Okay so, back in January when I was putting together our list for Best Reggae Albums of 2025, I was damn happy that I could include the name Dezarie whose "Guardian" would take spot #2. Besides possessing a downright ODD talent level, the gifted Cruzan Roots queen can be somewhat on the reclusive side when it comes to recordings. She's not terribly active and never has been, REALLY, so I was mightily surprised when I saw that Dezarie was already back with a brand new release for 2026, "7th Heaven". The new project comes via Tikur Anbessa Records (and via our old friends at Zojak Worldwide), a label from out of California in the States PROBABLY best known for 'its' work with Fikir Amlak - who owns and operates it as far as I know. "7th Heaven" clocks in at about half an hour spread over the course of seven tracks. Call it an album (which I think they are) or an EP, I thought it was a prime candidate for a mini-review that we've been doing as of late.
In case you haven't been paying much attention to her work through the years, Dezarie is kind of a big deal and her fans will respond to her work in a very unique way. Because of that, I'm thoroughly pleased to see the amount of early reaction that the new project has already generated, having just been out a couple of days now as of this writing. It's expected, as I said, but always refreshing to see someone who has a very specific sort of [ULTRA-PASSIONATE] following do something to pique their interests and to get them to emerge from... doing whatever they're doing when they're not listening to Dezarie. "7th Heaven" gets started with what I'm going to call its best, 'Far From Dem'.
'Far From Dem' is STUNNING! You hear me?! It is STUNNING! On one of the single finest tunes that I've heard from anyone at all this year, Dezarie shines a big, bright light on those who live in the darkness far, far away from anything positive at all ["GO TO HELL, NOT TO VISIT"]. The song has a beautiful... kind of spurting vibes to it, where she dashes in and out and then sings and just captivates and dazzles her listeners on every single level. Next is another glorious tune that I'm presuming is a single (because it has a video that you'll find in here somewhere), 'Shield'. Taken from a spiritual/biblical point of view, you should know precisely what's going on with this track, a heavy praiser. The biggest attraction is definitely that SOUND but, for the most studious of ears (which I own two of), lies a well written selection beneath all of that audio sunlight and cool breeze that rests atop it. 'Shield' begins a stretch of three similarly themed records of exceedingly high quality as both 'Jah Will' and 'Conqueror' follow it and cement the idea completely. Both of these tunes are in the stars somewhere. They are SOARING. I hesitate in choosing a favourite between the two (because I just did and before I typed it out, I'd changed my mind) but both register in similar regions (you know where) and are absolutely gorgeous music!
I was really curious to hear the route that 'Forgive Yourself' took and I was happy with both its course and its subsequent (and expected) immense quality.
"You can't change what happened
Forgive yourself"
If you stick around long enough, you'll accumulate some BAGGAGE existing on this planet and we all have quite a bit of it. This is a song DIRECTLY about mental health and at least efforting to do your best to let it go because it can be absolutely CRUSHING. It's time to let yourself out of your own prison and commute your sentence! It's also a gold bar of a song. It is GORGEOUS! Check 'That Day', which I probably should have put into the previous stretch of songs ('Jah Will' & 'Conqueror') because it fits right in there (don't feel like going back and changing it now though) in exalting The Almighty. Let's briefly get into this one because when you realize what's going on, 'That Day' SWELLS to the degree where, at least in my opinion, it's no worse than the second best song on the whole of "7th Heaven" (and should you want to make the case that it's #1, you can go right ahead and do that with a heavy hand). The song finds her dealing with a couple of different days, BRILLIANTLY. She touches both November 2nd and 23rd of July (the days on which Haile Selassie I was crowned and born, respectively) with their own substance and buttressing. This is IMMACULATE work. This is sourced through inspiration of only the highest level imaginable and downright masterful music in my opinion. Had it ended right there, "7th Heaven" would have been just fine but I may've made the case that it cold have used just a touch more SPICE to it. A little pepper would made this dish perfect... and of course Dezarie supplies said heat on the closer, 'Heaven On Earth'. It starts off nice and serene and.... then this happens:
"Food, air and water - it be contaminated
Spiritual wickedness in high and low placement
Intimidate to make the timid complacent
FEAR TACTICS ALIGN WITH THE DEVIL ADJACENT
And alla babylon proposals indecent
Evil device and instruments of mistreatment
Brutality in uniform make a statement"
Dezarie SCALDS on a high-level social commentary with a spiritual heart for one of the most magical moments on the whole of "7th Heaven".
Overall, while I've made it a point to not give ratings during this things, here is your 5/5. This thing is fantastic and Dezarie continues her roll. If the year ended right now (and we're getting there) most likely, with "7th Heaven", she Dezarie would have the year's best EP, to go along with "Power Shift", my current favourite album of 2026. SPECIAL!
