Words of The Week: 'Fire Chant' by Capleton

'Fire Chant'

Holy Emmanuel I, Selassie I Jah!
Rastafari!
Talk to rass to youth
Mi seh fi talk to rass
Talk to Ras-Tafari
Unuh hear wah mi seh
Mi seh unuh fi talk to rassclaat
Wholeon!
Tru you hear mi seh rassclaat

Unuh tink is indecent language. You always remember seh di word RAS mean ‘head’ and check mi turban how mi claat dat tie it. See it? So mi seh rassclaat!

Well di fyah is for di purification how f#%k can you fight against fyah? When you wake up inna di morning it’s fire don’t? Inna di evening you want some food it’s still fyah. So mi seh mi bun car and some man ah talk bout ‘how yuh fi bun car when you drive car?’ Do you nah understand weh mi mean, or nah overstand, when mi seh mi bun dat mean seh yuh mustn’t put car in front of humanity. Dat mean yuh mussi see your brothers and sisters before you see care, cah people is more valuable than material. Bwoy if you ah gwan lak yu waan complicated and being ridiculous wid ah likkle mental capacity, mi now ahgo mek yuh know. Yuh waan mi get evil wid di fire. Well anytime I go into my car, front ah yuh drive car yuh haffi bun it cah remember when mi press gas, ah bun mi ah bun gas you know that. When mi press mi break, ah bun mi ah bun break also.

[‘TALK TO RASS’]

When mi tun on mi ignition you know how much fyah dat inna mi engine? If I need some music and tun on mi stereo ah fyah ah gimme dat, but watch di bigga judgment - If I need some cool air condition ah fyah generate dat also. So always remember seh dat di fyah is di main source of life, mi ah pass di church and hear dem deh pon, ‘keep di fyah burning’ ah hear dem again, ‘ah little more oil in my lamp, keep it burnin’. Hear dem now God nah come back wid no water, brimstone and fyah. Now how di f#%k unuh confuse bout fyah?

Di fyah is for di purification! Unuh waan know summin?! Di herb heal! But is still di fyah haffi bun di herb so di herb coulda able fi heal. Watch ya again - Di water cleanse. But ah still di fyah haffi bun di waterand purify di water so di water coulda able fi cleanse.

Any man weh no have no fyah DEAD. Holy Emmanuel I, Selassie
[‘MORE FIRE!’]

Taken from Capleton's album "More Fire" Capleton

Beautiful Tunes #36

I think it's #36 this week??? I can check . . . Yep, #36. Wow. . . Okay. Anyway. This week we have two very familiar names (one of whom I believe I bumped last week for a newbie) and one VERY disappointing newbie who I'm going to make fun of. Let's do it and do it now.

Okay first, let me tell you a little story about my new friend Reginald (cool name) from Florida (which part of Florida Theo???). Last week Reggie sends me an email which isn't completely complimentary towards me, which is fine, but basically his problem with me is that he thought that I didn't give enough attention to the foundation artists and their music and . . . Yeah. He's completely right, of course. I don't, but . . . Not going to be changing anytime soon. Then he starts to talk about how poor the music is nowadays and how that OLD and CLASSIC Roots Reggae sound has been lost and how disappointed he is. Then he recommends a tune (actually a few) - Of course it's something from Dennie Brown or Marley or Peter Tosh or Burning Spear right??? No. It's Junior Reid, Baby Cham and a Hip-Hopper, MIMS, with 'This Is Why I'm Hot'.

Next in is something Reginald is sure to appreciate as Johnathan from Denmark via the UK gives us a tune from Omar Perry, 'Great Trumpet'. The tune appeared on Perry's debut (I THINK) album "Man Free" which wasn't too much at all to my ears, it was just wholly average, but this song (which I don't remember at all and if that album doesn't have a title track then off of the top of my head I can't name you anything on it at this point) sounds pretty good, so maybe it's time for another listen through on Omar Perry's first drop.

And finally this week from my lovely readers is Remmy who LAMELY chooses something that he saw for the very first time at my house on Thursday. It definitely qualifies though as Assassin holds court at an Eva Clean Tuesdayz alongside Merciless, Aidonia and Suhverto. Probably ten different "tunes" on this one, but definitely the biggest line draws at 'Nah Sell Out' by 'Sassin and maybe 'Reply' by Merciless (even though the original is really really bad. Anyway, enjoy and biggup Remmy who was reportedly last seen heading towards Statia on a jet ski with a very small and very innocent goat.

