Father Fire: A review of Heights Of Fire by Capleton

Forever. I think that longevity in absolutely anything can be a very tricky thing to understand. It can involve and incorporate an endless amount of factors and this is magnified when you begin speaking about things like entertainment and, specifically, music. On one hand, you can have someone make one song which'll carry them for the rest of their lives. You can make a tune in your twenties and find yourself performing it half a century later to a crowd who still loves it and loves you for it. Maybe most of them couldn't even name another song you've ever made (maybe they could) but you can be sure that they will never forget your name. On the complete opposite end of that would be someone who manages, ridiculously, to stay at or near the TOP of their craft for decades. That's something you cannot do via single hit. I don't give a damn how great that one song was. That is something that requires numerous amounts of hits AND, perhaps most impressively, managing to make your sound in a way that it can cross generations. You'll end up making fans out of fathers and sons (maybe even grandsons in some cases) despite who drastically different their tastes may be. This is special and it requires something greater. Of course, things such as general appeal and maybe even a story or two (controversies included) would help in growing your legend and maintaining it but I like to think that at the source of a legendary level of longevity is a teeny little thing that I like to call TALENT. ABILITY. SKILLZ! When you have actual, world class, capabilities and you combine it with things like appeal (if people like you and are interested in you, they're likely to remember you and history will probably be kind to you as well) and a compelling background, now you are legitimately talking about what has the possibility of becoming legendary. Although people like me are notorious for overrating things and making them seem bigger and more important than they usually are (if only just because it's more fun to write) we are fortunate to currently be in the present era of a number of ACTUAL living legends in my opinion and today, for the first time in a very looooooooong time in this capacity, we get to talk about him. 

Do not be blinded by the fire. When you think about Capleton, you probably think about fire. Like his most noted peers, Sizzla and Anthony B, a chunk of Capleton's career has been greatly and appropriately associated with the tendency of modern Roots Reggae to use fire, lyrically, as a cleansing ingredient for all things wicked. HOWEVER, even more so than Kalonji and 'The Original Fireman', Capleton has embraced it to the next degree. He is the "King Of Fire" and that moniker has not only come via his music (more on that in just a second) but also his... actual fire. Capleton also might just be THE most energetic and FORCEFUL Roots artist that the entire genre has ever seen and he also has a most interesting backstory, complete with a mid-career shift, an international run and a very public spat with one of his biggest peers, once upon a time. So, one could conceivably get caught up into things that aren't DIRECTLY musical when it comes to Capleton and, to some degree (I guess... you can listen how you choose to), that's fine. HOWEVER [!], when you really begin to dig into his work, it becomes crystal clear that this fire has smoke; it is not a pot of boiling water. There is char, there's a few INSTITUTIONS that have been burned down in its wake and none of us are truly safe from the immense gifts that Capleton possesses.

For examples of what he is capable of, I'll point to a trilogy of albums between 2000-2004, "More Fire", "Still Blazin" & "Reign Of Fire". In an era where the line between Roots music and Dancehall became more and more blurred, ALL THREE OF THEM represent some of the finest work we have ever seen. You could very well make the case that "More Fire" is the greatest such complete work of all time and, again, fire alone and even when combined with an endless vat of energy does not earn you that. That won't get you there, no matter who loves you, how many whos love you or how high you can jump on stage (and I THINK I recall that he once fell through a stage while jumping and hurt his ribs, many years ago) (....probably finished the performance too). Such levels require a genuine level of talent and Capleton has that to spare. From his days as a hardcore Dancehall voice to his years of Roots royalty, King Shango has shown himself to be someone not only in great command of melody but also someone who TOYS wth the spoken word. Those three legendary albums were not only well regarded amongst fans but also very popular to the point where the case could be made that, outside of anyone making international strides at the time (think Shaggy, Beenie and eventually Sean Paul) (maybe Buju as well and anyone named Marley, of course), Capleton was dropping the most popular Reggae albums in the world around the turn of the century. In a genre so NOT geared towards album releases, he was doing work unlike anyone else at the time with where his projects were reaching (and you couldn't say that about people like Sizzla, Anthony B or Luciano... probably because of their penchant for releasing multiple albums per year but regardless). "More Fire, "Still Blazin" and "Reign Of Fire" all came via VP Records who would later add "I-Ternal Fire" and, in retrospect, as someone who does love albums as complete, musical bodies of work, it was some of the best times I've ever had as a music fan.

Can we have fun again?? "I-Ternal Flame" sparked in 2010 and... that was it. It has been an absolutely ridiculous SIXTEEN YEARS since the last time Capleton released a full studio album and, though there were several rumours, none of them panned out... until now. A MASSIVE credit goes to Evidence Music who, at some point last year, claimed that they were doing a new Capleton album and HERE IT IS! Collectively we are all returned to the flaming cleanse courtesy of one of the greatest to ever do with "Heights Of Fire"! BOOM! I hope that I've written this review well enough (probably not) to convey just how DAMN HAPPY I was when I heard this one was on its way. Evidence has been very active, releasing works from the likes of Eesah, Derrick Sound (excellent compilation by the name of "Upliftment), Little Lion Sound, Tiwony, Micah Shemaiah, Bugle, Vanzo... they've been very successful in getting projects up and out and when I heard that we were on the precipice of "Heights Of Fire", I BELIEVED THEM and they have not let me down (it also helped that they had been releasing a decent amount of Capleton's work in recent times as well). In a year of releases that is turning out to be star-studded -- Vybz Kartel, Akae Beka, Buju, Gentleman -- Capleton carries one of the heaviest hands of them all and he always will. Let's get into it!

Although they do take a helping hand or two, production duties for this burn are handled by the previously mentioned Derrick Sound & Little Lion Sound, as well as Mixing Finga. The latter of the three goes back decades with Capleton and you'll find one song produced by Mixing Finga on both "Still Blzzin" ['Mi Deh Yah'] and "Reign Of Fire' ['Standing Ovation']. Also, Mixing Finga has been working with Evidence lately in re-releasing some of their older catalogue so, it comes to no surprise at all to see them on board the new release (and I would expect them to be on Capleton's next album as well). Getting things up and moving on the brand new album from the mighty Capleton, "Heights Of Fire" is its most recent [I THINK] single, the scalding 'Red Again'. This one is perfect to lead things because not only is it a really strong selection and it holds up as one of the finest here but it also kind of forecasts what is to come in certain aspects. The flame here burns at an optimum level while also allowing Capleton's complete and utter brilliance to shine.

"Mi circle dem face before dem take off

When dem try fi escape pon a spacecraft

Wi nah listen to dem waste-talk

No corruption - mek dem know wi nah go take part

So dem come fi yuh soul and dem will tek part

Dem no waan di people break free, dem love fi break heart

Wi step up on di battlefield and make a straight walk 

A straight love inna mi, mi nah trod di hate part"

"Well if dem sell out di people dem, mi nah forgive dem

Wi bun di grave and di ting weh dem ah dig then

Wi nah love how di people dem ah live then

That's why mi bun. Up. Di wicked. Dem

Dem sell out di people dem wid di imagine dem

Dem tell di people so cold until dem fridge dem 

Brainwash education, dem sieve dem

Well a one ball a fire man a give dem!"

