High Sight: A Review of "Vizion" by Cali P & Teka

Calibrated. Today I think I want to talk about a wonderful word which people like me and others tend to [over]use quite a bit when it comes to music. Now this term has very strong roots, particularly within the scope of the types of music we deal with around here and it is incredibly broad and can be (and is) used in description of a wide variety of different things. It is a word which can go overlooked and, simultaneously, be THE main reason why we even listen in the first place. Of course I am talking about the word VIBES. What is a vibe? Can anyone define it??? Sure you can because it, kinda/sorta, means just about anything you may want it to. It is a noun -- "I love the vibes on this tune" -- and a verb "the way they vibe this tune is damn impressive" -- and, again, sometimes it can mean virtually anything you want it to me. However, most often when you use the word VIBES, in any form, what you're describing is some type of feeling (generally positive, but not always. There're 'bad vibes') that the music gives you or leads you into, some way or another. Just to show how damn random I can be: I'm thinking now of the review or two I've done over the years for instrumental/Dub albums and one of them sticks out in my brain. Waaaaaayyy back in 2008, Achis Reggae favourite, the incomparable VI Reggae wizard, Tuff Lion, would give us an album by the name of "Ten Strings" which has gone on to be declared a Modern Classic on these pages. My experience with the subgenre is not deep, I'll admit, but it's likely the finest of its kind that I have ever heard (still holding out hope that we may someday see an "Eleven Strings"). I bring it up here because, in writing reviews for that type of work, as someone who LOVES the spoken word and all of the healthy opportunities of analysis it offers, I find it refreshingly challenging to attempt to bring a review of this length to such a project. It is writing almost exclusively based on VIBES. Writing based on what I feel. And as someone who has not a shred of actual musical talent, I would imagine the feeling that it gives me is a similar one to an artist who walks into the studio and hears some sweet piece of riddim. Maybe they feel like I do. Maybe they smile. Maybe they go through a range of emotions. Maybe they even see a few things in their head. Maybe they start to hum or tap on something. Maybe they hear a challenge. Maybe they welcome it. The same happens when I do hear some master of wordplay. The challenge is just as interesting and compelling for me and, again, given my total dearth of actual musical ability, I wonder if a certain musician or a producer might look at working with a gifted artist in the same way. Maybe they look at making a composition which will bring out their best as that challenge. Maybe the approach is different for everyone. Maybe it's highly technical or maybe they work spontaneously. Maybe it's just about the vibes.

That same word can be and is often used to denote some form of unity or chemistry in music as well -- "on this one you can really tell that artist and producer really vibe together quite well" -- which may be (it will) one of the ways in which we use it today as we take a most WELCOMED look at the return of one of the absolute favourites of this blog. It's been a minute! Ever since his scalding debut, 2008's "Lyrical Faya", Gwada/Swiss firebreather Cali P has essentially been a mainstay on my radar. What I heard back then was an obviously gifted chanter who and one who, clearly, was sitting on a goldmine of potential. Since then, Cali P has done nothing but fulfill on what I heard on that excellent project and, in doing so, has demonstrated himself to be amongst the genre's brightest of lights. Subsequent albums have delighted as, chasing "Lyrical Faya" was "Unstoppable" (more on that in a bit) and "i Thoughts" and, somewhere within that timespan, Cali P became my one of my absolute favourite artists. He has vibes.