As for me, this week is REALLY REALLY REALLY easy because on last Wednesday, one of my absolute favourite artists and quite possibly the single best human being on Earth, Destra Garcia, turned a very young 33 years old (it's young until I hit it, of course) and she dropped a new tune to celebrate. It's a COOL 'Cool It Down' and if you haven't noticed, November is almost already half gone which means that MADNESS MADNESS soon comes. Until then, however, enjoy new Destra.

• No beautiful tunes next week because we'll be traveling for a bit so I won't be posting on Sunday or Monday (and maybe not Saturday either, but I'll let you know), but do grab me at AchisReggae@hotmail.com for future weeks.
  
• Reviews this week for Jahsolidrock and Not Easy At All's new compilation "Cultural Vibes" and blah blah blah blah
• Cool Soca article and maybe a list if I can finish it also and some RIDICULOUS lyrics
• Biggup David Haye
  

Coming Soon Vol. 25

{Note: Written a few days ago. Check the dates, some of this stuff may actually have been released already}

Coming Soon

Jahdan Blakkamoore - “Babylon Nightmare” [Lustre Kings Productions]

And unless I’m really forgetting something, this release, by far, is the one that I’m most looking forward to as an artist who has been SCALDING over the past eighteen months or so FINALLY brings forth his new album - It’s Jahdan Blakkamoore with ”Babylon Nightmare” from one of my favourite labels (even though they never response their email), Lustre Kings Productions. Okay, the big question here, following his debut solo release is whether or not this album will be a Reggae album. The first album, ”Buzzrock Warrior” was pretty much a Hip-Hop album, if I recall correctly, but given the LKP label and the various labels with which they associate (particularly Zion High Productions and I Grade), this one definitely figures to be heavy on the Reggae and having perused the tracklist, I can’t say that there’s much in the way of combinations, but DAMN! I am so looking forward to sinking my reviewer’s teeth into this one, so you know, review coming soon.

Rated Potential: 4.9999999/5
Releases on December 7
CD & Digital

“Cultural Vibes Vol. 1” [Jahsolidrock & Not Easy At All Productions]

Have a label? Need a compilation. The last time the increasingly wicked Jahsolidrock and Not Easy At All Productions linked up . . . Well, technically speaking the LAST time was back in April when they dropped Chezidek’s dominant ”Judgement Time” album. There’s also, so I hear, a forthcoming album from Apple Gabriel, which would be his first in more than a decade and at the same damn time they’re releasing an eighteen track compilation as well - ”Cultural Vibes Vol. 1”. Wow. From the looks of it (and I already have it) (biggup Denco), this compilation seems pretty good and who knows, I might slap a review on it someday (and if you know me any at all, you know that means that most likely I’m going to review it pretty soon, but who knows). Of course Chezidek is here with two of the biggest tunes from his album (curiously Apple Gabriel is not) and joining him are the likes of Mikey General, Junior Murvin, Earl 16 (who I believe also has an album forthcoming from the labels) and Benaïssa, Joggo, Wild Life and everyone’s favourite pudgy airplane flirt, Lloyd De Meza. And there’re also a couple of surprises, which I won’t spoil for you here.

Rated Potential: 4.5/5
Releases on November 15
CD & Digital

The Dancehall Again Riddim [Daseca]

How odd is this??? A Dancehall label drops a Dancehall riddim and scores BIG in the process. It sounds straight forward enough, but it doesn’t happen as often these days and you might think. Fortunately, the boys at Daseca have remembered that they are, in fact, a Dancehall label (or at least they used to be) and have dropped the first of their riddims that I’ve actually liked in how long, the Dancehall Again Riddim and it just sounds SO NICE! The riddim itself is pretty unexceptional, but because actual Dancehall these days has well become an endangered species, I’LL TAKE IT! Agent Sasco absolutely SMASHES the riddim with the title track (“Mi nah have Nuttin against R&B, Jazz and Pop, but mi represent di Gold and di Green and di Black”) (BOOM!), but whatever is left is left to the likes of Beenie Man, Aidonia, Mr. Vegas, Fambo and of course Serani (twice) and Bugle. Hopefully this will start a trend of sorts and maybe 2011 will see Dancehall rise and run again.