BOOM! BREAK SOMETHING! I found myself many a time during "Heights Of Fire" thinking that what I was hearing may've been a little more reserved than perhaps what I was expecting but it's in those moments where the fire, literally, burns away any distraction and what remains is just a towering talent. Next up is the chilled 'In The Game' which features the handiwork of veteran Mista Savona from out of Austria. 'In The Game' is a PRIME example of what I just told you: While the vibes of this one are.... somewhere between smoky Blues, Hip-Hop and maybe even a sound from New Delhi  (?) Capleton could not care less and torches it the same way. The second verse on 'In The Game', which finds Shango tactfully destroying deception lays claim to being THE single finest on the whole of "Heights Of Fire" and, hopefully, people can pay attention well given the nature of the tune. 

"Mind-control - dat a dem slogan

Don't get vulnerable through dem program

WI AHGO SEND BACK DI WHOLE A DEM A OCEAN

Cah dem don't care fi no one

Well di truth shall reveal eventually

Well a fulltime now, wi no in folly

'FOR YOU SEND COKE, MI TELL YUH FI SEND COLLIE

YUH NAH GO DESTROY DEM YOUTH DEM MENTALLY" 

The album's first vocal combination 'Deh Pon Mi Mind' features Capleton alongside the also aforementioned Evidence Music favourite, Eesah. The nice tune comes through via Derrick Sound's certifiably gorgeous Fight Again Riddim from a couple of years back but, at least as far as I Know, it is a new song. There're a couple of obvious attractions to this one with Eesah not only being a burgeoning name but a big talent as well, so I was very curious as to what the pair would come up with. That riddim behind them came as a more than welcomed surprise and the duo put on a LOVELY performance to live up to anticipations... and you knew they would. The exquisite 'Jah Shine His Light' is an open praise and the first (not the last) of its kind on "Heights Of Fire". This is another song where Capleton, himself, is allowed to shine with lyrics as he, perhaps understatedly (it is a very SIMPLE song and I mean that in a good way), gives a nearly brilliant honour to His Majesty. Though it throws my math off (sixteen tracks, review it in four sets of four) I'll also add 'Jah Is My Leader' here because it goes in the exact same direction as the tune before it. The thing about it, however, is that even though 'Jah Shine His Light' is quite strong, 'Jah Is My Leader' is even better and better by some distance, in my opinion. This thing is FANTASTIC!

Coming with equal parts flames and a certain smoothness, 'Jah Is My Leader' hits every possible including a thrilling latter stretch where it almost appears as if Capleton freestyles an entire verse, landing as EASILY one the best songs on the entire album. With that being said, however, things go even higher on the very next track in, 'Behave Yourself'. 'Behave Yourself' is absolutely VINTAGE Capleton and it surprised me, honestly. This is my favourite song on "Heights Of Fire" altogether as, when it hits it's peak, there is very little, if anything at all, separating it from any of Capleton's classic work. 

"IN AN ABUNDANCE OF WATER, WEH YUH THIRST FOR?

THEN IF YOU GET THE BLESSINGS, WEH YUH CURSE FOR?"

No matter where you are in life or how well you're doing, you can do better. That is the sentiment behind this EPIC track and I have to say that one of the most attractive things about it is that, despite the fact that it isn't an overly energetic tune, you really get the feeling that Capleton had FUN in making it. 'Behave Yourself' comes off as something that he may've been working on for awhile and, clearly, it turned out how he had hoped. BOOM! 'Babylon So Evil' is a song sure to attract a great deal of attention as it features Capleton alongside longtime friends of his, Damian & Stephen Marley (also, kinda/sorta featuring the immortal Dennis Brown as well). Jr. Gong is another one who has a downright lethal prowess with words and he absolutely DECIMATES this Derrick Sound vibed piece ["More education, more school, more meal. KNOWLEDGE MORE POWERFUL THAN YOUR FORCEFIELD"] [HUH!] [WHAT!] in his portions. HOPEFULLY, 2026-27 also delivers an album from Damian... it's getting time! The second quarter of "Heights Of Fire" concludes with an all kinds of fun remix of 'Burn Dem Down', courtesy of L'Entourloop. I was actually more familiar with this remix than I was the original (which I tracked down and was produced by Derrick Sound) and that's fine because the remix is the better of the two. I don't know a great deal about L'Entourloop but I do know that, pretty much every time I hear their work - it's almost always kind of chaotic and frenetic. In that aspect, 'Burn Dem Down' is probably on the lower side but, again, it's a very good time and biggup L'Entourloop, every single time. 

While the second half of "Heights Of Fire" may lack the full fire power of the first on paper, one could very well make the case that it actually tops its more attention-grabbing slightly younger sibling [HUH!], largely on the strength of several simply sublime songs. Evidence (biggup Evidence too) of this comes immediately in the form of the BRILLIANT 'Prayers Up'. When you're fed up with the way things are going and feel like you have nowhere to turn, throw up a word to The Almighty is what Capleton says here. 

"Prayers up!

Babylon dem too corrupt

Why man to man so unjust

Fired up!

Babylon yuh system a kruff

You only waan di people have it rough

Fired up! 

Well dat system yah it corrupt

Mi tell di ghetto youth fi conscious

Fired up! 

Righteousness a nah no bluff!

Mi tired of di fight and cuss!

Dem nah care about di problem, no attention for the cause

Dem nuh waan yuh fi go forward, babylon dem waan yuh pause

Pure fabrication when dem stipulate dem laws

BUT RASTAFARI NO STOOP TO DEM EVIL CLASS

Dem fraid when dem si di ghetto youth dem a go hard

A LONGTIME MI KNOW SEH DAT DI SYSTEM YAH A FRAUD

While di people dem ah suffer, while di people dem ah starve

And babylon still ah draw card"

'Prayers Up' is SPECIAL to a degree that I am now seriously reconsidering my choice as the album's finest record and it will not be the last time. Check 'Senseless Killing' which caught me by surprise. This tune sounds so familiar to my ears for some reason but I'm now convinced that it's new. I had an idea of where it may be focused and though it didn't take any detours at all from what I was picturing... how it gets there is damn impressive ["You kill without a purpose. Intentional, you really want to hurt us. You couldn't take di Rasta fi no circus but you waan fi drop a bomb inna di World Cup"]. Capleton dazzles in a way that was not on my radars on a song which borders on the serene in terms of the vibes. 'Senseless Killing' might not get the respect that it deserves but it is one of the real stars to be found here in my opinion. The heavy 'Highway Robbers' has an interesting title that had me thinking that we may be getting something 'Jah Jah City'-esque but it doesn't go there at all. It almost heads towards something more from Hip-Hop but in a very... THICK kind of way (if that makes any bit of sense at all) (and it probably doesn't). Hip -Hop doesn't do anything for me and it never really has but 'Highway Robbers' caught me, again, because of what is said. There're songs on "Heights Of Fire" which're considerably better than 'Highway Robbers' in pretty much every aspect, HOWEVER, you simply cannot throw it away because of what Capleton says at times and when you can make this type of an impact on a tune that will rate on the lower end of the album, that's something that denotes a serious level of skill. If this man is talking, we need to be listening. The golden call to action, 'Get Up And Fight' from LLS should be well known to fans from a few years back and you'd have expected it to be featured on a project such as this one. 'Get Up And Fight' is free-flowing genius. It does bring fire and force but it does so EFFORTLESSLY atop the Sound Killer Riddim which, just like its vocalist here, is fairly simple but VERY impressive (same riddim had several big tunes on it by the likes of Chezidek ["My sound will crush yuh like a biscuit!"], Anthony B, Queen Omega, Lutan Fyah and others). This one is incredibly ENTERTAINING modern Roots Reggae music and I am jealous of you if this will mark your very first time hearing it because it's almost giving me nostalgia these days. EXCELLENT song. 