"7th Heaven In Dub" by Dezarie [Tikur Anbessa Records]
....but look now at that! It took me SO LONG to get this thing up and out that Tikur Anbessa followed up "7th Heaven" with a dubbed out version of the set, "7th Heaven In Dub", three months later. WHAT A LOVELY IDEA! This thing (like they always do) (at least they always do when the work is good) really lights up the musicianship on the EP.
As you would expect and predict, everything here is just fine but, for me, particular standouts are both 'Shield Dub' & 'Jah Will Dub'; with the latter being my favourite out of them all. The vibes of "7th Heaven", for the vast majority, are on the lighter side and it isn't the typical sound that you hear as the basis for Dub (at least not for me and, as I've said many times in the past, I am no expert on the topic) (or anything else for that matter) but it can get kind of heavy! Check 'That Day Dub', for example:
More on the standard type of Dub that you will come across, it still SHINES!
Over overall, taken as a whole "7th Heaven" is fantastic. It represents some of the strongest music that I've heard from anyone this year as we look up and Dezarie has caught fire! "The Phoenix" has risen and laid her claim as THE star of 2026. OUTSTANDING.
"Love Who Loves You Back" by Jah Decko [Inam Records - 2026]
First up today is someone with whom I'm quite familiar with as a producer and someone behind the scenes (more on that in a second) but he's also shown his hand, here and there, as a vocalist over the years and is now setting out an entire project, the talented Jah Decko. I don't know if "Love Who Loves You Back" is actually his debut (and I don't feel like looking it up) but I was pretty happy to see that Decko had made his way to the forefront in a full way. I'm not going to lead you in a bad way and tell you about how amazing "Love Who Loves You Back" is... it isn't. It is not a great album and it contains one tune, by the name of 'Take It Easy', which may rank as one of the single worst that I've heard from ANYONE this year (may be the first time I've heard the word "boobies" used on Roots album) but it definitely does have its moments; including the opening salvo of 'Fyah Pon', 'Give Praises' and 'Go Back A Africa'. The kind of unusual title track also gets my attention (though I'm still working on making out exactly what I think of that tune) every time.
"Rise Up" by Miriam Simone [Sound System Club Ltd - 2026]
The delightful Miriam Simone has also apparently been hard at work and the fruits have been poured into a new seven track EP of her own, "Rise Up". "Rise Up" is solid but not necessarily special as I've become fond of about half of it (including the pair of dubs that it carries). A good example of this is the first two songs which is a remake of the classic 'Satta Massagana', which is pretty middling, in my opinion but its dubbed out counterpart, 'Satta On Ya', is pretty outstanding. Later on is the very nice 'Stop The Shooting' and it's own dub, 'Ceasefire' which're both standouts and headlining everything is the golden title track which definitely sits amongst he very best material I have ever heard from the 'Dutch Alison Hinds' altogether.
'Few Of Us' by Bunji Garlin [NMG - 2026]
The one none Dutchie we're looking at today is the downright MASTERFUL Bunji Garlin who jumps up, a bit out of season, with a winner in the all sorts of odd but ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC 'Few Of Us'. The tempo on this song is damn strange but when it gets going, as is his norm these days, Garlin thrills on 'Few Of Us', particularly in highlight several of the local community entities that he feels could help liven up a party ["STOP DISGUISE FUNERAL AS FETE"]. Of course you could also use Garlin, himself, and a few of his peers. A song like this just goes to remind you what time of year it is: We aren't quite THERE yet... but it's coming.
"Modern Rockets Vol. 1" by Joggo [Dredda Records - 2011]
Remember Jogo?? If you do then there's a decent chance that you may already be familiar with the work of the aforementioned Jah Decko as, if I recall correctly, he, at least in part (if not in full), produced an album of Joggo's by the name of "Modern Rockers Vol. 1" (still anxiously and patiently awaiting Vol. 2). Decko even hopped on a tune by the name of 'Strong Like Lion', which also featured Turbulence. "Modern Rockers"... may just be one of the greatest SLEEPER albums that we've ever covered on this blog. It did pretty well in terms of garnering attention and I think it surprised quite a few people who heard it. Not one of the BEST (I'm not trying to sell it as a modern classic or anything) but PROBABLY one of my personal favourites that we've looked at since I've been writing this thing and if you haven't yet, be nice to yourself and dig it up. You will not be disappointed.
"Genesis" by Maikal X [Rock 'N Vibes Entertainment - 2010]
Remember Maikal X??? It's been a very long time since we've mentioned him around here, I think, and probably because we haven't had much of a reason to. He's still making music and I do check in occasionally but nothing has really gripped me in a few years. But we can always look back as I have been quite a bit this week to his debut (and SOLE, I believe) album release, the now sixteen year old, "Genesis" (and I think it came out in early 2010, so it's almost SEVENTEEN years old). Of course there was a big winner here in the hit that was 'Best In You' but "Genesis" also had some other pretty nice tunes as well such as the all kinds of fun remake 'Here She Comes', 'Caught Up', 'Give Thanks', the Don Corleon licked 'Bare With Me', 'Born To Die' and others still provided very nice vibes on an album that has aged pretty solidly. The great Luciano, the late Peetah Morgan and Irie Love (remember Irie Love???) all stopped by and lent a helping hand during this "Genesis".
