still go a very long way in establishing a lasting reputation for that individual. That might even be more the case because it isn't as if there has been a BOOM in the emergence of melodica players. I'm not exactly an expert on (anything. Anything at all. Not even an expert on myself) players of instruments, but despite the fact that it is more prevalent (thanks to Augustus Pablo), the melodica isn't the most 'active' of sounds that you're going to hear in Reggae music. If that isn't the case for you and you do pay that much attention then chances are excellent that you're a very big fan of Addis Pablo's work. When we last took a look at his output, it was way back in 2014 for his excellent debut album release, "In My Father's House" (and if that doesn't tell you all you need to know about his feelings about what he's up to, nothing will) (clearly he FULLY welcomes it). Wonderfully, "In My Father's House" would come through one of our very favourite labels around that time and one we haven't had the pleasure of running into since ending our hiatus, JahSolidRock Music. Along with their work with Pablo, the Dutch based imprint also gained our full appreciation largely through working with Chezidek as they produced a MAMMOTH pair of albums with the singer - 2010's "Judgement Time" and "The Order Of Melchezedik" from three years on. That was more than enough to get and keep my attention (the former is one of the single best albums that we've covered on these pages and if it isn't a modern classic, it should be... I don't feel like looking it up right now!) (....okay it is!) (thought so!) but the label has also done material with the likes of Brinsley Forde, Lloyd De Meza (there's a name you haven't heard in awhile) and others. So, it would only make good sense that, when there is a new album from Addis Pablo -- and there is -- that it should also come via 'the highest region' and he and JahSolidRock now deliver "Melodies From The House Of Levi". Between projects, Pablo remained well active. Though this is probably going to officially his second album, there have been quite a few singles and more than a couple of EP style sets as well. Most notably, perhaps, would be "Bright Star", a LOVELY eight-tracked EP from Evidence Music which arrived just a couple of months ago actually and last year he also linked with the Green Lion Crew for "Green Lion Crew Meets Addis Pablo & Friends Uptown", which featured contributions from Mr. Williamz, Jah Bami and more. So he's been busy and definitely been impressing and as I can well say that, eight years later, the name Addis Pablo, as his own musician, carries more weight than it did as an up and comer back in 2014 (when he was still dropping big tunes like the syrupy sweet 'Road To Addis'). That's what he's been up to, however, the question is how is the present looking for Addis Pablo and JahSolidRock??

Good. It's looking really, really good. Surely such a project isn't the work of one man alone and joining Addis Pablo throughout the new album is a very diverse and decorated set of musicians with the likes of Dean Fraser, Dalton Browne and Dwight Richards all lending their considerable talents to thiis release under the helm of Ras Denco with Marc Baronner. The majority of JahSolidRock's work (pretty much all of it, if I recall correctly) came with a distinct sound quality. Regardless of whether you liked the actual tunes (and you did), the actual quality of their work was pretty much not even a matter of opinion. It was always stellar and their latest work continues that. Like its predecessor, Addis Pablo's new album, "Melodies From The House Of Levi" features Pablo alongside a variety of artists handling the vocal duties, with this time a very clear line being drawn in the situating of the album: What you will get first is an instrumental version of the track featuring Pablo and then the effort from the vocalist. I really like this method, directly, and a credit goes to whoever came up with the idea because it almost comes off as like a compilation of sorts and is a streamlined form of what was present on "In My Father's House" (and that also definitely worked). It remains very fresh throughout. Getting this started is what I believe is the most recent single from "Melodies", 'Black Liberation Day'. Despite its title, this composition isn't one that I'm necessarily going to refer to as "joyous". This isn't a celebration to my ears. What it is, is WORK. This is not a congratulations for a completed effort, instead it comes off more as a call to join in for the preparations that must be made for the day. There is a bit of subtle urgency here as well (particularly during its building middle portions) that I feel, with the main sentiment, in my opinion, being that there is much work to be done. Most interestingly, handling the vocal duties for the first track is man of the moment, Spanish singer George Palmer. The Horace Andy-esque vocalist has an album, "Working Man", forthcoming on Irie Ites Records in about a month or so as of this writing, so you're probably going to be hearing quite a bit for him forthcoming. Until then, set your ears on his effort here, 'No More War Dub'. As its title would suggest, this one is PURELY for the Dub heads who should devour it! If you've enjoyed hearing Horace Andy at some point in Dub, you should feel the same way about Palmer's work and definitely looking forward to the album. Pablo returns with another single from "Melodies" (this one from a couple of years ago now), 'Narrow Road'. 'Narrow Road' is EXQUISITE. Were it not for one chunk of brilliance than comes later on, it would be my pick as the best composition on the whole of this album. It has such a FULL vibe to it and how it manages to progress throughout is damn impressive. I don't possess the vocabulary (I do actually have the vocabulary, what I lack is the knowledge of exactly what I'm hearing) to describe it, but about a minute in or so, 'Narrow Road' WIDENS. It begins to bloom and though I won't call it dynamic, it is just... COMPLETE. There is not a thing missing on this one. Pablo hands it off to a pair of greats in Earl Sixteen (who was also on "In My Father's House") and Mutabaruka who link up for 'Every Nubian Is A Star'.