You might recognize the song 'Tired Of The Drama', also from a couple of years ago or so and I've actually been, LOVELY, running into a bit more in the days surrounding the release of the new album. I don't know the name of the riddim on this song or if anyone else voiced it but I've always really enjoyed the instrumentation and I think Capleton did as well and he COMPLETELY throws himself into it and comes emerges with a GEM! Sometimes you just need a break from it all and you get tired (and STRESSED OUT) with the way things are going... lest "dem end up like Jack & Jill" (the second verse on that tune is just BRUTAL!). The final three slices of "Heights Of Fire" come via Mixing Finga and they include another diamond of a tune, a GIANT of a surprise and a very solid changeup to end things. Social commentary, 'New Age', complete with its delightful old school riddim is the first of the trio and I could just listen to this damn thing allllllll day long. 

"Inna di age of information

When babylon ah build skystation

None a dem, di ghetto youth dem nah  go wait pon

Cause dem find out seh dem ah work fi Satan

Keep it real and be careful of di fake one

Cause enough a dem still ah work fi pagan

And dem bring down a pure frustration

Segregation, dem nuh love fi hear liberation

New age, haffi turn a new page

Babylon abuse it

Dem will shoot you like a Cupid

New age, haffi turn a new page

Babylon so stupid

Then why so abuse it

Dem get caught inna di Age of Aquarius

When di whole world started to flare up

And information start clear up

GMO, babylon have a pair of

Ghetto youth well mi seh you haffi care up

NAH FI SIDDUNG PON YUH STAIR AND AH STARE UP

AND YUH HAFFI BUN DEM FAR AND NEAR UP

Pon di battlefield, you must prepare up"

ALL OF IT! The whole day! Doing that would make it harder to get to the next BIG tune, the similarly geared and 'Haffi Know Dem'. I just told you how much I like 'New Age' but you could very well make a good argument (and I might make it) that 'Haffi Know Dem' is the stronger of the two as, in a sweet kind of way with that riddim, Capleton SEARS! I'll say it again (and again and again), you listen to what this man says and virtually every single song he makes when he's in form (and he almost always is) hits a much higher level than it would on a more cursory listen. And finally is the album's clear changeup, 'All Night'. If you take the title in the context of going all night or... DOING SOMETHING all night, you get the point of this one (like I said, changeup). I won't sugar it up: 'All Night' isn't the best song on this album and it may actually be the worst (it just isn't as good as everything else but it isn't a BAD song for what it is) but I'm grateful when they do things like this because it shows that someone is conscious of actually building an album and not having roughly the same sound through all sixteen tracks and almost an hour in length. I have no problem with them throwing a piece like 'All Night' at the end of this one. 

I do want to say something about Capleton, himself, before I close this one because I think it's getting more and more crucial that we do this with someone like him at this stage in his career. As I built this review on his standing and his stature in Reggae music being SO big at this point and with him coming close to turning sixty years old in the next nine months so; I think it is SO DAMN important that we realize exactly who we have in him. Yes, he's been spectacular and we expect to be spectacular still but Capleton has also been that consistent soldier. He's been very steady and I'll resist to comparing him to anyone else but he's been far more dependable than many of his peers - even those who have built comparable careers and longevity of their own. So it's important that we celebrate him. No. He's not an old man and we hope to have him around for many years but he's here now and he deserves to be appreciated!

Overall, with that being said, you can join me and appreciate and celebrate Capleton for what he's just done in "Heights Of Fire". You can also throw a bit of accolades in the direction of Evidence Music as well for bringing it all together. I would guess that there're some very big fans of Capleton's at Evidence and they also came up in an era where his albums were of such a grand importance and they wanted to attempt to recreate it. Well done lads! Mission accomplished! From what I've seen thus far, the response to "Heights Of Fire" has been big and I would hope and predict that it will continue to be big. What we have here is a new release from a bona fide musical LEGEND. Just that alone: We don't get those very often at all and when you combine it with the fact that everything that allowed Capleton to build that legend is not only still intact but, seemingly, as sharp as ever, you have something very special, potentially. "Heights Of Fire" is another log on one of the brightest and most skillfully set fires that has ever burned in Reggae music. MAYBE the best album from the first half of 2026. 

Rated: 4.5/5

Evidence Music

2026

A Wanted Man: A review of Endurance by Jah Defender

In-form. I do, sometimes, a list at the end of a year, looking ahead, for what is to come in the new year called "Most Wanted". This list is a simple collection of ten names who I hope to hear from in album form in the following year and the names assembled there appear for a couple of different reasons. One of the biggest is absence: Haven't heard from them in a bit (usually in terms of not having had an album in quite awhile but, occasionally, just have not heard from them AT ALL) and it would be nice if they came around and showed what they've been working on (biggup Reemah). Rumours can also put you on this list; maybe you've had something cooking for a long time (biggup Bounty Killer) (THAT THING IS BURNT TO A CRISP!) but don't have anything officially scheduled at the moment for it. You'll be included hoping that the planets align and you can FINALLY get that project on the road. Another person who'll be amongst the Most Wanted in a given year is someone who's just... on a roll. Someone who may or may not have had an album recently (doesn't really matter) but are showing signs that they've either primed or re-primed and are just making some fantastic music - that person is also going to get a place on my little list. There're also combinations of these (you may have someone who, literally, fits into all three categories) but that's about it; that's what I base it on. The final of those types is what we're going to take a look at today and attempt to highlight someone who, apparently, has reached new heights and has been on a tear lately. I'm trying to think of a similar situation (because that's just what I do) and I'm not going to use the obvious ones, because I always use him (biggup Norris Man), and instead I'll pick our old friend, Mr. Lloyd Brown. Surely at least some of it had to do with me growing up and maturing but I legitimately think that Brown hit a point where he leveled up. He starting making better music and that's saying a lot because by the time I caught on, he was already DECADES into his storied career and he's still out there doing big things with a new album (or two) for this year. I also look at other cases like those of Ziggi Recado, King Lorenzo and Natural Black as examples of people who just clicked one day and, at least for me, hit a point where they just started making music of an even higher caliber. 