If you were lucky, someone told you about it and you skipped it altogether; for the rest of us, however, veteran Junior Kelly's most recent set, "Care For Me", has left a bad taste with us that simply must be washed away. It is time for us to begin rebuilding! If you are not familiar with Kelly's music, at its best, he makes one of THE most catchy and infectious brands of Roots Reggae that we've seen in the modern era. If you're looking for songs that you can sing along with and move to and just really tune into, Junior Kelly should be amongst your top options. You didn't get that on "Care For Me" in the slightest so, I'm going to give it to you now! Here're some (let's see if I remember to change this to an actual number when I'm done with this) really, REALLY good Junior Kelly songs. Signatures: Junior Kelly
{Note: This was probably THE hardest one that I've done so far}
{Coming soon: Mark Wonder, Cali P & The Silver Surfer}
1. 'Love So Nice'
Tell me why it hurts so bad. Junior Kelly & producer Spanford struck gold more than a quarter of a century ago when, across a cut of Bob's Stir It Up Riddim, they sent out a song which would become and remains his undeniable SIGNATURE moment, 'Love So Nice'. The kind of hard-luck/jilted lover tune found a massive audience in the late 90's/early 2000's and listening to it all of these years later, 'Love So Nice' has not lost a single bit of its shine. It has become SO deeply rooted in my memory that the drum pattern at its beginning, ALONE, is more than enough to set my mind into singing it and my neck starts moving. 'Love So Nice' is Kelly's most popular songs and you could argue that it's one of the entire genre's most well known over the last thirty years or so. This list would be useless without its presence. EVERY other song on this list is a matter of opinion... this one is not.
2. 'Burdens Heavy'
Hold dung I. I wanted to go from the clearest choice for this list to what is likely its least obvious. 'Burdens Heavy' is a tune that has HAD ME from the very first time I heard it, which would have been as a part of a relatively obscure album from over twenty years ago now by the name of "Creation" (can't sit here and honestly say that "Creation" was GREAT to any degree but, along with 'Burdens Heavy', it had some pretty nice tunes and was probably at least a little better than most of us remember it as being). This song is so damn interesting for several reasons, not the least of which is the unique combination of its often ultra-heavy subject with its downright DELIGHTFUL riddim. That thing -- produced by Christopher Miller -- is an utter joy just to hear. Take both of those and add in Kelly's own brilliant delivery of this sort of darting in and out (bobbing and weaving!) style with his words and you have a tune that has not left my radars completely in a very long... well, like ever, really.
3. 'Dem A Wonder' featuring Smiley
PROSPER! I can kind of vaguely remember now the brief rise and run of Smiley. If I can recall correctly, he was originally from out of Aruba and living in The Netherlands and he came up with a couple of big tunes with a very nice and PLEASING style, one of which (arguably the most memorable, because I can't name any other one off the top of my head at the moment) (just remembered 'Distance'! ["I JUST CAN'T TAKE THE DISTANCE NO MOOOOOOOOOORE!"]) was the Al.Ta.Fa.An produced GEM, 'Dem A Wonder', a combination with Junior Kelly. Along with the full SOUND of this tune, I've always appreciated its direction. It's about overcoming obstacles and... the standard fare, really but also things like IMPROVEMENT, hard work and taking constructive-criticism and turning it into positivity and it did so in a way that, as you can see, was damn unforgettable.
"I'm stepping up stronger with each and every stride
Da one yah fi alla di youths dem out deh weh ah get a vibes"
4. 'Living Hell'
You think that all is well. It is absolutely killing me that I can't recall WHO it was alongside Junior Kelly on 'Living Hell' to the point that I'm starting to wonder if I ever even actually knew and it didn't actually slip my mind but was never in there (and, of course, Jet Star and Penitentiary kept such fine records that such things are easy to look up since I have a disc that the song was on.... and there's NOTHING). Regardless of its origins, however, 'Living Hell' was one of the very first tunes that came to my mind when putting this list together, despite the fact that it's been some considerable time since I laid ears on it. 'Living Hell' was CANDY. It was an absolutely DELICIOUS Roots tune that almost had a slight crawl to it -- with the obvious connection being to Bob's 'Time Will Tell' (which I would presume, at least in part, helped to inspire this track) that had a more substantial type creep to it-- but was EXCITING. Kelly's song partner has this big, bellowing voice (which sounds exactly like someone whose name continues to elude me) and he was in fine form. Along with its intoxicating sound, 'Living Hell' was mightily clever and, MAYBE, one of the strongest written songs that you'll read about today. Magical.