"So wi haffi tek control of wi destiny

Remember our glorious history

Shine bright, see the light

With your melanin skin, find your Nubian truth within

Our armageddeon past long, long time

Don't let dem twist and turn your mind

WI GAVE THE WORLD CIVILIZATION

DON'T LET DEM INDOCTRINATE YOU AND CALL IT 'EDUCATION'

Light the torch and shine it bright

Remember our glorious history 

With your melanin skin, find your Nubian truth within"

The two deliver EXACTLY what you would expect from such an esteemed union on a MAMMOTH shot about instilling confidence and PRIDE in the children of Africa throughout the world. 'Every Nubian Is A Star' ranks as my favourite vocals on "Melodies From The House Of Levi" and it's definitely one which I think will find a very big audience if given the chance.

Later on, we see Addis Pablo joined by two very impressive up and coming vocalists in Kenny Smyth and Var, who provide "Melodies" with two of its heaviest hitters in 'Pagan Land' and 'Poor and Needy', respectively. The latter was a tune that appeared on JSR's Poorman Riddim from a few years back, which was released as an EP that also included Addis Pablo's golden cut, 'Blessed Are The Poor'. For his part, you may've heard a lot of good things about Var and his potential and, if you haven't, this is a nice place to start in making up your own mind. 'Poor and Needy' is an excellent social commentary with a spiritual root ["Jah Jah bless the poor and needy, because dem system designed to keep the rich man greedy. Every time the poor man feel it, dem seh poverty no real, cah dem neva yet hungry"] and, again, if you haven't paid much attention to Var previously, it is a fine place to become acquainted. 'Blessed Are The Poor' doesn't require much of a developing period. It latches onto the listener almost immediately, producing one of the most infectious and intoxicating moments on the album. Smyth also shines on the, arguably, even stronger 'Pagan Land'. Kenny Smyth comes equipped with a POWERFUL kind of dusty sound to his voice (probably not the best way to describe it, but I'm sticking with it), immediately giving virtually anything he does at least some level of appeal to my ears and 'Pagan Land' is going to be one of the best songs that I've heard from him to date (also check an older tune by the name of 'Jah Mi Gi De Glory', if you're curious about what else he's done on that level). Pablo comes through on that same riddim with 'Nineve', a highlight coming from his end as well. This one does have to grow for about a minute or so before emerging in total, but when it does - DAMN! 'Nineve' is almost stunning at times but in a very laid-back and chilled sort of way (there is a spell from about 1:44 to 1:58-ish, which just HAD me. It is so beautiful), making it very easy to take it all in. BOOM!