2009

And throughout his career, Cali P has been fortunate to 'vibe' with many a great talented maestros and producers, particularly on the European scene. Labels such as Pow Pow, Oneness Records, Weedy G Soundforce, Necessary Mayhem, Addis Records and a whole heap of others decorate his catalogue. Still, if you've been following the artist, then surely the label with whom you have come to most closely associate his work has been Hemp Higher Productions, who not only helmed both "Unstoppable" and "i Thoughts", but also a truly GOLDEN EP that Cali P would do in 2014 by the name of "Healing Of The Nation" ["Cause wi just give dem something, something weh dem neva si before. And di light weh wi shine pon dem mek dem run away fi sure!"] (BOOM!) (and biggup Hemp Higher, they're still hard at work, having released a single, 'Ma Lionne', for another of our favourites just earlier this year, Tiwony). But if you look into some of the finer details of Cali P's work, you begin to notice another very constant presence as well. At least two selections from "Lyrical Faya", 'Settle the Score' which featured Ras Charmer (biggup Ras Charmer) (Tiwony was also on that album as were Queen Omega & Straika D... you must be some kind of a damn fool if you haven't listened to "Lyrical Faya" by now) (no excuses!) (biggup Tiwony. Tiwony has vibes, like a lot of them) and 'Take Care of My Family' ["Righteous people ah go tek ova di globe and fi si dat, mi nuh need no blasted microscope!"] came via German imprint, Rootdown Records and producer Teka. Rootdown would also be involved on the "Healing Of The Nation" project with Teka building that GORGEOUS composition on which 'United We Stand' laid its head and were that enough (and it was), my absolute favourite song from "i Thoughts" was 'Guiding Shield' ["MI NO WORRY AND MI NO FRAID WHEN WI DEH PON DI BATTLEFIELD"] and I will give you one guess on who produced that one... some guy they call Teka on his fine Straight From The Fridge Riddim. And that's just material that would appear on albums (that I could actually source) they've also 'vibed' together on quite a few other singles (such as 'Tek De Beam', Cali's excellent cut of Rootdown's swinging Kokoo Riddim. And that's just THEM. I also VIBE with Teka's music. Personally, I can say that he's been behind more than a few of my favourites in the history of this blog such as Smiley's 'Distance' on the Tek A Train Riddim (which I just noticed that Teka may've named after himself) and, most notably, one of the best damn songs I have ever heard from anyone, the MASSIVE 'Slew U In The Open' ["Dem will dash you in the freezer til yuh frozen!"] from Natty King (which was on the iLove Riddim which also carried 'Need to Tell You This', a sizable hit from Ziggi Recado, who we also love). So, whether you know it or not, if you are a consistent fan of modern Roots Reggae music, you've probably also enjoy Teka's music at some point (he's really a fantastic, and predominately Roots, ace) (and just searching his name or 'Rootdown' on these pages reminds me how often we'd run into Teka's work over the years, working with the likes of Lloyd Brown, Dynamq, Hi-Kee (do you remember Hi-Kee???) (WHAT!). And, when you've been VIBING with someone for as long as Cali P and Teka have musically (going back nearly fifteen years as far as we know, but maybe even longer now), what comes next? Maybe they could make an album together?! Well, okay maybe not a full album, maybe you can build to that point and start with an EP... but when you have THIS much vibes, apparently one won't do it. Thus, Cali P and Teka bookended 2019 with a pair of EPs, "Vizion I" and "Vizion II", respectively. And I hadn't heard from Rootdown in quite awhile and that was likely due to the fact that Teka had moved away from the label and started his own LowLow Records outfit in Berlin which officially released the set. And CLEARLY the idea was that, because I was on hiatus when the EPs released initially and didn't have the opportunity to review them, artist and producer --having so much respect for me-- decided to take that logical next step and have now set out to the masses, "Vizion", the full album (there is absolutely no way in hell that happened like that) (NONE!). Both EPs featured four songs and they are combined with five others (a mixture of previous singles and new tracks) to bring the number up to a thicker thirteen in total. They've also been very attentive in regards to the promotion, with several tunes birthing videos (quite a few, actually) and digital singles as well. Someone, somewhere thought that "Vizion" had vibes. 

They were correct. "Vizion" becomes Cali P's fourth complete studio album and his first since 2016. Coincidentally (I'm thinking it was by coincidence), with the official release date for this project being the twenty-fourth of September 2021, "Unstoppable" was released on October seventh, 2011: That's fairly close (just thirteen days by my count) to being an actual decade. So, in honour of its tenth anniversary, definitely go back and check out the high-powered "Unstoppable". Before that, however, let's dive into "Vizion" which is actually constructed in an interesting manner. The album's five songs which did not appear on either EP are placed at its head. In particular, there's 'Innit' which wasn't one of the three prior singles either, therefore, it was completely new to me! 'Innit' is all kinds of interesting because it kind of just comes off as a 'vibe'. It seems relatively spontaneous and organic as it goes in a few different lyrical directions, but what I ultimately took away from it is that Cali P is showing gratitude for how his career and life have evolved and how people now react to him and show him love and respect. I also have discovered that I have to play 'Innit' now exclusively on my headphones because if I play it otherwise, I run the risk of my daughter hearing it, thus ensuring that, in some type of way, I will spend the rest of the day listening to the chorus of 'Innit' (because she WILL NOT STOP singing it). And it also needs to be said that the opener is constructed over a downright ambrosian track That riddm is FANTASTIC and Cali definitely does not let it go to waste, complimenting it with some the finest wordplay you'll hear on the whole of "Vizion". Next we have the album's most recently released single, the fresh 'Heartbreaker'. Like the tune preceding it, 'Heartbreaker' is very catchy and from the very first time that I heard it, the word COOL has stuck with me in describing it. Although fairly specific, 'Heartbreaker' is a song about getting older, maturing and just 'going through it'. We've all been through certain things, particularly in and around relationships, that have kind of 'scarred' us and left lasting impressions (and I've found the older I get, I blame myself almost exclusively for that stuff) and this is the story of someone experiencing that. Again, the overall SOUND of 'Heartbreaker' is very attractive and is sure to keep heads bobbing and feet tapping, just as mine are right now. Cali P has big purpose in mind for the next selection in, the resounding 'Hit Like Gunshot'.