2013

On the 2025 edition of Most Wanted, a name that was mandatory when I started putting it together was that of Trinidad chanter, Jah Defender. Around here, we go BACK with Jah Defender. Thirteen years ago we reviewed his impressive debut album, "Rastaman Rise". That album was HEALTHY! Even today, if you want a really strong introduction to Jah Defender's music, I'd suggest you start with "Rastaman Rise". Featuring big tunes like 'Jah Es Mi Amor', 'Give Thanks' (which featured long favourite of ours, Tiwony), 'Rebel', 'Listen', 'Only King Selassie I', the towering 'Every Time I Rise', 'Jah Is The Maker'... I could really go on and on with sizable offerings from that album which, as you can tell, has aged very well in my opinion. That album put on full display the very BRIGHT and appealing style of Jah Defender and went a far way in making a fan of his out of me. I want to say that, following the release of "Rastaman Rise", the Defender had a number of thin years in terms of amount of output (although I could definitely be wrong about that and maybe that was just my experience, having not encountered much of his music... or I could just be remembering incorrectly. I'm old) but these days things are DEFINITELY not thin and they haven't been for quite awhile. 

Jah Defender has been dropping BOMBS for about... two or three years now. He just has. He has, perhaps quietly, been making some of the finest music in the entire genre, pinnacling with, arguably, the single finest song that I heard in all of 2025 'Hail Selassie I'. The towering praising tune was and remains one of the very best of its type that I've heard in the past decade or so (and you know, given the subject, it has, literally, THOUSANDS of competitors there) and it, along with other tunes that the chanter has had lately, has definitely put his listeners on notice that Jah Defender has entered a new stage of his career. That point was solidified earlier this year, when Defender dropped a nice EP by the name of "Still Can See" which, although it wasn't his very best work, was something nice to hold us over until something bigger came around: Meet "something bigger"! While the chanter has been careful and mindful to spread the love around through working with various labels, he's apparently found a great comfort working alongside the venerable House Of Riddim from out of Austria. Artist and label have done extremely impressive work together (including the aforementioned 'Haile Selassie I' single) and they now take it even further courtesy of a brand new big EP/tiny album "Endurance". I was REALLY looking forward to this one and I'm almost curious as to why they didn't pile on more tunes and make a THICKER project but I'm going to take what I can get, especially from someone like Jah Defender in 2026 (and just last year, an album that had nine tracks, just like "Endurance", was our third best album) (biggup Spectacular). What they do put out in "Endurance" seems completely void of previously released singles as far as I can tell. They don't lean on any of the material that they've been doing over the past two or three years or so and, instead, set out what feels like a new project for the most part and I'm hoping so much that the masses gravitate towards this one and notice what I've been noticing as of late. If you enjoy modern Roots Reggae music, Jah Defender has something for you. Let's discuss! 

Let's talk about, briefly, Jah Defender's style. Looking back through the review of the "Rastaman Rise" album - I'm pretty happy with the comparisons that I made. I likened him to VI singers, Ras Army & Danny I with a bit more flames to his style and, again, I think that's a pretty solid link to make albeit, perhaps, a more unconventional and less expected one. He has a FINE singing voice for the style of music that he makes and I don't mean that in a charmingly weary type of way in which I might say it about someone else (biggup Norris Man) - the man can just sing! I've called him a chanter in reference to his total style but he has a fine singing voice, which you can hear copious examples of on his new set, "Endurance", which gets up and going with the ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR 'Life Is Beautiful'. There is a certain GORGEOUS synergy between the deliver here and the riddim that is just so tight and impressive. 'Life Is Beautiful' sounds like it was rehearsed dozens and dozens of times for hours upon hours before this exquisite final version was turned in. Be that the case or not -- whatever they did -- it was worth it. 

"Foolish man builds his house on the sinking sand

But the wise man build up him house on Jah solid foundation"

BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE! IT COULD BE MUCH, MUCH WORSE! They give you an ever so slight taste of it (there's a certain spot at the 3:35 mark where a full dub sounds like it's about to break out) but I do wish Defender and HOR had featured that riddim on its own just a little more but make no mistake about it: 'Life Is Beautiful' is FANTASTIC and the best song you'll find here in my opinion! Nothing dips at all on "Endurance" as up next is the mighty 'Overcome'. As its title suggests, this one is a social commentary and a solid one that covers the expected bases but I have to say that it is the vibes of the song that threaten to 'overwhelm' 'Overcome'. This thing SOUNDS SO GOOD! It is such a nice listen and damn pleasing to hear. Obviously, take in everything and hear what is being said but ENJOY [!] as well. 'Vampires' turns up the flames just a hair and definitely gives 'Endurance', in its early block, a nice BITE to it to those who aren't living right and cannot walk in the sunlight.

"Vampires dem lurking

Innocent flesh and blood dem searching

In di street, in di night, they're roaming

Another innocent soul dem taking

Vampires dem lurking

Police and rude boys dem roaming

hunting for another victim

COME TO RASTAFARI FOR SPIRITUAL PURGING

Too damn trigger-happy fi nothing at all

Bust it unnecessary

And now di place too hot

Nothing can selly selly cause every damn ten minutes is a squaddie squaddie

Stop for a moment and take it easy

Yuh mashing up di whole damn community-ty-ty

Like you know waan fi live and si yuh grandpickney

Life is worth more than dem gangsta trophy

Live upright and have some mercy

You mister businessman and politician

You get alla yuh riches from exploitation 

Creating classicism and promote segregation

Rob all di wealth and resources from di nation 

Rich man alone ah benefit

Poor youths caan get no education

Black woman ah agitate fi redemption

Rastaman ah chant, beat up di kette drum

Pharaoh, release di whole a bongo nation

BABYLON TAKING YUH ENERGY FOR A MINIMUM SALARY

EVERYTHING DEM GET, DEM TAKE IT BACK FROM WI"

'Vampires' is all the petrol you need and it comes in at the perfect moment.

The gorgeous praiser 'Trodding On' kicks off the second third of "Endurance" and, as expected, does so in a very strong way. 'Trodding On' is kind of mid in terms the 'force' of the song but it definitely has a decided edge to it as well - just not to the levels of the song ahead of it. There's nothing out of the ordinary here; it is exactly what you think it is but it is a total JOY to listen to. The musicianship, in particular (biggup whoever plays those horns I hear. The credits say it's probably Hannes Kerschner, but could aslo be Helmut Schneider and Markus Hoffman) is absolutely top notch and if they wanted to place that riddim in the hands of someone else - they'd get no fight out of me. Next up is a pair of songs that I'm going to place together.... just because (it's my review and I can do whatever I want), 'Paradise' & 'Heavens', as both of them speak to some form of existing utopia. The idea of the former has a slight repatriation theme to it but the bliss this one finds is more of a mental place in my opinion. The Defender finds his joy in praising His Majesty and even in "the simple things in life" - anywhere he can get it is worth lifting up and celebrating is the idea behind 'Paradise' (GREAT first verse on that tune). For its part, 'Heavens', which comes through on this BEAUTIFUL old school sounding track is the project's obligatory ganja tune... which means you already know what its idea of glory is. Although, between the two, 'Paradise' takes top honours, 'Heavens' is still very strong and it has something special about it. Should it be given the opportunity to shine in a single capacity, I would actually expect 'Heavens' to do quite well there. 