"You think that all is well
But I know you're living in hell, living in hell
I MAN MUST BREAK DEM SPELL
Can't afford fi dwell when so much prophet before ah fell"
5. 'Receive'
TAKE! THIS! LOVE! Kelly once again caught fire alongside Al.Ta.Fa.An. (this was actually before the previously mentioned 'Dem A Wonder') (do you remember who produced "Care For Me"), when he blessed their triumphant Tsahai Riddim with another of the undeniably biggest hits of his career to date, 'Receive' (to the point where you'll often see the Tsahai referred to as the Receive Riddim). Looking back now, while it wasn't out of the ordinary in pretty much anyway what 'Receive' definitely did have in its favour was just how BEAUTIFUL of a song it was. It was a pretty straightforward love song but it was IMMACULATE. It was so well done by everyone involved and, sometimes, the masses rewards that. You don't need a gimmick or something that no one has ever heard before; GREAT music can do the trick ["I got no trick up my sleeve"]. 'Receive' was great music.
6. 'What Will It Take'
Same blood. Along with being just a WONDERFUL song to listen to, 'What Will It Take' also stands as one of the finest WRITTEN songs of Junior Kelly's entire career, in my opinion. Combine the two standout qualities and you have a unity track for the ages.
"Well I no judge no man or condemn no one
Through you no inna mi plan and you no join mi gang
Coulda Bobo, coulda Binghi
I no give a damn
BOTTOM LINE: MI A RASTA MAN!
So if you bun Jesus, you will bun Leviticus
And Deuteronomy, Numbers ahgo bite di dust
SOME PUT DEMSELF OVER JAH, BUT MEMBA - JAH COME FUSS
SOME AH FIGHT FI BIG SLICE, BUT GIMME DI CRUST!"
7. 'Smile'
Never let them see you frown! Junior Kelly enlisted the help of some top notch talents behind the scenes to score a wondergoal on the self-produced hit, 'Smile', as the likes of George 'Dusty' Miller, Lenky, Rohan Gordon and Shane Brown all played a role in the song which was recorded at the legendary Tuff Gong. On paper, that, alone, is enough to virtually guarantee success and what came out of that session did not disappoint. 'Smile' is basically an instructional piece. Kelly is telling you to put a smile on your face even in the face of some bad things that you may be going through in life and he's correct. Even when stuff is fucked up, if you can just muster up a smile some kind of way, it'll probably make you feel a little better. The song was delightful, it made a big impact and VP liked it so much, they named an album after it; one of the strongest (and most colourful) Kelly has ever done.
8. 'Black Am I'
It's mah colour! It's mah colour! It's mah colour! The most entry on this list (with respect to 'Purified' which was the most recent cut) is the mightily memorable 'Black Am I' from the "Smile" album, another significant personal favourite of mine that has withstood the test of time. The tune has that signature BIG sounding Junior Kelly sound (courtesy of George 'Dusty' Miller) that initially and immediately draws you in and... then this shit happens:
"Black male
Black guy
Black coat
Black heart
And when mi ah wrap mi head, mi use a black piece of cloth
Black up
Black down
Black strong
Black weak
Mi Black from mi birth, a Black skintone a dweet
Some of dem mussi crack - bleach out dem black
BUT AS DEM STOP YOU SI DI BLACKNESS AH COME BACK!
Some a dem run lef di flock, waan fi be what dem not
WOLF INNA SHEEP CLOTHES, DEM OWN CULTURE DEM FORGOT!"
Kelly absolutely DESTROYS this gorgeous riddim with a tune on African unity and, specifically, one of the many characteristics that she gave to her children. I'm going to tell you about my favourite Junior Kelly tune in just a bit (I already wrote it, it's at #10) but as for the question of what would be my second favourite [?] 'Black Am I' is FIRMLY in that conversation. EASILY one of the best he's ever done, whether you realize it or not.
9. 'Boom Draw'
What I brain require. Of course one can't have a Roots album without a ganja tune and the clear choice for my collection is the stellar and THICK 'Boom Draw' from the "Love So Nice" album. Kelly dazzles completely atop a riddim named after the song from the Front Page Crew (who produced three other BEAUTIFUL tunes from that same album; 'Jah Nuh Dead', 'Hungry Days' and 'Go Down Satan' - all of which were relatively late snips from this list), pinnacling in its latter stages where he both thrills his listeners and... kinda makes them laugh as well.
"FOUR CHALICE LOADS!
Then I'll go, then I'll go
THREE CHALICE LOADS!
Then I'll go, then I'll go
TWO CHALICE LOADS!
Then I'll go, then I'll go
ONE CHALICE! ONE, ONE CHALICE!
And then, my head explode!"
10. 'God Bless'
Cleanliness & Progress. Wayyy back in 2002, Junior Kelly put out an album on Penitentiary and Jet Star by the name of "Conscious Voice". Let me just tell you, if you're unfamiliar: "Conscious Voice" was fucking fantastic. It was REALLY good. It has some truly excellent songs on it (you'll find another one in these ranks as well, maybe even two if the list stays as it's currently looking) and I best recall it for having carried 'God Bless' which is, MOST LIKELY, my absolute favourite song in Junior Kelly's entire catalogue.