Digital
Releases November 12

The New Day Riddim [Jahlight Records]

I’m always happy to see new labels pop up from some of my favourite places so back a few months ago when a rep of Trini label, Jahlight Records, linked me (partially to inform me that Royal Dainties had, in fact, changed his name to Mr. Royal) and told me about their forthcoming project, the New Day Riddim, I was all ears . . . I mean eyes. The riddim is kind of a ‘funky’ Roots piece and it fittingly features a whole heap of Trini artists, including favourites of mine like the aforementioned Mr. Royal (big big tune with the riddim title track), King Solomon and Ras Pilot and also on board is Gounzman who apparently scored quite the local hit with ‘What Monkey See’. And Jahlight is here to stay so they’ll definitely be fun to watch going into 2011.

Releases on December 7
Digital

Etana - “Free” (EP) [VP Records]

‘So we’ll try it again’: As far as I can tell there’s nothing HUGE planned for the final 7 or 8 weeks of 2010 by Reggae giant VP Records in the way of new albums, but what they are planning to do (again) is to give us a taste of what will probably be their biggest earliest release of next year, ”Free Expression” from the divine Etana. So, in anticipation of the moment, the label is releasing ANOTHER digital EP from Etana, "Free", and not so surprisingly the first, ”Happy Heart” has now gone missing. But who cares??? The main point of concern here is that after now three or four delays, February 8 appears to be a GO for Etana’s new album and it really isn’t that far away if you think about it.

Releases on December 7
Digital

The Best of Tony Prescott [T&T Entertainment]

Finally this week, I have to admit that I’m not the largest Tony Prescott fan in the world, but that certainly doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate his music and don’t recognize his place in the music, because I do. And because of that and the fact that I, most thankfully, have the ability to appreciate good music when I hear it, I was pretty happy to see that T&T Entertainment (which I think is one of the 8,000 or so sublabels of Faluma) (yep, it is) was going to be releasing a “Best of” album for him and I’m planning on picking it up as well. The piece contains all of the Tony Prescott favourites that I have like ‘All Aboard’ and ‘Sailing Away’ as well as ‘On De Road’, ‘Wukkin Up’ and the gorgeous ‘Outta Africa’. So! Should you be interested in some really really cool Groovy style Soca, do check out ”The Best of Tony Prescott”.

Potential Rating: 4.5/5
Releases on December 3
Digital

In Stores Now

Sizzla - ‘Sufferation’ (single) [Ghetto Youths Distribution]

How wonderfully nice would it be if Sizzla Kalonji tunes started rolling out digitally like . . . Mavado songs. Of course that doesn’t happen so it made it all the more surprising when I saw this very random release of this big big tune, ‘Sufferation’ by Ghetto Youths Distribution. And I’ll leave it there because my mind is . . . Yeah it’s going in a few different directions. But the tune is strong, and it’s Sizzla and my biases are still WELL intact, but do check it out.

Digital

Jah Cure, Rick Ross & Mavado - ‘Like I See It’ (single) [SoBe Entertainment & Maybach Music/Zojak Worldwide]

And speaking of singles (and Mavado), Jah Cure is another artist who maintains a very high presence on the digital scene and now he has even more of a reason to do just that as early 2011 will reportedly see the release of his new album, ”World Cry” and in the meantime the Cure is making big and international links with his latest release, ‘Like I See It’ which features popular Hip-Hopper Rick Ross as well as Dancehall star, Mavado (incidentally, Magazeen - formerly Reagan, who works for Ross should have ABSOLUTELY been on this tune). It’s a very dark and somewhat ’dirty’ sound for the Cure, definitely not what we’re used to, but even if you’re not into all of that (and of course I’m not), also included is a version featuring Jah Cure on his own, which still isn’t my favourite, but is the highlight here for me.

Digital

The Lucky Girl Riddim [Stingray Records/Zojak Worldwide]

While they may or may not actually have a tune on Lloyd Brown’s soon to be released (I forget and am entirely too lazy to check) album, ”Cornerstone”, it has definitely been awhile since I’ve last heard anything from the boys at Stingray from out of the UK and they obviously agree which is the sole reason that (of course it is) they’re back at work and delivering a new piece (I think it‘s new), the Lucky Girl Riddim. It’s pretty much what you’d expect I think - A top notch kind of old school vibed Lover’s Rock piece and it may even be a remake. The cast of artists is also not unexpected to some degree with names such as Marcia Griffiths, Mikey Spice, George Nooks, Glen Washington, Tenna Star and Empress Ayeola taking the spotlight on the lovely composition.