The final time we hear from Addis Pablo on "Melodies From The House Of Levi" is my favourite track from him here, the GOLDEN 'Jah Kingdom Come'. This one is EVERYTHING! It's laid back and dynamic. It simple and complex and it is BEAUTITFUL from beginning to end. I do so find myself loving horns on instrumental and while they are present on 'Jah Kingdom Come', they do not dominate the vibes, they only serve to accentuate them. What results is something that I had a thought of my Wife actually said it before I did: It sounds like Pablo is telling a story. He isn't playing music just for the sake of playing it, there is something on his mind and just like a great lyricist, he's enlightening us all through 'Jah Kingdom Come'. It is Jah Exile who (was also on the first album) comes in with 'Psalm 20'. As its title would suggest, Exile's tune is a pretty straight forward, biblically inspired piece. It almost sounds as if he got the idea to do this on the spot because there isn't much else going on here, the real attraction being listening to Exile, blissfully, lost in the moment.... probably not even caring who can or who is going to hear him. Pablo also gets very high marks for his penultimate offering on "Melodies", the outstanding 'Words of Solomon', as does the increasingly popular Ras Teo who supplies the riddim with vocals via 'Sabbath Day'. Somewhat similar to 'Jah Kingdom Come' in terms of the feel of it, 'Words of Solomon', again, sounds like Pablo is giving us information through his vibes. As an overthinker and someone who finds supreme joy in attempting to decipher the words of the genres most gifted lyricists, I'm tempted to do it here as well, but I think that, if my assumption is true, that such things are best left, COMPLETELY, to the individual listener; and even if I am totally wrong (and I almost surely am), who cares?? 'Words of Solomon is a JOY to listen to, even in just what it is on the surface. The Swedish born Teo, who has enjoyed a powerful last couple of years or so, was in fine form on this contribution.

It is just a really well-done piece and, if you have not looked in on what Ras Teo has been up to lately, you're really missing out on something quite special, so take care of that right now (and I have to mention how much I LOVE that, pretty much, the final twenty-five seconds or so of 'Sabbath Day' is more SWEET instrumentals). 

Overall, to the surprise of absolutely no one at all, "Melodies From The House Of Levi" is EXCELLENT. It continues much in the fashion of its predecessor (as will its eventual follow-up, I'm sure) which is just fine, so if you did enjoy the "In My Father's House" album --and if you've read this far into a review, you did -- it is a LOCK that "Melodies" will also make you happy (I've developed the habit of listening to something other than what I'm reviewing when I get to the conclusion and this time I've gone back into "In My Father's House".... that thing was SO NICE! What a nice album!). Though I do so wish that Chezidek had been involved, I do really like the selection of the vocalists as well and, like I said, the presentation of the project. In one or two of these instances, hearing the clean instrumental before the vocals kind of made me more sensitive to hearing the riddim behind the artist because I was tuned in at that point and expecting to hear certain things (particularly true with 'Psalm 20'). That put light on things that I don't know that I generally pay attention to in that exact way when I listen to music. I'm also going to give a credit to one Abba Yahudah, the artiste who created the album covers for both "In My Father's House" and "Melodies". That man is a genius. His artwork, here, just as before, sits atop a body of work befitting to such a beautiful display as, on "Melodies From The House Of Levi", Addis Pablo and JahSolidRock once again soar and demonstrate a level of quality comparable to even the most revered of legacies. I ended the review of "In My Father's House" saying:

"The album serves as a mighty debut for Addis Pablo who not only picks up where his legendary father left off, but he also shows himself to potentially be capable of building a legend of his own. GOLDEN."

The foundation was laid. Eight years on, on top of it is a palace. 

Rated: 4.35/5

JahSolidRock

2022

Vinyl + Digital

Modern Classics Vol. XXXVII: "In Transit" by Ziggi

"In Transit" by Ziggi [Rock 'N Vibes]

Much in the same way as it was for the last time we did one of these features ["Judgement Time" by Chezidek], today we're going to have a look at an album which has, very much, been a favourite of mine from the first time I heard it and one by an artist who, similarly, also has been one of my favourites for quite awhile. Also like the last album, what we have here today is a project which has grown and grown on me throughout the years to the point where its greatness has become so vivid to my ears as each and every time I hear it - I find something new to LOVE about it. 