Jah Defender gives a big credit to his homeland on 'Trinidad & Tobago', a song I was really looking forward to hearing. I'm sure I've come across a few, here and there, but Reggae tributes to T&T aren't exactly prevalent (they grow on the vine in Soca, on the other hand) and the Defender does take a broader approach to this one, the results are still pretty stellar. I do wish he would have stuck to the specifics a little more but 'Trinidad & Tobago' becomes a social commentary which does fit into the run of the album. Next in, Jah Defender goes Bob Marley (not really) with 'Get Up Stand Up'. This one is kind of unusual in terms of how its written because it is EXTREMELY broad. He goes in a few different directions, starting with:

"Hey mister preacherman, stop telling all those lies

You teach the people, to see The Lord, they've got to die

Having your whole congregation searching up in the sky

When the God of the universe dwells in You and I"

Before going into:

"Hey soldier man and mister police

Unuh si seh unuh working for the beast"

It's all over the place and that isn't necessarily a detraction in this case because, in full, 'Get Up Stand Up' is very strong. Finally, Jah Defender sends us out of "Endurance" with another big selection, 'Righteousness'. I have to say that I didn't really like the chorus on this one very much when I first heard it (it's a little gimmicky) but it did grow on me, steadily and that certainly has something to do with the riddim here. Again, the players of instruments on this track are in golden form and set a foundation which Jah Defender does not allow to go to waste.

If we ignore the length of this project then really my only critique is that I wish there was a little more variation. I think "Endurance" could really use a changeup to the vibes, just a.... just a SWEETENER (maybe even like a combination) and something that gives another look but, judging it for what it is, I cannot honestly offer up many complaints at all. 

Overall, what "Endurance" does is what I hope every single album that I review does: It takes advantage of what its star does well and really shows them in the best possible light. Normally -- in any situation with someone with actual talent -- that's a great thing but it becomes magnified when said "star" is already in such a great form and putting together a run that is difficult to ignore. Again, the music throughout "Endurance" borders on SPECTACULAR (and crosses over into that territory a few times) and, as they virtually always do, House Of Riddim STANDS UP with their work. So while I'm still waiting on the full, definitive next release from Jah Defender, "Endurance" is a showcase of an immense talent which MAY actually just now be hitting its peak. Exactly what I wanted! 

Rated: 4.35/5

House Of Riddim

2026

Lion D is a Rebel With A Vibe!

"Rebel With A Vibe" by Lion D [Bizzarri Productions - 2026]

Okay so, do you remember Lion D??? A ridiculously long SEVENTEEN years ago the flaming Italy based star (born in the UK to an Italian mother and Nigerian father, the story goes) would come out of virtually nowhere to take our top honours with 2009's album of the year, "The Burning Melody" (pretty sure he didn't even make the list of anyone else that year which, of course, means that EVERYONE ELSE WAS WRONG) (ALL YUH!). Since then, we'd also talk about him in regards to subsequent releases, all of which were at least pretty good -- one of which was EXCELLENT -- and I've at least tried to make an attempt to keep up with his output. Well, Lion D's been 'outputting' in the first half of 2026. After dropping a pair of singles in the past couple of months or so, Lion D has now tacked on four other tunes for a full EP release, "Rebel With A Vibe". Like much of his work, the EP comes via Bizzarri Productions (biggup Bizzarri) who've always provided Lion D with a luscious mixture of modern Roots and a slightly more older era Dancehall (like... 90's Dancehall) and, as usual, he shines. Let's talk about it a little. 

{Note: Typically do things like this track-by-track.... but I didn't feel like it. I just finished a tbt so, let's mix it up today. Here's a mini-review}

Getting things going on Lion D's brand new EP release, "Rebel With A Vibe" (great title!) is one of the previously alluded to early singles, the all sorts of fun 'Tun Up The Sound'. This song is likely exactly what you're expecting it to be. It's just a good time to be had in the celebration of sweet Reggae & Dancehall which is the Lion's precise area of expertise, so you know what you're getting into in terms of quality... and even if you don't, the actual song is probably in here as well, so you can just listen to it! I'm going to skip ahead to the very similarly vibed 'Sound Murderah', another selection whose title definitely speaks for itself. Just like the opener, 'Sound Murderah' is also very good (may even slightly rank ahead between the two, actually) and it's a good time. I don't know if this is what they were building towards in its day but 'Sound Murderah' actually dates back a couple of years or so but it fits perfectly on this release as. With that being said, however, though both 'Tun Up The Sound' & 'Sound Murderah' are both very good, it speaks to the total quality of this set that every other tune on it is at least a little better than both of them. 

Want an example? How about 'Mind Over Matter'? This track, the other pre-release single from the EP is absolutely GLORIOUS and though serious challengers are to come (one in particular), by the slimmest of margins, it's my favourite song present here as the Lion THRILLS on this golden perseverance anthem ["Music mi use, mi nah fret fi speak up and dem caan cool it dung when mi tun di heat up"]. So many times we hear songs like this which may be very good (may be even better than this one) but they're done in more of a RIGID type of way. This isn't rigid at all. 'Mind Over Matter' is flexible, malleable, EXCITING modern Roots Reggae music and a fine lyrical performance as well. Check the first of a pair of combinations from "Rebel With A Vibe", 'Deliver Me', which taps the services of Mandinka. I've come across Mandinka's work a number of times over the years (probably most notably on a WICKED song he had with Skarra Mucci back in da day) but still know very little about the man. I should probably do something about that but until then, 'Deliver Me' is fantastic. It almost reaches a similar destination as 'Mind Over Matter' but arrives there in a far more spiritual vessel.

"Lord! Dem dutty heart and dem friendly smile

DEM BOY A FOES IN A FRIEND DISGUISE!"

Grrrr. For his part, the baritone voiced Mandinka casts anchor in the tune's second half which then begins to GLOW in its latter portions with an almost Dubbish type of an effect at times. I'd listened to this one several times before writing this review and I'll tell you - even though I'd held it a high esteem, 'Deliver Me' is even better than I initially thought. Also joining Lion D on "Rebel With A Vibe" and lending their talents is Mellow Mood, with whom I am a bit more familiar, also from out of Italy, who give a hand on 'Last Man'. 'Last Man' has an inherent flaw to it; there's something immediately wrong here: The song is just too damn short and what happens to it is that it almost ends abruptly and you're just... kind of really beginning to REALLY get into the vibes. For what it is, however, 'Last Man' is sublime. It's joyous and FUN and just a beautiful vibe for the soul... just wish there was more of it!

I could also go for a bit more of 'Pretend' if they wanted to make it but, with north of half a minute more body than 'Last Man', I'm relatively happy with what we get there. 'Pretend' is the second best track on "Rebel With A Vibe" in my opinion. It is absolutely outstanding. Coming through on some.... let's call it Conscious Dancehall, while the subject matter of 'Pretend' may be heavy (he's talking about dealing people and situations who may not be what they project themselves to be), the actual vibes are very LIGHT and pleasant. It is Lion D himself, however, who steals this show as he TORCHES this infectious vibe with a lyrical display and delivery which is somewhere beyond top notch for the full ride. 