You go and listen to 100% of "Care For Me" -- ALL OF IT -- and you won't hear anything even approaching these grounds. 'God Bless' was so beautiful and infectious and HEAVY, all at the same time and just a GORGEOUS presentation of music ["Cause a wi got di gift fi mek heads rock & shift"]. These days, I hear just the intro and my ears immediately tune in: Truly a personal classic and, again, probably the best Junior Kelly tune that I've ever heard. Period.
11. 'Juvenile'
I'm on your side. 'Juvenile' was another early hit from the chanter and, just as was the case with 'Love So Nice', someone picked it up and named an album after it. This time (even prior to VP, actually), it was Jet Star and, just for an idea of how good "Juvenile", the album, was - both the previously mentioned 'Living Hell' & 'What Will It Take' were also on it). As for the song, nearing thirty years later, the reason for the attraction to 'Juvenile' is still quite easy to see. It was just brilliant. It had this very light (almost too light) sound to it but Kelly roughed it up. He gave it some dirt and some 'character' and pushed a social commentary, specifically for the younger people who are struggling their way through, saying that they had an advocate and a friend in him.
12. 'Push A Fire' featuring Roger Flames
CALL PON JAH NAME! I knew 'Push A Fire' would be somewhere in here when I started putting it together (just started naming songs, like I always do, it was probably one of the first five or six) but I hadn't heard it in a minute and actually had forgotten that it was a combination. Kelly linked with underknown Roger Flames on what just has to be Flames' most known tune to date and, fortunately, it was also one of Junior Kelly's finest so 'Push A Fire' is well remembered (by me, at least, if by no one else). You listen to this song and if it's the first time you've heard it or the hundredth, I'll challenge you to have no physical reaction to it whatsoever. Don't rock in your seat; son't sing along; don't do any damn thing. It's impossible! 'Push A Fire' was gloriously entertaining modern Roots Reggae. Junior Kelly wasn't exactly as prolific a lyrical arsonist as many of his peers but he saved, arguably, what was his biggest fireball for this fantastic track.
"Fyah weh wi ah push bun up all who stoosh"
13. 'Clean Heart'
Inity & Respect. Let's talk about 'Clean Heart' for a second. This is a song about first impressions (it's not, REALLY, but hear me out) as it was the very first tune on Junior Kelly's most popular, well known album.... which I've mentioned several times and won't insult your intelligence by naming here. So if you were caught into the rapture of its immortal title track and picked that album up, as so many were, the very first thing you would have run into would have been 'Clean Heart' (provided you didn't just immediately skip ahead to track #2, of course) (and you may have). If you think about that, especially in regards to more casual heads (and this was twenty-five years ago. YOU may have been one of them twenty-five years ago), I think there's a decent chance that 'Clean Heart' could have been one of the first songs that a lot of people heard from Kelly, not named.... that other one.
As for the actual music that was 'Clean Heart'. As I was trying to trim this down to fifteen songs, I got stuck between this one and something else. Listening to them back-to-back and despite the fact that I LOVE that other song and it would have been on this list if there were sixteen songs, there was no comparison. 'Clean Heart' is miles ahead. You know what this song did? 'Clean Heart' made behaving good and having a positive attitude sound FUN. It glorified BEING NICE and decent and having your heart in the right place.
"Remember, it's not di place where yuh live, it's how yuh live
REMEMBER IT'S NOT WHAT YOU RECEIVE AND GET, IT'S WHAT YOU GIVE
Ah hice di positive and then yuh dash weh negative"
14. 'Be Blessed'
UPFULNESS! My final decision for this list was another struggle between a pair of tunes from "Rise", Junior Kelly's debut album from a quarter-century ago now. While I won't tell you what the other one was (because I've already mentioned it) (it came back in the conversation), when you get into the SUBSTANCE, 'Be Blessed' slightly outpaces it (the chorus on that other song is absolutely divine). While I can't say it goes as far as 'Clean Heart', in terms of downright glorify good behaviour, 'Be Blessed' comes from that same core, in my opinion ["If you wanna be blessed, gi di gun a rest. Put di artillery pon pause"] . The certain topic here is one of anti-violence, which Kelly covers sprawlingly, dealing with both the pros of living an upright life and the cons of falling into the trap ["Remember, inna di grave there is no repentance"]. He deals with it all on such a high level that common sense won out for a change and 'Be Blessed' became mandatory for a list like this one.
15. 'Satan Throne'
MARCH! Hard to believe that it's been TWENTY-ONE years since Junior Kelly dropped the wonderful "Tough Life" album and while we've already mentioned, arguably, the biggest hit from it ('Receive, with respect to... nope, 'Receive' it is) my longtime favourite tune from that wonderful set has been 'Satan Throne' which closes out this edition of Signatures ("Tough Life" was awesome; it's probably just two or three steps away from being a modern classic). Again, you go and listen to "Care For Me" and try to even approximate ANYTHING that shines the way 'Satan Throne' does. You feel [GOOD] emotions listening to this one and, just speaking for myself, I love the harshness and abrasiveness of it and it should be. There should be a little spite behind the tune when you hear what he's saying and what Junior Kelly is talking about.