 

"Slavery abolished

But nuttin demolished

The school and system support di damage

Media mek ya panic

Control economics

HISTORICAL BANDIT

I seh check how dem plan it

I CANNOT STAND IT

SI DI VIDEO - VOMIT

Humanity, damn it

Yuh needed the graphics

To feel how it tragic

Now go back in time -

When Iphone wasn't

Sad don't?

Mi nuh waan nuh pity

Tek a trip inna di real nitty-gritty

AFRICA SO PRETTY, STILL THINGS AIN'T PRETTY RIGHT NOW

Mi nuh waan nuh pity

Tek a trip inna di real nitty-gritty

And where is the justice for those who died?

Gunshot

Hit me like a gunshot

Gunshot

This hit me like a gunshot

My focus is home

To build up my zone

NO REASON FOR ME TO LEAVE AFRICA

AND BE KILLED IN AMERICA

I'm not here to beg please

You getting seized

400 years, still, we balling for justice and peace

Wickedness increase

Sometimes I can't believe-

How do we let down ourselves, like a king weh accept defeat?

MARCHING TO PROVE I AM HUMAN

ALONG WITH HUMANITY

SOMETHING IS WRONG, DON'T YOU SEE?

I CANNOT BREATHE

Gunshot

Hit me like a gunshot

Gunshot

This hit me like a gunshot"

Easily one of the finest songs on the album and probably of Cali's entire career, 'Hit Like Gunshot' is a piece of the times. The history of Reggae music is decorated with songs like this in regards to specific moments and actions (and DEFINITELY in the more expansive sense, with general social commentaries) and, at least as far as I am concerned, when you take a look at what has been going on in the world recently, you would expect the genre to DIRECTLY react and 'Hit Like Gunshot' is Cali P's absolutely TOWERING response (just thinking out loud here, you can go onto the next track if you like: It would be so interesting to look up if anyone already has written such a book (I would presume someone has) addressing the direct 'reaction' of Reggae to significant social moments of the human experience, throughout history. It's a very interesting topic and I remember taking a Pan African class in university and learning about the Negritude Movement and doing some brief research of how/if it had been addressed in (mostly French and Creole) Reggae music. Surely someone has already written extensively on the topic and if they haven't, maybe it's something I should look into, myself). If 'album building' and 'album sequencing' are such things that actually exist, in terms of how you place songs in order on an album and how well they flow together, then whoever was in charge of that on "Vizion" had a moment of full genius between #3 and #4, when they followed 'Hit Like Gunshot' with the similar but, arguably, even stronger (and brand new as far as I know) 'Care For Us', which is my favourite song on the entire album.

"You ain't for the people

You don't care for us

People still hungry and you don't care for those

Everyday new tv stories making up

Instead of telling people what really goes

More time I hear unuh talking

All I can do is laughing

My mind, it start imagine all the shocking things that happen

And now wi see these fathers dying

And see these children crying

AND STILL YOU HAVE THE POWER AS A LEADER TO BE LYING

You fighting terroists

I know you make them

I know you protect the fuckry that you projecting

Try put us in positions you selecting

And those you don't wanna see, you keep neglecting

Rejecting to the core

Mek wi feel it some more

SEGREGATE DI WORLD INTO 'RICH' AND TO 'POOR'