 

"Man haffi stay alert, ah open up mi eyes wide

VAMPIRE DEM WALK OUT AFTER TWILIGHT

Inna dark, Jah Jah light still ah shine bright

Fadda guide and protect so mi alright, my Lord

Dem no waan si mi have mine

So dem ah fight mi, nah stop gimme hard time

MI AH SOCIALLY-DISTANCE MISELF FROM DI BADMIND

Stand alone like an island, alright"

"Likkle but mi tallawah 

Dem ah wonder how mi do it, mah ah lead, mi nuh follower

Some ah show dem true colour

Dem ah play hypocrite, dem deh ting mi get tired of

No respect nah no manner

Dutty heart just behave and ah smile fi di camera

Dem caan run dis ya marathon

Dem caan play mi like fool, mi move wise a Solomon"

"Nuff a dem no real, a gwan like dem a showman

Talk a bag a ting, dem a full up wid too much slogan

A Fadda God alone, a mi nuh fraid of no man

From mi a likkle pickney dem ah try fi diss di program"

Overall, we'll sit "Rebel With A Vibe" as EASILY one of the year's finest EPs thus far and not that the competition on that front has been tremendous in the first half of 2026 but I wouldn't be surprised if it took top honours at the end of the year as well. There's just something about Lion D's style that resonates with me and has from since I started listening to him There's a certain level of intellect and aptitude to his words so he gives you something to think about but, at the same time, he's very cognizant of the fact that he's making music and that it should be entertaining. Therefore the link between Lion D and Bizzarri has likely been one of the most effective and productive that I've come across in recent years. Sure... I'll take that next full album whenever it's ready but, until then, "Rebel With A Vibe" continues to demonstrate their winning ways that were established around here sixteen years ago. EXCELLENT. 

Modern Classics Vol. XLIV: Jah Grid by Akae Beka

We've spoken quite a bit in the past about the shift that I experienced in regards to the music of Vaughn Benjamin and Midnite. When I was much younger, the sound wasn't something that I was capable of appreciating. It wasn't very catchy. It often seemed like he did not care much at all for melodies or even if he was in-tune with the riddim behind him. It was not (and often still is not) the type of music that immediately draws you in and that's fine. While I don't think that there is an age requirement for enjoying the music of Akae Beka, I do think there may be a life experience requirement. Benjamin's music, at least in my opinion, is best served as a tool for PROVOKING THOUGHT and the depth of your thoughts surely increases with the amount of life that you've lived... with the amount of things that you have gone through, personally. 

Today I want to take a look at an album which is a personal landmark for me because, if I recall correctly, it was one of the ones which directly opened the door for me to Benjamin's work. I can remember buying "Jah Grid". I was still in university, it was probably a week or two old and I bought it just to buy it (and it wasn't my first Midnite album either. I THINK that distinction belongs to "Ainshant Maps" and I'm still working on that one as well)! A trait that I inherited from my wonderful Mother (and her wonderful Mother, both of whom are healthily and happily still with us) forces me to occasionally buy things just because I like buying stuff (a problem for a habitually broke college student at the time). I'd listened to Midnite's music before and, as I said, I didn't particularly care for it and I bought "Jah Grid" presuming that I wouldn't care for it either and, at least initially, I was correct. "Jah Grid" was... skeletal. The music was just fine but for someone who Dancehall would have been what I was listening to most at the time (and I was definitely listening to Roots music as well but it would have been... Sizzla, Capleton, Anthony B... kind of Dancehallish Roots music) Midnite's music was a bridge I had yet to even attempt to cross. But I paid my money for it, it was mine and, every so often, I'd come back and listen to "Jah Grid" and somewhere along the line, the shift began. Prior to that, however, I had begun to listen to the works of the likes of NiyoRah, Yahadanai, Army & Aincent King whose work came via a label that also would stick with me, I Grade Records, which also helped. I want to say that it didn't take THAT long for an album released in 2006 but I can remember a point when "Jah Grid" ceased to have any semblance of a presupposed (on my part and my part, alone) 'barrier' to it and what stood in its place was the start of a WONDERFUL journey of comprehension that continues to this day and will only end for me at my grave. 

In the latest addition to our Modern Classics series, we take a look at an album which helped to open a very large door for me, personally: "Jah Grid" by Akae Beka.

1. 'Enter'

I've spoken about this one previously. 'Enter' is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard... from like anyone and it so PERFECTLY exemplifies the process that I've gone through with this music. 

"If you plan fi live good, open Jah door and enter"

I don't know if this is the case but I'd like to think that someone specifically decided that it was so powerfully positioned at the beginning of the album because it sets the stage for what is to come not only musically but, specifically, by what Vaughn Benjamin says. ESSENTIALLY, he is saying that if you are willing to continue down this road, something immensely powerful awaits you. I should also mention just how damn THICK this song is, musically. The riddim sounds like something that grew out of the ground (oooooold, fertile ground) - a credit to the extremely gifted players of instruments behind it.

2. 'In Tent'

'In Tent' is a song where Benjamin actually does make an honest attempt at being melodic and I can actually remember a point, before this album fully opened up for me, where it may've actually been my favourite song here. These days while it may not rank as high, comparatively, I'm even more fond of it because I hear things in 2026 that simply did not exist for me in 2006. 'In Tent' is a very FULL experience and it exists for me as a social/life commentary (with a spiritual helm, of course) as Benjamin covers a variety of different topics and that's what stands out so brightly for me in this time. It's almost as if he jumps in and tackles one thing; jumps out, jumps back in and goes on something else. Take them all in a fractured state and you have something very solid (which I would have actually been capable of appreciating twenty years ago. Kind of viewing this tune as an impressive string of one liners), however, if you are capable of finding a common ground for them all and thus, receiving them all at once - well, then you have something special. 'In Tent' was special.

3. 'My Joy'

Grrrr. Despite its title, 'My Joy' came in with a bit of fury and is a more than welcomed deviation in its delivery. 'My Joy' does actually stay true to its name but in an expectedly very spiraling manner (a signature of Vaughn Benjamin's). The song was, essentially, him gardening. He was cleansing away the impurities and strengthening the soil so something would grow and he was mowing the lawn clear of overgrowth.

"Situation of the dream: Well nightmare haunt

ANYWHERE DEM KILL SEED, DIMENSION PLANT"

If you do these things well, what stands will deliver goodness for YEARS and, all of this time later, I am still enjoying the ripe fruits from 'My Joy'. 

4. 'Kin Dread'

One of the undeniable signatures from "Jah Grid", 'Kin Dread', finds the chanter (in a very SMOOTH way, particularly when compared to 'My Joy' just ahead of it)... just.... obliterating and annihilating everything, EVERYWHERE! Seriously, what the hell is this:

"New methodology, dem have it inna dem ghetto, mi seet

Dem new ghetto: Di chatroom

You don't have di password

You can't afford di software

You don't fit in yahso

Dem have it set up so dem deh alone can be pon di cutting-edge of di scientific community

Anything dem waan fi sociology do-

Anything dem waan fi economically do, dem can just do it"

"Whole heap a critic-

Dem just labba, run off dem mouth ah talk seh-

'Wi shoulda dun gone Addis Ababa'

'Wi shoulda dung deh a Shashamane'

Here a small story, mi ah tell you short story about a farmer

Plant up di most itiful garden, but di youths dem only want softdrinks and Babylon flavour

But hear yah now

Dem ya a mi kin dread

Dem a mi kin dread

Dem a mi kin dread

Di harvest is ripe and di labourers are few

Selfishly, dem waan fi depart when dem know seh that dem deh pocketbook can take care of dem deh just dem few"

At its core, 'Kin Dread' is a unity piece. It's about bringing us all together, warts and flaws and all but the journey to get there may take us AGES (and I ain't complaining about it). I would suppose that the majority of this song was a vibe. I've actually seen video of Vaughn Benjamin actually writing lyrics and while I would guess (and do so acknowledging that I could be completely wrong) that it was his preferred method of writing songs, I wouldn't think that he wrote much of 'Kin Dread' at all before he started it. It has a very LOOSE feel to it which isn't a frequent occurrence in his work (his delivery often comes off as unrehearsed but the man seems to know PRECISELY what he wants to say most times) and was one of several reasons that 'Kin Dread' left its mark.