Digital

The Victory Riddim [Payday Music]

I kind of feel like I may’ve mentioned this one already, but I’m not sure and it certainly can’t hurt to bring it up again. The very nice people over at Payday Music, as usual, waste absolutely no time in returning to the scene and this time they have a new riddim (like the always do) the Victory. This SPECTACULAR sounding piece may just be the label’s best composition to date and I just really like the overall movement of Payday because, although they may not come in with a TON of fanfare all the time, they always seem to be working towards something and the release of that next project is never too far off. This time around, they’re working with a big bag of up and comers such as Netari, Ishawna, Tenuke and Bridgez who is having a great year (all of those girls by the way) and they join heavy hitters such as Norris Man (alongside Iyara), the angriest man in the world, Einstein (alongside K. Queens), Raine Seville and of course Lutan Fyah whose ‘Nuh Lose Nuh More Artist’ tops the Victory Riddim to my opinion.

Digital

“Dread & Alive: The Lose Tapes Vol. 2” [Soul of The Lion]

I suppose that Soul of The Lion could very well snap out one of these each and every month as it was just back in September when they delivered the first (very impressive) installment of their comic book inspired ”Dread & Alive” series and this second edition has already been around for four weeks now (oops!). The lineup of artists on the first edition was very nice - It had a really healthy and UNUSUAL vibe to it (meaning that there were some of the expected names mixed with very unexpected names) and that trend continues here. On one hand we have the expected/kind of expected names like Turbulence (big tune, ‘On & On‘), Perfect, Bunny Rugs and even Jahmali (less so in the latter two cases), but then they’re mixed in amongst artists such as Kenyatta Fire, Odel Johnson, Abijah (with probably the best tune on this album, ‘State of Emergency’) and Freddy Locks (FREDDY, not Fred). More unexpected still are that the final two selections Erup (big song alongside Nature, ‘Trample Dem’) and Lady Saw (with her tune on the Gearbox Riddim, ‘Lord Lord’) AND - Oh yeah, Mutabaruka's ‘Dis Poem’ is also on board. . . . I mean. . . Kiddus I is here too . . . What can I say. Give it to Soul of The Lion strikes again with something that makes me think and it’s already November so I guess we can look forward to Vol. 3 which will probably feature like Grace Jones or someone like that.

Digital

“NYC-2-Africa” [Subatomic Sound]

And finally (again), last Week I told you about a very ‘different’ type of stage given to a tune from Elephant Man, ‘Vampires & Informers’ from Subatomic Sound, a label which essentially specializes in the ‘different’ and they also seem to be in a hurry as they IMMEDIATELY chase that release (alongside Nomadic Wax) with what is, at least in my opinion, an even stronger effort in ”NYC-2-Africa”. Okay, there’s a pretty detailed and interesting backstory behind this one apparently, but I’ll just tell you about what you’ll hear - This riddim is insanity and there is an Anthony B song on this release, ‘Dem Can’t Stop We From Talk’, which is MADNESS! That song is just RIDICULOUS and after that, coincidentally, you’d also find a tune from Jahdan Blakkamoore as well (which is very good) and another strong effort from and artist from out of Sierra Leone, Bajah. Also there’s the usual remixing and dubbing you’ve come to know from Subatomic.