Ziggi Recado

Over the past few years the former Ziggi, now 'Ziggi Recado', has strung together a sensational career. To my opinion, the Statian supernova has proven himself to be amongst the absolute most talented Reggae stars of the current era and his popularity has grown and evolved with right alongside his considerable skills as he is now one of the most well known and most respected acts in European Reggae music. Anywhere you stop, formally, along his release line, you're very likely to be impressed. Just last year he would release a pair of EP's, the original and sequel of "Liberation" for Dredda Records, while back in 2011, Recado would give us his self-titled, third and wildly popular studio album as well. It was three years before that, however, when, in my opinion, Ziggi would launch what would become and what remains his finest piece of work to date and, as I said, a personal favourite of mine. This was amplified Roots Reggae with just a dash of Dancehall. Coming courtesy of his former longtime home, Rock 'N Vibes (who would do each of Ziggi's first three albums), to my opinion, the music on this release came together to show what Ziggi was really about musically and from since then, he has yet to falter. Today we make progress and get elevated with one of the best albums I've ever heard, "In Transit". 

The Music

#1. Intro

Ziggi and producer, Berteaut Fleming [aka 'Mr. Rude'] hustle through the airport to make their flight. Coinciding with the theme, and the cover, of the album - it is time to get in transit. 

#2. 'When The Youths Cry'

The first actual song on 'In Transit', like the fourteen behind it, is a great one. Although it hasn't been a song which, through the years, has garnered a great deal of attention, I don't think that an even somewhat solid case could be made that 'When The Youths Cry' is not an exquisite tune. It is. I now refer to the track as a kind of a 'loose' social commentary. Although it is also a personal selection, the song has such a free-flowing nature to it, which makes it all the more remarkable that it is also a track which doesn't waver from its lyrical goal, making it one of the best written moments here as well. As we'll find out, on this album that's a VERY big deal.

Best Lyrics: "Leggo all dem negative ways and deeds cause Jah Jah wi ah praise that's why dem caan succeed. When dem try fi fight wi down, everyday nuff blood ah run. And dem system too corrupt, that's why nuff fire ahgo bun"

#3. 'Need To Tell You This'

Where 'When The Youths Cry' is this beautiful track which has not received the credit and interest that its quality would seem to have earned it, that certainly isn't the case with 'Need To Tell You This'. Definitely one of the most identifiable moments on "In Transit", the Rootdown produced track (iLove Riddim) (MASSIVE 'Slew U In The Open' by Natty King on the same track), arguably, has also become one of Ziggi's most well known pieces altogether and, again, it is something that is warranted based solely on the song's quality. The tune finds Ziggi giving his full attention to someone special. I hesitate to call it a 'love song' - because it's more of a 'relationship song'. The difference being that although it well does have a similar focus (DUH), it also speaks on hard times and even a certain level of apprehension and awkwardness that comes, specifically, with being with a musician or someone who, in general, has to do things which takes them away for long stretches of time. 

Best Lyrics: "Mi sing - When di time comes and mi haffi lef town, mi hope you understand mi have a little work that have to done. Baby don't you shed a tear. There is nothing you should fear. Though you far away, inna mi heart, you'll always be near"

#4. 'Fight This Struggle'

I don't think I had heard this tune in a minute before listening it for the sake of this post because when it first dropped in, it brought a giant smile to my face. 'Fight This Struggle' is carried by a downright GOLDEN piece of a track courtesy of the mighty Al.Ta.Fa.An, the Senior Riddim, which, to my opinion, is definitely one of that label's best creations and if you follow their work, you know how big of a statement that is because they are excellent. Besides having a great 'bed' in which to lay his tune, for his part Ziggi also puts forth a brilliant effort on a tune during which he urges all to, despite the hardships of life and the potential hardships of the prospects of changing things, maintain the course and try harder. Ultimately it is worth it on this environmentally conscious offering.

Best Lyrics: "Yow, I see dem looting, polluting and abusing Mother Earth. Nuff a dem no really know what life's really worth. Now di solar caps melting. Temperature's rising. Dem ah boost war, mi si no love circulating. No oxygen to breathe because they're chopping down di trees. Destroying all di homes of all di birds and di bees. They don't really care bout life. Tell dem open up dem eyes because dem nah live right. The world is in trouble. Temperature's on the rise. Tell di bigga heads fi open dem eyes up. Let's fight this struggle and give thanks for life. And your blessings will multiply"  BOOM!