5. 'Under Management'

Along with maybe one or two others, 'Under Management' is a song that has experienced as much of a SHIFT that I can think of. I can recall a point where I listened through "Jah Grid" and came upon 'Under Management' and... literally, had NO CLUE what I was listening to. It might as well have been recorded in Japanese or Latin - not because I couldn't understand what was being said but because I would have had just as much of an opportunity of digging sustenance out of it in those days had I been totally walled-off to what was being said. On top of that, can you find a melody here? Benjamin didn't give a damn about it and what little of it there was was very difficult to get to. 'Under Management' was just a tough song to listen to and remained so, even after much of the album had begun to develop for me.

Today? There is a group of my absolute favourite songs on "Jah Grid"; there're three of them. I just told you about one of them and the other, 'Enter', started us off. Outside of those... I cannot definitively say that there is a better song than 'Under Management' on this album (one might be pretty close). There are a few others that I will, depending on the day (and maybe even the time of day), rank higher, but if you were to come back and ask me what I think a few minutes later, I'd probably change my mind. 'Under Management' is GOLDEN as Vaughn Benjamin puts on a display of the spoken word for the ages. He says SO much on this one and covers SO much ground that you can stop it TRULY anywhere and hear something powerful. For example:

"Multiple psychology experiment on tv look like entertainment"

And it allows you an entry point into such a powerful track of thought. And there is a melody! The riddim also ranks as one of the finest compositions on the whole of "Jah Grid" for, as minimal as it may be (and it is), if you REALLY listen to it closely, there is a certain intensity behind this song that does not leap out at you but is definitely there. 

"I've seen it recently"

6. 'Spin Doctor'

The word that comes to mind today in reference to 'Spin Doctor' is "dilution". The term 'spin doctor' is used to describe a mouthpiece of a person who will often change and DILUTE a thought or a message to make it receivable amongst whoever it is being presented to. It is often used in the political sense.

"Teams of people who've been hired just to do this thing, believe it or not

They get on the news and in the room 

Sit around and decide how the outcome must come down, smooth-

And shape it in the news"

Certain messages require no "mouthpiece", however, and certain 'Candidates' are beyond the "spin". In order to illuminate this point, Benjamin takes a route which  goes through physics, looking at the nature of spin doctors on a molecular level. For its unusual sound (and it is strange, with a kind of a Jazzy vibes to it), 'Spin Doctor' is a HEALTHY point of discussion and one of the finest written songs on "Jah Grid".

7. 'Royal Habits'

I've alluded to 'Royal Habits' here already: When I was talking about 'Under Management', I mentioned that I have a group of three all-conquering favourites on this album but outside of those maybe only one more tune could lay claim to being better than 'Under Management'. That song was 'Royal Habits' and it is a flawless example of what a song that would not have done a damn thing for me when I first came across it but now does the world for me. This song is messy, it's scattered and it's pretty consistently off-key.

It's also beautiful. It's brilliant and it's poignantly POWERFUL. 'Royal Habits' also stands as one of the few tunes on which Benjamin had a little 'over-fun' with on the vocals. You'll know exactly what I mean if you're familiar with it but for the balance of the tune, it's what you're thinking that it is. We all need to do a bit better because we know a bit better. That's the source behind this song which, though it may take awhile, will reveal its true power only if given the opportunity.

"If you have it, exhibit royal habits"

8. 'The Bringers'

Though its music threatens to steal the show, 'The Bringers' does turn out to be a wonderful tune. First of all we do have to talk about that riddim: Silky, syrupy SMOOOOTH it is. Sounding like something directly halfway between Reggae and Jazz, the composition for 'The Bringers' features the handiwork of the venerable likes of Tippy I, the incomparable Tuff Lion (who DESTROYS on this song) and others. Just as a piece of music, it's winning but now we get to add in the works of Vaughn Benjamin. For his part, the chanter seems intent to match the fluidity of the players of instruments and while we can debate on how well he does on that end, what he does do (as he always does) is excel with his words. Here, he puts on a LOVELY display that I took in tribute and honour to our "bringers" [DUH!], meaning our parents, our forebears and ancestors who have done so much in bringing us to where we now are.

"Enough praise, I cannot give

Enough thanks, I cannot give"

Benjamin levels 'The Bringers' up when he goes EVEN HIGHER at one point when he asks one question:

"Should I not give all these things and more unto Jah?"

And I won't get into it... YES I WILL! 

"His Majesty unified all these minds into one place

Wrote the law on their hearts in one place

Solidified by distance

3,000 miles away"

HE who set bloodlines and lineage into motion is THE BRINGER. THE is The Bringer who brought 'the bringers'. I listen to these songs and I wonder if its my overactive brain that piles on ideas here or if I'm really on to something but songs like this one mean so much me now.

9. 'YHWH'

I'll come back and explain it, in closing, fully, later but 'YHWH' sits as sort of the GLUE of "Jah Grid". It is the source code behind it all as far as my experience with the album has gone. However, until then, there's this. 

"Choose before a place where no choices be

HIM, Haile Selassie spoke to these issues in specificity

Before the escalate happened early, happened early

Humbling to livity

Now it's not for triviality

Rastaman elevate the wisdom tree-

For souls to live in joy

Resonating, marinating in beauty

Let the positive rhetoric and economics interlock and purify I & I wholly

Haile. Holy"

"This" is one of the single finest written tracks on this album and I say that, again (kind of), without giving its true strength here but 'YHWH', along with 'Enter' has positioned my line of thinking in regards to this sound so perfectly and here we are There isn't a chorus to this song; such a thing would have only held it back and yet it is still quite pleasing to listen  to. More on this one in a second. 

10. 'Before I Lose My Strength'

I say "TEARS" when I want to let the reader know that whatever song I'm talking about makes me kind of emotional; it gets me "in my feels", as the kids like to say. I'm not going to say that about 'Before I Lose My Strength'; instead, I'll say this: THIS SONG MAKES ME CRY. It does and has been doing that for the last.... seventeen or eighteen years probably, but especially nowadays. The third of the trio of mountainous songs on "Jah Grid", 'Before I Lose My Strength' hits me heavily and I'll tell you why. For me, this song is about making the absolute most out of life that you possibly can - WHATEVER that may mean for you. It's about contributing and doing your part to improve life on this planet during the time you have on it. 

"Before I lose my strength

ALL OF THE DAYS OF SINGING

All my days of strength

ALL OF I DAYS HAVE VIBES"

Now, let's specify a little bit about whom we are discussing. Vaughn Benjamin left us, physically, in late 2019. 