Digital

'The Golden Years': A Review of "Messages" by Lyricson

As I focus so much of my attention on detailing and chronicling the current state of Reggae music, I do often find myself wondering exactly how future fans and historians will regard this present era of the music. Just as I and every other fan can now look back at years gone by and offer different opinions on just how strong or weak things were in those times when compared to now, the future years will also offer the same experience in regards to our music and I can’t help but wonder how younger people now or even people who have yet to be born will look at some of the people and songs we have so much of an affinity for today. And, if you break things down into specifics, such an inevitable situation becomes even more intriguing. For example, it is the state of Reggae music coming out of Afrika and from Afrikan artists - I am well of the belief that what we are presently seeing is the ’golden age’ of Afrikan Reggae music and I believe that years from now, this era will definitely be regarded as a strong foundation for years to come. WHY? Well while it is quite odd that I find myself saying such a thing a brief three years following the death of arguably the most popular Afrikan Reggae artist of all time, Lucky Dube, and years pass the prime of activity of the only other possible claimant to that title, Alpha Blondy, but based on the talent currently operating and doing so at the top level of their own abilities, respectively, I think it is an notion which is well founded. Arguably at the forefront today is Tiken Jah Fakoly who seemingly ‘inherited’ the mantle from his Ivory Coast compatriot, Blondy, but unlike Blondy and Lucky Dube, Fakoly has a much greater and much larger peer group. We can begin to look at others such as Rocky Dawuni from Ghana and the very well respected young Takana Zion who may someday grow to inherit the role from Fakoly, himself. And then you have this very new and very refreshing group of artists who were born on the Afrikan continent, but have seen their careers and their lives take them to various parts of the world along with their successes. These are people such as The Nazarenes, Osagyefo, Dynamq and of course the DAMAGING Black Dillinger and Rebellion The Recaller. It is in that same context that I think this current era, perhaps, will be most identified with the fact that it coincided with the musical prime of one of the most talented Afrikan Reggae artists of all time, Lyricson. It is, most thankfully, Lyricson who brings us here today as (not too long after Tiken Jah Fakoly also did) he releases his latest album, his ‘third’ to the masses. Lyricson is an artist who has impressed me from ever since I first heard his music and for various reasons. Back then, I can recall being so impressed merely because the Guinean born artist was one of the only (and maybe the only back then) of the REALLY talented Afro-French/French/French-Caribbean artists to actually voice in English. And then when you listened to what he was saying and HOW he was saying it - Lyricson was a very strong writer and he had this fascinating delivery which was somewhere between singing and chanting BUT when he sang the man had such a nice voice that I’d call it, at its absolute best, one of the greatest voices we currently have in all of Reggae music, without a doubt. Lyricson dazzled through two albums, ”Born 2 Go High” (which is an awful title, in retrospect), his debut from 2004 and its subsequently bastardized followup, 2007’s ”Keep The Faith”, which Lyricson disowned as being underdone and not very well presented (although I couldn’t tell at all and I wasn’t the only one as it was largely well-received by critics if I recall properly) and he also released a performance DVD in 2008. So, by the most technical (or perhaps most ridiculous) of standards, ”Messages”, Lyricson’s brand new album which I have been waiting on for more than a year at this point, is only his second album to date - Not that I care whichever is the case. What I do care about is the very fact that it is here. The album had a cover, press clippings and a video more than year ago and was, seemingly, well on its way sometime during the latter stages of 2009 and here we are with less than nine weeks remaining in 2010 and it’s just reaching the masses now. Almost certainly the record label for the album had something to do with that as ”Messages” comes via PJK Entertainment which is reportedly Lyricson’s very own label and while Reggae time seems to drag on and on sometimes INDEPENDENT Reggae time seems to even move backwards at times so maybe it’s even a wonder that we get the album even now and not later. So what exactly are we getting? Fourteen tracks (with an intro and an outro) of the latest from one of our genre’s most talented members regardless of origins. The album is very colourful and while surely we’ll get into a discussion later of where it fits in terms of Lyricson’s entire (tiny) discography, I’ll tell you now that the music on this album is the most well PRESENTED of Lyricson’s entire career to my opinion. What that means is that, obviously he’s grown over the past few years (and if he REALLY was unhappy with what was to be found on ”Keep The Faith” (and he was) then maybe it isn’t even fair to judge him on that material which makes this most recent period an unnecessarily long SIX YEARS LONG) and he’s become someone who can ‘present’ his music better - Meaning that while I don’t like every single song on the album (two in particular), I come away with the thought that there is probably nothing he could’ve done to make this album SOUND any better. It is truly as good as IT was going to be this time around. That being said, while at album’s end, I do come away thinking that Lyricson can still do just a bit better, I’m not in a hurry to hear it because what is here is going to be sticking with me for quite some time. Let’s examine! Particularly for an independent label, PJK Entertainment has done a very good job in promoting the album (even though they don’t answer their email). Besides running into the album in a few different places online, I also certainly managed to notice that they had not just one, but THREE videos running before the album even dropped, which is definitely impressive. One of those three videos happens to be for a song which is one of the finest I’ve heard in all of 2010 and proves to also be the finest on Lyricson’s big and bad brand new album, ”Messages” - it’s opener (following a lovely intro), ‘From The Beginning’. Following a swift, but firm, kick applied to the nether regions, I’d recommend playing this most dynamic and well presented of tunes the next time someone tells you that all Roots Reggae music sounds the same.