This was a call to action against negativity in all of its disgusting forms and Junior Kelly, at his angry, raspy best, put his best foot forward and a song like 'Satan Throne' REALLY exemplifies what sets him apart from the giant pack... and even if it doesn't, isn't it just so nice!
You know what? This song isn't the greatest but the very fact that we get a song, 'Victory', bringing together these two is damn newsworthy... just thought you'd like to know.
Gems. I know that I don't do as good of a job of it these days that I used to but I do pride myself on at least attempting to cover music that I feel goes overlooked by the masses and I always have. There is a certain aspect of publicity and.... just general human interaction called "word-of-mouth" that can be very powerful, in my opinion. YOU have something in your mind right now that you probably LOVE that someone else told you about. It could be an artist or just a song or even something like a restaurant that now is one of your favourites that someone once told you about; you gave it a shot and nowadays you make a point of making the same recommendation to others when you can. That's what I try to contribute to here and I cannot even begin to tell you how many times it's happened over the years that someone tells me that they picked up an album or started listening to someone based on something that I said and how much they've enjoyed it. That person will now pay it forward by telling someone else about it and just playing it for others and the work of said album (and whoever made it) has now just gone forward in my own, small little way. We've been very fortunate to have stumbled upon some incredible works from some incredibly talented people over the years that you probably won't find much written about elsewhere. I'm talking about people such as Jah Marnyah, AMBUSH, Jah Turban, Ras Mac Bean, the great Harry Mo, First Born and the list goes on and on; where, if you look around, a large chunk of the material written about them comes from here. I can go back to a band from out of St. Lucia, called Meshach & Wevolusion, who had an album called Awake which was probably one of the most reacted to and viewed reviews that I did in the earlier days. Furthermore, I've had situations, like Jah Marnyah's, Harry Mo's and definitely that of Sara Lugo where I would eventually become just a massive fan, of outside of just checking for their work occasionally (less than a week of August is left. I don't think there has been a single day this month where I haven't listened to SOMETHING from Sara Lugo). Of course I could be wrong -- I usually am -- but I think we've just come across a new name and a new album to add to that wonderful list.
Meet Dan Gio. There is a certain quality that is difficult to describe (but I'm going to try to do it anyway, of course) which I absolutely LOVE in an artist. It's a matter of... combining a certain level of raw, unfiltered ability with just a DASH of refinement. The greatest example I can come up with two demonstrate this is maybe prime Sizzla Kalonji. I can't even begin to comprehend where that man, at that age, got some of those concepts and how they ended up evolving was, arguably, even more impressive, but Kalonji spoke like someone well beyond his years, who had three or four times the amount of life experience you would imagine someone in his 20's having. He delivered these messages in a way that was often messy, unkempt and off-key but you could also hear a certain level of evolving cultivation. It came to no surprise to me when, later on, having spent so much time learning from the likes of Philip Fatis Burrell, Sizzla would get involved in things such as publishing and producing his own work. Someone else who has that is Jah Mason, prime Natural Black and DEFINITELY Spectacular (the opposite side of these would be Tarrus Riley, Alaine, Luciano, Mark Wonder...). These're people who are capable of doing things and making them work that no music teacher with a dash of sanity would ever teach but do so with a level of experience that shows that they, themselves, could teach that music teacher a thing or two of their own.
Dan Gio is from THAT^ class, in my opinion. I've actually been listening to the music of the "Roots Warrior" for a number of years now as, along with a few strong singles, he's had a few complete bodies of work that I've enjoyed bits and pieces of but I don't think I've ever actually mentioned any of his music up until now... time to make some changes! As far as I know his backstory, Gio is basically a music junkie and he does have formal music training (I THINK), having used it to produce some of his own material. However, when you listen to him, at his best, what he shows is something that he came up with all on his own. He did not learn that from a classroom, he started chanting and that is what came out. Previously, the Portmore native has worked on various projects with strong producers such as House Of Riddim (it was called "Proactive Revolution and I didn't LOVE it but it had a few nice tunes on it such as 'Truths and Rights', in particular); he's also worked with Little Lion Sound & Derrick Sound, Filomuzik and Soulrock Collective. Dan Gio now adds to that with King Solomon Records and Acoustic Vibes out of Sweden for his latest release, "Dwelling Place", with Magnus Hjalmarsson, "Daddy Natural", running the show. I had no idea at all that this album was forthcoming as "Dwelling Place" squeezed itself into what has become an extremely CRAMPED release schedule for Reggae in the month of August and I'm thinking there're many fans who may be in the same boat but, like me, are also going to get a very healthy and HAPPY jolt from what they hear on this one. I just caught myself going through clips and hearing some... BEAUTIFULLY rough around the edges, modern Roots Reggae music and the more I listened, the more convinced I became that maybe Dan Gio and KSR had PERHAPS delivered one of the biggest surprises of 2026. I also appreciated just how simple and humble it was put together. The cover is a very simple photo with basic graphics for the name and titles. It seemed like whoever put it together really felt what they had on their hands and after getting into... what they had was GORGEOUS.