COUNTLESS WARRIORS DISAPPEARING FROM THE COURSE

CUZ ANYTIME WI SAY SOMETHING, YEAH, YOU START USE FORCE

You ain't for the people

You don't care for us

People still hungry and you don't care for those

Everyday new tv stories making up

Instead of telling people what really goes

Education is expensive-

Like it should be limited

NOW LOOK INNA DI FACE OF DI ONES DEM WEH LIMIT IT

Money money people wanna stay limited

READY FI SPEND THEIR MONEY JUST TO KEEP WI ILLITERATE

And always try to give us di impression wi so poor

Mek di whole believe wi need yah help some more

Charity, charity yeah fi hungry pickney

MI SI CHARITY, CHARITY 

AND ALL WITHOUT CLARITY

And there's people with nuff popularity-

WEH MEK PEOPLE FORGET DEM HAVE FAMILY

Mek dem live a life weh dem run fi vanity

No solidarity

Mi si pure animosity"

I mean.... DAMN! BLESSED (it is a GIFT. It is PERFECT!) with what may be the finest composition on the album as well, like the song ahead of it, 'Care For Us' is a knocking social commentary. This one is just a bit wider and encompassing in its direction but the lyrical precision is needle-point accurate as Cali P scintillates on a FORTRESS of a song. Lastly (besides the eight other songs I mean) is another previous single and the only combination on "Vizion", 'Rise Up & Shine' which links Cali P and Teka with African artists, Stonebwoy from Ghana (who we just ran into on "Pamoja", Etana's outstanding recent release) and Nigerian musical prince, Seun Kuti, son of the legendary Fela Kuti. Besides just being very nice to listen to (there's this really cool 'shuffling' sound in there somewhere), 'Rise Up & Shine' does take its opportunity to make a point as well ["My people keep shining. From Lagos to Holland"], reaching with a solid inspirational vibe. Songs like this can be inherently interesting based purely on the combination of styles (which is the main attraction, on paper, obviously) but sometimes you can have situations where so much is going on that it ends up as kind of a big ass mess. That isn't the case here and, for what it is, 'Rise Up & Shine' has very sleek and well put-together VIBES to it. 

As I alluded to, the remaining balance of "Vizion" is filled with the eight songs which compiled both of its EP releases in 2019, so I think that the best approach is to separate them as they were released and VIBE them like such. First was "Vizion I" (DUH! Can you imagine if they released II in January, then came back and did I in November - like just because), which just so happens to have been headed by the downright DAMAGING 'Baddest' which was its brightest star in my opinion. The track found Cali P giving due respect and honour to some of his most powerful peers and, presumably, many of the artists who provided him (and You and I) with inspiration through the years.

"Drop it, wild it like Shabba

Powerful and mad like Cobra

Super Cat, di real don dada

Dem deh bad, bad, badda and badda

Mi look up to Buju, Killa, Peter Tosh, Kalonji dada

'WHO DEMMM', Capleton, Beenie - nobody, nobody madda

Gi dem, mi gi dem, mi gi dem it everyday 

Lyrical fyah

Keep up the work-

Represent straight, Mama Afrika

Buss up di place with Tiwony, Anthony B, inna Gambia

LISTEN TO MARLEY, BIG YOUTH AND BURNING SPEAR - 

FI GET WISER"

He goes on to make the priority of specifically mentioning a few of the pillaring women (Sister Nancy, Queen Omega and Queen Ifrica) of Reggae music as well as African artists (Fela Kuti, Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela) and REALLY just does what I'm going to call a 'humbling' tune. And I really appreciate it, in particular, because you hear songs like this in tribute to people who're either no longer with us at all or who've gone to a place of being living (ELDERLY) legends, but Cali P is giving those types the credit AND his direct peers. He's actually made music with Queen Omega, Tiwony and Capleton (and that's just from the top of my head, he may've worked with others he mentions as well). It's a wonderful way of telling someone that, despite that I'm standing next to you, vibing with you, I'm still a fan and am still inspired by and learning from you. Speaking of learning, next on "Vizion I" was 'Life Lesson', which was also wholly excellent. The way this one is written is pretty unique because it isn't as if Cali is talking about a single lesson, he's come to teach a few of them ["Everyday we get it is another life lesson"]. In its near four minutes, the artist goes in on things such as anti-violence, respect ["I, is not a punching. I, is not a hypocrite"] and injustice. Taken as a whole it is definitely one of the more interesting lyrical approaches on "Vizion" and one which I would well recommend anyone to spend more than a couple of spins on before deciding how you feel about it completely. Oh and even though I'm tired telling you just how good the music is on many of these most of these songs, it HAS to be repeated in this instance. I hesitate to call 'When You Hold Me' (ditto for this what I just said about 'Life Lesson' in regards to this one. And this one literally SCREAMS out for a Dub version) a 'love song' in the usual way we use that term (although I don't think that doing that is necessarily incorrect, but maybe just a bit limiting); instead, I'm thinking of referring to it as a 'relationship song'. The difference being that 'When You Hold Me' virtually comes off as a 'thank you' letter. It's as much about GRATITUDE, PRIDE and RESPECT as it is about love, at least in my opinion. The result is a song which most people will regard as a love song, surely, but in its defense, is one with possesses another element for anyone willing to take a deeper listen. And sending out "Vizion I" was 'When Things Go Up', another track whose value increases with the more attention you give it.