 

“King Rastafari ah open every door The love of Selassie is so true and so pure With Jah Jah by my side I’m so safe and secure My love for Jah just keeps growing more and more Jah bless I from the beginning! Until the end of my days, thanks and praise I ah give to The King Jah bless I from the beginning! HE provide I with means to survive and the powers fi sing Jah bless I from the beginning! HE’s the omnipotent Jah Jah rules over all over living thing Jah bless I from the beginning!”

The song is absolutely fantastic and it’s even gotten better (which is ridiculous) over the month or so from since I ever first heard it. It’s one of the best songs of the year, like I said and hopefully it continues to do REALLY big things for the album as well. MAMMOTH! Charged with creating a similar level of vibes is the second tune on the album, ‘Love Is The Answer’. Where the opener was clearly a tune giving thanks and praises to His Imperial Majesty, this tune is one also giving thanks and praises - to LOVE. Yes. It is somewhat cliché, but with the way this tune sounds it certainly isn’t a bad song and I don’t think too many listeners will get caught up into the fact that it doesn’t REALLY break any new ground on the subject. It’s still quite nice. And the final tune from the opening few is one which, I’m sure, is going to gain some big attention, ‘Revolution Start’. The song features the flaming hot St. Ann native Zamunda (who is sounding more and more like Jah Cure) joining Lyricson and the two produce a mighty duo, chanting down the oppressors of the world and showing that their time at the head shall soon end. This is the album’s only official combination and I really would’ve liked to see Lyricson pick on a few more (especially Queen Omega, Gentleman or SUGA MOSS!) because it is so nice and his style is one which I feel blends so nicely with another’s. Big opening still. Like I said, the buzz surrounding this one has been quite nice, so besides the opener I’d heard three other selections on ”Messages” over the last year or so before we picked it up. It took me a minute to actually figure out from where I knew ‘Those Without Love’ because I IMMEDIATELY found myself singing a tune by Saïk (which turned out to be ’Reggae Musik’) before finally remembering that the riddim, the Soprano from Bost & Bim, was actually released as well and that’s where I knew it from. This tune, indirectly, builds on the same vibes expressed on ’Love Is The Answer’, but it is a better tune, on the whole - Much better lyrically especially and, of course, it sounds divine. Immediately following that song is another which I definitely was familiar with, the syrupy sweet ’Glad You’re Mine’ from Special Delivery’s sublime Sugar Riddim. Along with Ziggi Recado’s ‘Gonna Leave You’ this one was a real star on that excellent and fittingly titled production. It should also be said that unlike any other tune on the album (with the possible exception of ‘From The Beginning, where I’m not sure yet), ‘Glad You’re Mine’ was a real HIT before the album dropped which definitely makes it more attractive or at least it should. And finally there’s what I believe is the album’s most recent official single, the HARD ‘Blessings Multiply’. I’ve been dealing with this one for a few days now and while I certainly do like it, I’m still trying to figure out exactly how much I do like it. It is maybe one of the better tunes, lyrically, on the album, but the sound is just so different from anything I recall listening. But with that being said, if you ask me in a month or two, I wouldn’t at all be shocked if I was deeply in love with it. Of the remaining eight tunes on the album - They contain some of the album’s finest moments, but also the two which I just couldn’t really get into very much. The bad news being first - The tune ‘Rise’ is the album’s obligatory (or so I thought), but it borders too much into . . . Folk sounding music and while I rarely say such things, I just think this one is a bad song and CLEARLY Lyricson can do MUCH better (more on that in a minute). And while I wouldn’t exactly call ‘Crush On You’ “bad”, it is entirely a mediocre love song and, despite its kind of old school demeanour, I can’t see this one having a great impact on any level to be completely honest. Now, if you look at those two tunes’ placement on ”Messages”, they actually come in succession, sandwiched between two really outstanding songs. The first is a WICKED and kind of ‘grimy’ Roots number ‘Wise Up’.