#5. 'Code Red'

The intense 'Code Red' has done a great deal of 'traveling' in regards to my tastes through the years. At first I really did enjoy the track which I wouldn't necessarily call Hip-Hop influenced, although I probably should. But in later times my appreciation of it dwindled just a bit. Today? I'm back on it. 'Code Red' is a nearly brilliant piece of designed and forecasted franticness. There's so much going on here, but the pillar of attraction to the piece comes, unsurprisingly, in its lyrics - a gift only for those keen enough to sift through the vibes surrounding it. 

Best Lyrics: "Another crack baby's in the street with no food fi eat. Homeless man ah try sleep without no sheet. Youths ah turn to violence cause dem no see hope [so some ah sell crack and some ah smoke dope]"

#6. 'Cry Murdah'

Grrrr! Another favourite and signature moment from "In Transit", 'Cry Murdah', is up next. This is the type of a song that I'll speak on more later, in synopsis, as to the prevailing strength of this release and exactly why I enjoy it so much, but to cover it now - It's just a GREAT TIME of a listen. It was the type of piece whose presence not only made the album that much stronger, but it definitely gave it a pit of hype and a necessary hype as well. A social commentary at its heart, as far as a single song, 'Cry Murdah', like the album on which it appears, is a modern classic. 

Best Lyrics: "And shotta neva hesitate when time fi let it off. So nuh bodda get inna di way when dem ah pop it off. And nuff a dem lose dem way already, now dem soul lost. GOT TO BE DEM LIVING TOO FAST"

#7. 'Shackles & Chains'

The Seven Riddim from Special Delivery underpins what could well be called another classic selection on the album, the stirring 'Shackles & Chains'. My absolute favourite song on this album comes somewhere between this conquering tune and the one preceding it. This song had everything going for it also. You can listen and be dazzled and you can listen and be educated by what Ziggi is saying and what he is saying is a thought of people progressing on large and small levels and not even coming close to being held down by negative forces and individuals. This is one of the best tunes he's ever done in my opinion, still, 'Shackles & Chains' was genius. 

Best Lyrics: "Tell dem no bodda get inna di way when di youths dem ah revolute. Nah bow to dem a The Almighty weh wi salute. Youth dem ah get educate, so you can't pollute dem mind no more. And that's for sure. Eyes on di prize, youth dem full a ambition. Ready now to rise cause di youths have a vision. And right now your days are numbered. So get ready fi di judgment now. Shackles and chains can't stop di fire wi ah blaze. Babylon you must get erase. Sorrows and pains - alla dem will fade away. Tomorrow will be a better day"

#8. 'A Better Way' featuring Gentleman

Ziggi taps German Reggae superstar, Gentleman (why not make a new album???) for the first of several really nice combinations during "In Transit", 'A Better Way'. Two such artists on a single track definitely portends GREATNESS and this Al.Ta.Fa.An produced link didn't disappoint. Gentleman is someone who has worked with almost everyone and has proven to have a great deal of musical chemistry with just about all of them (seriously, he's made a song with almost every big named modern Roots Reggae artist) (Gentleman and… Sara Lugo???) (WHAT!) and Ziggi didn't prove to be an exception as the duo turned in a MASSIVE tune together. 

Best Lyrics: "A fact this: This badness ah cause too much sadness. Youths dem a di one who pay di price fi yah madness" 

#9. 'Gonna Leave You'

BOOM! Ziggi would deliver an unforgettable sweetness across the Sugar Riddim, also from Special Delivery, in the form of the hit that was 'Gonna Leave You'. I was late to this proverbial party (I usually am) and did not like this song as much as… pretty much everyone else who heard it when I first listened to it, but the years (actually the months, I've liked it now for quite some time) changed that and 'Gonna Leave You' is an undeniably gorgeous piece. What you really appreciate here (amongst others) is that Ziggi puts on the vocals just a bit and while you'll never confuse him for Jah Cure, what he does vocally with this song is so wholly appropriate and appreciable that it adds to the overall presentation of it and makes the moment so much more than it would have been on a straight forward chant. 