I saw an old interview of Dan Gio's where he mentioned that his absolute favourite was I Wayne. They're both from Portmore so perhaps that has something to do with it but his style is very much similar to chanters from I Wayne's era (no, he doesn't adopt the 'Can't Satisfy Her' singer's high-pitched approached) and Gio delivers in a similar nature to the aforementioned Sizzla Kalonji and Jah Mason. He has a slight singing to him which kind of reminds me of someone else as welll and I'll make the connection I GUARANTEE you you no one else will here: If you start at Revalation and travel to Ras Indio - somewhere in between you'll find Dan Gio's house (also hear a bit of early Turbulence in there as well). I'm almost certain neither has had a direct influence on him (though I could be wrong, who knows) but his sound is from that arena, in my opinion. That sound is best realized on his brand new album, "Dwelling Place", which begins fittingly, with a prayer, 'Chant A Psalms'. The opener is about as straightforward and basic as it gets on a Roots Reggae album and there's nothing wrong with that at all... because I kinda love it. 'Chant A Pslams' is damn near outstanding and it breaks no new ground challenges me in some way I've never thought about it; it's just a lovely way to give thanks to The Almighty and a pretty much necessary way to get things started ["Di more mi grow locks, babylon dem ah fret!"]. The title track is in next and it, so perfectly exemplifies my basis for this review. The chorus on this song is excellent. It's joyous to listen to, it's sung just fine and it's catchy. The rest of 'Dwelling Place', even down to the straight chanting at its end, features several moments which are cluttery, random and, seemingly, built on emotion - and I mean that in a good way. It strikes this great balance between what you expect to hear (a song should have a nice chorus. You'll hear it several times during and it'll stand out the furthest) and something that is unique to that artist and a powerful showcase of what THEY do well. That is what 'Dwelling Place' is as Dan Gio reminds us all to seek the absolute HIGHEST power in times of need (and in times of happiness). The infectious 'Chalice Load', is exactly what you think it is as the obligatory ganja tune from "Dwelling Place". When I first heard this one, I wasn't crazy about it outside of the beautiful riddim behind it but it has grown on me considerably since then. In addition to everything I've said about him so far, Dan Gio is also a pretty good writer and, like Jah Mason, sometimes you have to slow things down to really focus on what he's saying because of his dynamic delivery. After observing that, 'Chalice Load' grew. I still don't love the occasional spots of "GANJA!" being chimed in but I now have a healthy appreciation for most of the tune, including very solid backing singers. Rounding out the album's first third is 'Dirty Deeds' which is the single best tune on the whole of "Dwelling Place" and it begins a stretch of four consecutive ABSOLUTE KILLERS on the album.
"Di respect for di elders get exterminate
HUMBLENESS DEPRECIATE WHILE VANITY APPRECIATE
Guns and ammunition mek di youths dem life get wasted
Puppet master laugh cause everyday it is di same thing
IF YOU SLEEP WID DESTRUCTION A CORRUPTION YOU WAKE WID
Mankind full of hatred"
There're alotta people doing really fucked up things and they need to be called out for it. 'Dirty Deeds' is Dan Gio placing a few calls and HOPEFULLY your phone isn't ringing because he covers acres and acres (biggup Capleton) of ground. Also, I definitely should mention the riddim on this one. It isn't AMAZING or SPECTACULAR but it is almost PERFECT for what's going on and the nature of the song. There is a beautiful dub in there somewhere but Gio uses it to a special degree for 'Dirty Deeds'.
Things remain piping hot on the call to action, 'Burning Fyah'. You've seen this title on dozens, if not hundreds, of songs to date and they're usually pretty broad and I suppose this one is as well on a certain level but it is also somewhat specified as the chanter speaks about having "a burning fire within my soul", and having the feeling that he needs to be involved in some way. He needs to be doing something positive and progressive. Fortunately for himself and the rest of us, Dan Gio has found his outlet in making things that sound like this and... he uses it to 'Spread Jah Love'. I know that I'm probably going to overthink it but 'Spread Jah Love' is a gorgeous tune. I put it into two directions and one would be the straight up way in which we're receiving it: Dan Gio is doing his part in bringing songs like this to us and getting the word out there but, no matter what road you walk in this life, it's important to be nice to others and have a positive attitude as well. Those things, ALONE, can really help someone.