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“Cause we’ve got so much works to do And so much seeds to plant And the only way to achieve it is to do it on dem own See di ghetto people dem, they’ve been suffering for so long Si dem tired of di pressure, dem waan betta days fi come It nah easy to bear di life down inna di slum When you don’t even know when yuh next meal ahgo come When peer gunshot ah echo inna di air like drum Bill and tax ah increase and yuh nah have no income Still, you have to keep di faith Yes you’ve got to hold on Never worry yourself, just try your best and be strong Di love of Rastafari guide and keep you all along Jah protect us through di cold and through di storm”

The tune shows itself to be one brilliant piece of social commentary (but with tinge of a spiritual basis) and one which so finely makes its point while being entertaining simultaneously. And later on there’s ‘Provider & Guide’ which is also an acoustic set (with a Nyah drum on board), but unlike ‘Rise’, this thing works so perfectly. There’s nary a misstep to be found on the inspirational tune and as I spoke about Lyricson’s PRESENTATION being so strong on this album, besides ‘From The Beginning’, ‘Provider & Guide’ is most likely the best presented tune on the album. The presentation is also not lacking in neither the case of ‘Upright’ nor the very familiar ‘No More’. The former gets kind of Jazzy with the constant saxophone getting involved and it’s so nice, but the latter just may be my second favourite song on the entire album. I’m pretty sure I know it (probably just the riddim) from somewhere, but I can’t quite say where. It was in listening to this tune, that I started to get the feeling of being around something SPECTACULAR and while I can’t say that about the entire album, what I can say is that the best material on this album is just that - SPECTACULAR. ‘Life Is Not A Game’ isn’t quite on those top ranking levels, but it is another very good tune here and one which goes on both social and inspirational levels (although, somewhere, I Wayne is disagreeing with Lyricson). And there’s also the fine ‘Bless The Youths’ which is another very familiar (probably even more so than ‘No More’) sounding vibe. This song has a lot of substance to it in the way of lyrics and while it does sound great, it never really outdoes itself in the way of shining SO brightly in the sonic sense that it distracts from what is said, so do pay a nice bit attention to what is being said there. The album has an ‘Outro’ which is, essentially, the second part of the ‘Intro’, which is just Lyricson singing and giving thanks over a piano accompaniment. It’s a showoff for his excellent voice and while nothing great is being said (nor should it be on an interlude); both are nice touches in my opinion. Overall . . . I don’t . . . Maybe . . . Hesitatingly I can probably call ”Messages” Lyricson’s best album to date, but the fact that it is BY FAR the album most in my mind at this point makes it much easier to say. That is a question is probably best addressed again in a year or so down the line from now. But, to make the case right now, like I said, what is good on this album is EXCEPTIONAL and I can say that the best on this one is better than the best from either ”Born 2 Go High” or ”Keep The Faith” and that is definitely saying something. I can also say that I was quite happy to see that ”Messages” has been very popular, at last check (a couple of days ago by the time you read this), it was at the top of the Reggae charts on Frenchie iTunes (surprisingly that same chart also included ”Dancehall Anarchy” by Lieutenant) and I mentioned all the pre-buzz as well and Lyricson does have a history of being a very strong seller of albums anyway. I based this review on the notion that, in some way, we may be CURRENTLY experiencing a ‘golden age’ of Afrikan Reggae music and, obviously, I feel that Lyricson is a big part of that and this album is a big example of why. However, an even bigger example may exist in a couple of years or so because despite how much I enjoy ”Messages”, I have the thought that Lyricson can do even better and should he be able to do so, and do so WITHOUT A DOUBT, well then I won’t even listen to opposing views at that point. I’ll be completely convinced. Very good.

Rated: 4.35/5 

PJK Entertainment

 2010

 CD & Digital 

What I'm Listening To: November

First Born - “Wake Up Call” [Vizion Sounds Records - 2006]

Feel free to throw the ‘blame’ in the direction of the wonderful people at Zojak Worldwide for bringing back this WONDERFUL album that I’d been searching for, for more than four years, ”Wake Up Call” from Guyanese vocal quintet, First Born for Vizion Sounds. Their other three albums (along with their other various work) definitely made a fan out of me, so I knew I’d get my hands on this someday and, as I alluded to last week, Zojak has recently blew open the vaults of Vizion Sounds and out came pouring digital releases of apparently everything they’ve ever done which included this excellent release (as well as the ”Exodus Chapter 13; Verse 2” album, which contains ‘Prince of Peace’, my favourite song of the group’s EVER and probably one of the single best songs I’ve EVER heard from anyone). For its part, ”Wake Up Call” features combinations with the likes of Natural Black, Gregory Isaacs, Buju Banton and even Dennis Brown. There’re also more than a few nice tunes with the group by itself AND the second disc is chockfull of what? Versions of every song on the album. I’m definitely still working on this one, but don’t at all be surprised to see go mining the vault for a review of it or any of the newly digitally re-release First Born discography (except ”Irits”, of course).