"Before I lose my strength

ALL.

OF.

THE.

DAYS.

OF.

MY SINGING."

"ALL OF I DAYS HAVE VIBES"

Now I don't want to exaggerate or embellish or over-dramatize the moment but this man stated a mission... I don't even know if I want to use that word, "mission"... he stated a natural urge, an "instinct" (something implanted him by The Most High) - something he had to do [!] before the end of his days. Why???

"To maintain internal heights"

It made him feel good. It was something his biology required of him and he did it BEAUTIFULLY. Also, I wouldn't be doing a good job if I didn't talk about the music here. 'Before I Lose My Strength' is another kind of crawling sounding tune and it is gorgeous (THAT THING IS CRISP!). It'll take you a bit to arrive at that point (I'm an example of that) but this song, in particular, is the type of music that changes people's lives in my opinion. It is of THAT ilk. This man never lost his strength. He wrote HUNDREDS of wills and left it to the world.

11. 'Third Eye' by Jah Rubal

Let's talk a little about Jah Rubal. I'd like to think that -- both indirectly and directly -- Akae Beka did a great deal of work in terms of bringing along others and introducing them to the masses. I would think that we're already enjoying a generation of Rootsmen and women who have, in one way or another, been inspired by Vaughn Benjamin's work (I've always thought that about someone like Reemah) (and you see what she's gone on to do. That woman is a genius) but he's also brought some of them along for the ride. He's produced full albums for some of his peers (like Ancient King) and then there's Jah Rubal. I think most people first became acquainted with Rubal's work via his appearing on several Midnite projects and now he's a fully decorated and esteemed veteran with at least three full albums of his own off the top of my head (I should probably review one of them one of these days... think I might start researching that after this). EASILY, one of his most memorable features was on 'Third Eye' from "Jah Grid" - it also ranks, at least in my opinion, as one of his single strongest tunes to date. 

Rubal's style is a little messy but simple (and I mean both of those in good ways) and he's aided here by Benjamin, himself, who provides 'Third Eye' with a bit of background singing and harmonies. At times, such as this one, he also doesn't give a damn about melodies or song arrangement and things like such. He has something on his mind to get off and that's what Jah Rubal does, for the most part (he has a very unusual way of... doing unexpected choruses. They just kind of pop up when you are not expecting them). Although 'Third Eye' definitely does summit in its first verse, the entire thing -- after a nice long period of working on it -- does not head back down to the nadir and, again, at least for me 'Third Eye' sits as one of the finest pieces of output that Rubal has done to date as he suggests that we all take a closer, and perhaps more unconventional, look at the world around us. 

12. 'High Place'

"I have seen the high place"

TEARS! 'High Place', at least for me, has become this kind of lumbering... hard working giant of a song. It has something to do and somewhere to go but it isn't in the slightest hurry to get it done or to get there. It's going to take its slow ass time and you're going to sit there and let it. As it does progress, however, what you end up with is a tune which is wholly STUNNING at times.

"I have seen the high place

Inna likkle youth with the strangest question:

'How come they don't have lions?

How come they don't have mane?'

I say, 'hey, well ask ya daddy'

But it's the high place CURIOSITY"

The song is about non underestimating people and being able to appreciate BEAUTY and POWER everywhere you find it - even in the simplest, most innocuous of things. There is a joy here that I was incapable of appreciating AT ALL, initially and, even today, I can hear why I was lost. Now? Vaughn Benjamin says that he has seen the "high place".

I've seen it as well: On an album that I once left for dead.

13. 'On'

Courtesy of 'On', "Jah Grid" literally CRAWLS over the finish line. There was a point where I would have actually said that I disliked 'On' and if you're there as of now, I probably shouldn't fault you for it... but I am. 'On' is one the best songs on this album to my ears nowadays. Take its rather odd pacing and 'delicacy' out of play for a minute (we'll come back to it in a second) and just HEAR it for what it is.

"Let the vibes of reciprocation flow on and on

Those who have been the recepient of good and have done wrong

Remember, in your day, in your time when you can make a difference with your mind

With your deeds

Remembering the day, the people who have made your way"

The song is one about progression and progressing! Benjamin takes a good look at the good and the bad (and he almost had to in a song like this but it circles around so PERFECTLY and SUCCINCTLY. 

"Let the vibes of Jah flow on and on"

That is a signature of the man's work. I'm not going to say no one else CAN do it, but no one else DOES do it (at least not in the consistent sense). It is one of a kind. It belongs to him. Now, about the way that 'On' sounds - it GROWS! First of all is that riddim which is a five minute chunk of divinity within its simpleness. And the delivery on it, this kind of singing/chanting which sits around a more straightforward talk, works so well for it. He has something to get off his mind and he's acknowledging the moment:

"A caring thought

A considerate remembrance"

And, as it turns out, 'On' goes on to be one of the more sonically pleasing selections on the whole of this grid. 

Synopsis

"IT'S GONNA TAKE OVERSTANDING AND MATURITY"

I mentioned that I consider 'YHWH' to be the "glue" of Jah Grid. It's what holds my experience with the album all together and it's because Benjamin says things like this. I hear blips of so much of what I've gone through on this journey (and am still going through, DELIGHTFULLY) in this record.

"THINGS ARE COMING CLEAR, TRUE

IT TAKE A PAINFUL, A LOT OF ERA

A LOT OF MISCUE"

That final word there, "miscue", means so much to me here. I'm sure he didn't have it in mind when he wrote it but it was going to help open up my ears (and maybe, HOPEFULLY, many other pairs as well. It's okay to make mistakes in here and it's also okay if you don't comprehend what you're hearing. I remember seeing an interview of Tippy I and he, himself, who's produced so much of Vaughn Benjamin's work said that he'd constantly ask questions when he couldn't follow along. If he heard something and couldn't figure out the intention, he'd ask Benjamin what he meant and he'd tell him. I'm almost jealous of such an opportunity on one hand, but on the other I am SO DAMN grateful for the opportunity to work my own way through this work and to draw my own conclusions. 

"Destiny is subject to the decisions I & I make"

But I had to grow up mature and live life in order to earn the opportunity to draw my own conclusions and make my own decisions. However, with that being said, all of the time that I spent thinking that this music just wasn't for me also wasn't exactly bereft of value. I've had so many conversations with readers about how it just doesn't work for them and because of all the work I've done, I'm able to point them in a certain direction and make suggestions and... who knows, maybe it still doesn't resonate but PERHAPS they hear their own 'YHWH'. Maybe it comes via more 'accessible' material like "Beauty For Ashes" or "Kings Bell" or "Better World Rasta" or maybe they find it in small pieces through HEAVIER work like "Be Strong" but the fact that I've done it, myself, makes it such a satisfying experience any time I can maybe pass along a vibe or steer someone in this direction because what comes after is... unspeakable. It's a lifelong journey. For me that trek began to make an actual progress through work such as that which is found on "Jah Grid", a bona fide Modern Reggae Classic!

{Note: Also credit goes to the presentation of this album. Artiste Marcus Wilson did the cover which has thirteen stones (including the center), mirroring the number of songs on the album and then the actual CD has the songs title also circling around on the perimeter of the disc}