"Spread Jah love, don't let it go to waste
Spread Jah love, eradicate grudge and hate"
Some bigger picture and smaller - 'Spread Jah Love' earns its stripes in any category as one of the finest "Dwelling Place" has to offer. Also check how they let that SWEET riddim BOUNCE at the back end of the tune. While there are those who choose to 'Spread Jah Love', others still 'Show No Love' and, once again, that is who Dan Gio addresses on the following track, rounding out the aforementioned splendid stretch of four that I alluded to. I suppose that you could say that the direction here is not to dissimilar of that on 'Dirty Deeds' and it also follows it not too far behind interms of quality as well. For the most part 'Show No Love' registers on the broad side of things but Gio TUNES IN later on and gets very specific in identifying nastiness that he sees in the world ["babylon yuh access denied!"]. There is also (maybe only for me) a very subtle amount of intensity in the track on this one. Gio, of course, goes hard on his vocals but the riddim, which comes off, cursorily, as fairly simple, has DEPTH to it; that expansiveness leads to different sounds and different emotions which is a fine touch to an already huge moment. I styled 'Garden Flower' as simply a 'love song' the first time that I heard and I still think if you do call it that, it's a fair assessment, in part, but there is something more to it. 'Garden Flower' is kinda GREEN. You take the title as an analogy as something beautiful as a flower in a garden but.... you can also take it literally. It took me a minute [and hour] to disengage the overthinking and realize that Gio wasn't attributing these qualities to a human being. 'Garden Flower' is an appreciation of NATURE and the environment. It is a love song - for Mother Nature!
"She means so much to me"
Most appropriately, right behind 'Garden Flower' is 'Plant Food', another environmentally conscious type. This time, Dan Gio focuses more on the farming aspect and the importance of living a more natural type of life ["Mek yuh food be yuh medicine; yuh medicine yuh food. Never stray from agriculture"]. This song, like most of them on this album is saturated in passion but I point it out, specifically in this instance because you can really hear the respect that Gio has for farmers and the works that they do. I get the feeling that if music didn't work out for him, he'd be quite content on a farm of his own. 'Take My Love' is the album's actual love song in the normal sense of the phrase. Though it most certainly is not a great song and the weakest on "Dwelling Place", it isn't necessarily bad on its own merits or completely without worth. In fact, the second half of 'Take My Love' is actually pretty good [!]; it just lacks when compared to the rest of the songs on "Dwelling Place", particularly in its first half. For what it is in full, however, 'Take My Love' is a relatively decent love song. Somewhere out there farrrrrr beyond "relatively decent" is the relatively HUGE 'Wrong Order'. This tune is so nice that I'm seriously considering revisiting my choice as the album's finest altogether because Dan Gio SCALDS on 'Wrong Order'.
"Cause inna babylon di corruption well steep
Di devil dem will distrub yuh frequency
Cause inna babylon di corruption well steep
Di devil dem will disturb yuh frequency
Nuff inna di wrong chronology, dem no respect nobody
Dem caan get no ratings from I
Modern day Judas, dem time deh you cannot trust nobody
Dem words no accurate, dem a lie!
Some ah flash locks and sip coffee and dem life fulla folly
A Jah Mercy seat dem ah cry!
Nuff a dem caan look inna Melchezidek eye!
Dada ahgo hit dem wid a big piece of ply!"
BOOM! BREAK SOMETHING! If you haven't figured it out by now (shame on you!), Dan Gio REALLY hates it when people aren't behaving well and are, perhaps even more so, treating others poorly. It's literally one of the things he despises the most in the world and he has ample passion on the subject. Thankfully that passion isn't misguided and it also isn't broad to the point where he is lyrically just regurgitating tried and tired banalities of Roots Reggae music. His passion is focused and it's coming from someone who has a knack of making his point in a colourful, entertaining way. Lastly is the triumphant 'Bongo Man', which almost sounds like something out of the catalogue of the great Burning Spear. The song is a celebration of Rastafari and all who walk the path in life ["Never negative, I always keep it positive - in the hills of South Manchester, where I live"]. 'Bongo Man' is glorious music and I call it a "celebration" and it is but of a most and, though not necessarily RAPTUROUS, it is everything you'd want from such a musical experience and a LOVELY way to end this album.
Musically, I do want to make the point that Daddy Natural and co. do an excellent job here. If you enjoy Roots music, particularly that of an older era, you will be delighted what you hear throughout "Dwelling Place". King Solomon Records has done Dubs before and I would LOVE to see, later this year, a complete Dub release of this album. And I do have to mention that I would have really liked to see a combination on this album... maybe next time.
Overall, I think I've found another diamond in the proverbial rough and Dan Gio has DEFINITELY made a fan out of me. Like I said, what stands out is this awesome combination of someone who has musical training and experience and someone who is just giving us what The Almighty gave to him! That's a quality and a talent that I'm interested in hearing here and following going forward. I don't know how many people have heard and are going to hear "Dwelling Place" - probably not a great deal but for everyone who does, what they take away, at least in my opinion, is a BEAUTIFUL modern Roots Reggae set from a very interesting talent in Dan Gio, who reminds me of some very special people. One of the best albums I've heard this year.