Natural Black - “Far From Reality” [Greensleeves - 2006]

I shouldn’t at all have to make the connection between the first entry here and Natural Black’s ”Far From Reality”, so I’m not, but what I am going to say is that while I find myself shying away from full on declaring Natural Black’s ‘best’ album, listening back through this one . . . I may be getting close these days. I will take the step and declare ”Far From Reality”, which was seemingly formed on the strength that he had FINALLY struck gold with the album’s title track which caught the attention of Greensleeves and rightly so, is his most SPECTACULAR release to date. Besides the title track there was ‘Beautiful Place’, ‘Can’t Mix Intelligence’ (LOVE that tune), ‘Conquer Dem’ on the I Swear Riddim from 5th Element, ‘Hard Ears’ and another big single, ‘Life Be The Same’ from the sublime Istanbul Riddim. The thing was just so nice and fitting for Natural Black’s BIG STAGE debut (his first album on Greensleeves and he still hasn’t had one on VP).

Busy Signal - “Step Out” [Greensleeves - 2006]

Carefully combing through Busy Signal’s most recent release, ”D.O.B.” lead me back through his brief list of albums. The first stop was 2008‘s ”Loaded” which, honestly gets less and less interesting as time goes by (still loving ‘Cool Baby’, however) and then we got back to his debut, ”Step Out” from back in 2006 and again . . . Ehhhh. You REALLY get the feeling that this one was even better than first suspected, which is saying a lot because it was pretty well regarded when it dropped if I recall correctly. While Busy was a bit more ‘brawn’ than ‘finesse’ in his delivery and as a lyricist (arguably) then than he is now largely, there were still very interesting moments. Not the least of which was ‘I Love Yuh’ which featured Reggae songbird Alaine, the inventive ‘That Bad’ which is simply not to be missed, ‘Love Me Not’ which featured Renno Gordon singing (aka Busy Signal) (yep) and of course the closing Soca-fied ‘Pon Di Pole’ ("gyal wining outta control". Still , when I think of the “Step Out” days, it is the big tunes and combinations with a then also up and coming Mavado, ’Real McKoy’ and ’Full Clip’ (the good old days), ’Do The Maths’ alongside the Killer and ‘Bare Tings’ which all helped make this one STILL Busy’s finest album to date.

Zareb - “Authentic Love” [Pow Pow Movement - 2007]

I can remember going through this album and remarking just how many EXCELLENT combinations the largely unknown former Mr. Flash and then newly christened Zareb had managed on to complete on his debut (and only) album ”Authentic Love”. Besides his good friend Fantan Mojah who appeared on FOUR different songs on the album (and I wouldn’t have complain if there were five), there were two other songs featuring Perfect and Jah Mason which gave this one such a star-studded appeal, particularly for a debut album. In the years since, while I honestly haven’t spun it too much, it’s probably grown in my favour. Three of the tunes on which Mojah guests are TRULY big songs - the title track, ‘Rastafari Is The Ruler’ and definitely ‘How Can I Be Ungrateful’ (which has become my own personal new favourite over the years) - And other big tunes such as ‘Love Surround Me’, ‘Burn Dem Red’ and others (like ‘Nah Go Mek It’) really make this one a hidden GEM of an album from just a couple of years back.

Tiwony - “Fly” [Chabine Productions - 2007]

And lastly is an album which has so thankfully made its way back onto my players after spending far too long of a period . . . In a shoebox, the debut solo album from the ultra-talented Tiwony, ”Fly”. Despite the fact that the album checked in at a very slim eleven tracks (the final of which, ‘Bas Les Pattes’, was listed as a ‘bonus track’), it was STUFFED full of hit tunes which would go on to, at least in my opinion, do a great deal of work in establishing the wicked chanter as one of the genre’s lesser known most talented figures. There was my personal favourite, ‘Priyé Jah’, the devastating remix to ‘Longtime’ (which featured an energized cut of Dave Kelly’s 85 Riddim), ‘Plis Difé’, ‘Jah Unit’ and the closing ‘Oupatebizwentousa’ all of which caught fire in the midst of this one. Certainly guesting roles from the likes of The Mighty Kalimba, Straika D, Cali P and former Tiwony partner Féfé Typical didn’t hurt this one’s status either. Had it had just a few more tunes, it may’ve been a modern classic.