Best Lyrics: "It's so hard for me lady. Can't take the fussing and fighting. And when it comes to you baby - you know I tried to do the right thing. But it seems like we never on the same line, arguing about the same thing all the time. Yes, I miss the days you used to be my sunshine. Now it's time for you to listen to the punchline: Yes, I'm gonna leave you girl. Can't take the pressure no more. I think I'm gonna leave you girl. Yes, I'm headed for that door"

#10. 'Oh Yeah' featuring Ce'Cile

So when you want to loosen things up just for a moment and you want to do it in a way which is fun, but SMOOTH also. What do you do? You link up with Ce'Cile and you do 'Oh Yeah', the certain change-up on "In Transit". This tune was clearly made for just kind of a lighter atmosphere and it is the type of track which doesn't even come close to detracting from the balance of the album. It could have, of course. When you take such a song and throw it on an album where it, in terms of subject, sticks out so greatly - you take the risk of 'disturbing' the album. That wasn't the case here. 'Oh Yeah' was harmless and it was good too. 

Best Lyrics: "How you look so ready, yow mi really waan link you. Yeah, Ziggi rate you. Really waan date you. Put you pon a pedestal and escalate you. Take mi home to Mama, mek mi sit and debate you"

#11. 'Blaze It pt. 2' featuring Anthony B

For the herbalist tune on the album, Ziggi went in an interesting direction in several different ways. First of all he made the tune a sequel of an older selection and then he also tapped Anthony B on a track from Al.Ta.Fa.An (and a GORGEOUS track it was) for a powerful and unmoving tune covering one of both star's and guest's favourite topics of discourse. The song was kind based on and around the original, which was a hit in its time, a quality which, in retrospect, gave it even more flames.

Best Lyrics: "Tell dem it's the healing of di nation. Take away frustration. Mek dem hold a higher meditation. No matter what the situation, got to keep it burning, Nuff respect to all di herbsmen"

#12. 'Unconditional'

'Unconditional' has always been a tune which I felt, perhaps in the face of tunes such as 'Gonna Leave You' and 'Need To Tell You This', has gone underrated and overlooked through the years. That's really too bad because, at least to my opinion, the Supersonic helmed tune [Devil's Angel Riddim] is every bit as good as those similarly guided but far more well known selections. It is also, however, a bit less complicated and its sound less immediately spectacular, but for everyone who REALLY cared enough to take in the entire tune, what you got was a love song and a relationship song which was 'filled with love'. Excellent backing sing

Best Lyrics: "It is a long, long road. But we done came this far so right yah now there is no turning back. We gotta long, long way, to go, but with your loving baby girl I'm solid like a rock. Yes, I am standing firm. And yes I know that everyday we learn - a little more bout your love, more bout my love. So yes, yes try love"

#13. 'Don't Get Down'

On the obligatory Mama tune on this album, the heavy 'Don't Get Down', Ziggi keeps the vibes high while slowing things down just a bit, even in respect to the slower tune which precedes it. Extremely straight-forward and uncomplicated, this tune finds its success on that very thing as its simplicity shines. Here we find Ziggi giving thanks to the greatest person on the planet and doing it in a very strong lyrical fashion. 

Best Lyrics: "You always lift me up when I was down and I'm thankful for the way you watched over me. You're a queen, you know you wear the crown, and I'm grateful for the love that you give to me. Cause your loving and affection keeps me going so I pray for your protection. And I will never disappoint you - so Mama I don't wanna see you feeling blue"

#14. 'Good Over Evil'

Ziggi touches the No Borders Riddim through Massive B via the KNOCKING 'Good Over Evil'. The song is one which, as its title does suggest, really just establishes and reinforces the idea of pushing positivity high and slamming negativity down (harshly). It comes through in specific channels in some instances and very broad ones in others and I say that (in an absurd and complicated manner), to speak on just how superbly this track is WRITTEN. You could even very well make the point that it was the best lyrical display on the whole of "In Transit". 

Best Lyrics: "Too much ghetto people babylon ah try eliminate. Right yah now, now shotta dem ready fi start retaliate. Dem ah buss it like a bubble and dem neva hesitate. Tell dem seh di youth dem mind, you know wi haffi penetrate. Mek dem know dem haffi live it up and try to hold di faith. Roll it up and light it up and then it's start to meditate. Babylon it's getting hot you know you must evacuate. Dis yah one you know you caan dictate"

#15. 'Burning Redda'

'Burning Redda' is another track on this album with a crucial message which is also amazingly entertaining. You come to this tune of two minds: On one side if you get over-dazzled, you'll miss something special being said, while on the other - should you come thinking too much (and I do that, but I'm also very easily distracted, which is a good thing in this case), you won't be able to just enjoy ‘Burning Redda' for the crazy and mad track that it is. In the middle of it all exists a BIG tune and a significant point on the album. 

Best Lyrics: "Informers looking out like street camera. When you think dem nah see, dem still ah study yah. Caught up in di hype and mix up in di media. FOOLING DI JUNIORS, PROVING ALL DI SENIORS"

Bonus Track. 'Cry Murdah' remix featuring Admiral T

Take, arguably, the best tune on the album and add the virtually unnecessarily talented Admiral T (that man could actually have a quarter of the skills that he currently has and still be DAMN wicked) and you have a tune of immense interest. Admiral T alongside Ziggi, even on paper, is a wonderful idea. In fruition - it's just as strong. 

Synopsis

The last time we did one of these I went in a different direction in terms of talking, specifically, why I liked that album as much as I did and I think I'll do that again this time, but the concept here is so RIPE with discussable points, that I wouldn't at all be the ridiculous over-thinker that I am if I didn't at least deal with it slightly. The idea of being "In Transit" for this album in particular can lead to so many different routes. Personally, looking back, I look at the moment of its release as THE time when Ziggi (as I said of Jah9 recently in regards to her own new album) ("New Name", in stores now) pretty much 'shed' his label of potential and became someone who began to be dealt with in terms of the present rather than potential. He stopped being a prospect and became a contender. Anyone who could do something like this surely is beyond us wondering what is next - it's far more fun to wonder what is now. I'd like to think that was one of the main ideas behind the album concept but it does seem rather odd to think of someone, essentially, saying "Okay, after this album everyone will know I'm amazing" (even though that is exactly what happened). Also I should mention within that same frame that, if I recall correctly, the album would reach rather far in its progression towards being released before Greensleeves, which was probably newly acquired (or on the verge of being acquired) by VP Records at the time, came on board and gave it an even wider level of notoriety. Another (far more likely) idea would be that the line of thinking here is that being 'in transit' is another part of the music. It had been a couple of years from Ziggi's first album, "So Much Reasons" (which was also very popular) and it was time again to hit the road to promote the new album and new music and one could take that more specifically to the artist in the airport going on tour and playing from place to place and just being in that atmosphere of being a musician and away from home for long periods of time (check 'Need To Tell You This'). However, regardless of the actual idea behind the concept, I think that we can say from the perspective of a very long half-decade later, that not only was it a successful one, but it so wonderfully a nice dimension to the album that it would not have enjoyed if it were named after a song on the album (although 'Code Red' or 'Unconditional' may've made for pretty good titles). 

As far as the major appeal of "In Transit", for me I think that it comes through as such a huge extension of the artist. I know that sounds… kind of dumb (but you should be used to that by now) (look at what you're reading!), but what I mean is that we can now look back at what became of Ziggi and specifically say that no album that he's done has so fully and vibrantly captured EVERYTHING that he is good at musically in the way that "In Transit" did. Although it was very popular, I wasn't the biggest fan of the first album, so when it came to the second, I had this reaction of "OH! Ziggi can do this!" and that may not have been the majority response, but when for me it became that moment when he ascended into being someone who -- if I am absolutely going to listen to music (and I am) -- I have to listen to this man. This is brilliant. As far as the actual music, Ziggi Recado is someone who has a conscious and spiritual base, but he comes through both aggressively and smoothly. He has a very dexterous and versatile approach. Like I said in reference to 'Cry Murdah' and there were others - these are songs whose direction places them in the scope of Roots Reggae music, but whose sound is so open and accessible that it crosses genre's by 'simply' being what it is and you can say that about Ziggi also. He can be ultra-refined and rough around the edges at the same time and be both on the highest level. And if you REALLY tune into "In Transit" you know that it, also, was those things. You also know that it was brilliant and something else: A bonafide Modern Reggae Classic!