"As soon as things go up, some try fi bring it down

As a problem gone, a next problem come

Most High please don't let I drown

Lift up my head and keep my feet on the ground

Good to be feared

Better to be respect

And in this time, I think family is affected

SO KNOW YUH ACTION, IF IT'S WRONG, CORRECT IT

Or things ahgo come at you - really unexpected

Keep the focus, stay connected

Make use of yuh talents and don't be wreckless

Send up yuh prayers, stay protected

Practice nuff, yeah that's how you perfect it

Choose where you wanna be

Bredda better select it

And anywhere the good vibes dem, deh go collect it

And anywhere the bad vibes dem, deh go detect it

Fling dem outta di window and stay uninfected

Bad man is active, it's so fascinating

The love I have it keep mi motivated"

Along with being a display of some excellent wordplay, 'When Things Go Up' seems to be something that Cali P created to provoke thought (he literally says it at the beginning, "So mek mi tickle ya brain, like some good brain food") in his listeners and it does work. There is also a umbrella-ing direction (at least to my opinion there is) (you find me someone else who is using 'UMBRELLA' as a verb!!), which is a very relatable one as the artist takes a very colourful look at the ups and downs of everyday life ["Life fulla ups and down. For sure I never lose my crown. Real youths, firm and strong. Jah Jah keep wi safe and sound"] (BOOM! That's from an old song called 'Bless Me' - just felt like mentioning it). I like the relatively laidback tone of it as well as, while there is emotion here, there's never a panic, it's more like someone giving you advice rather than trying to admonish you.

For its part, released some ten months following the first installment, "Vizion II" features a selection which, despite its brevity (the shortest track on this entire release by twelve seconds and one of only two less than three minutes long) ('Heartbreaker' being the other), is probably my second favourite anywhere on "Vizion" at all. That song, 'Congo Natty' began "VII" and it was a chunk of BEAUTIFUL vibes. My daughter may not like it very much because, when her father hears it, she's likely going to have to spend the rest of the day listening to him sing the chorus, but she'll just have to deal with that (not my problem! Don't care!) (NOPE!) (NOT SORRY EITHER!). From its sound and its course, which is one talking about perseverance and maybe attempting to be less emotional and 'thin-skinned'. 'Congo Natty' is about knowing that you are secure in yourself and doing positive things. You can definitely take that a step further and get into subjects like CONFIDENCE and pride as Cali P strikes a MASSIVE blow in a [way too] short amount of time. Jumping ahead, there was also 'People Want More' (....time to be attached to 'Congo Natty') which is the obligatory ganja song from "Vizion". Cali P has scored heavily on this front previously. Perhaps, most notably, there was 'Herbalist' for Necessary Mayhem (which was GENIUS, it just was) from a few years back, but you might also remember the KNOCKING 'Sweet Greens' from "Unstoppable" and a fun vibes from years back called 'Bun Dem Herbs' ['Give thanks to Jah, cause HIM plant di marijuana, and di best a it mi find inna Jamaica"]. So there was some type of lineage to 'People Want More' and it definitely does not disappoint. 'Crazy', wonderfully, seems to celebrate all of the little idiosyncrasies that we all have. If you have someone special in your life (even a friend or a family member) you know that there is something that they do which is strange as hell but you find it adorable and maybe if you fall out with them, you'll complain about how much you hated it, but you LOVED it. It's a tune which is really just about relationships that we have with one another ["She asks, 'are you just like alla dem?' Now you tell me girl, did you try alla dem??"] and the things that we're willing to put up with and, in come cases, even honour to a degree. It's somewhat subtle I think, but there is a real substance when you dig into 'Crazy'. And lastly, with its Dancehall-ish and Hip Hop-ish vibes 'Girlfriend' stands as the musical changeup on "Vizion" (I guess you could call 'Rise Up & Shine' a changeup as well) on Teka's Whirlwhine Riddim. It isn't my favourite song on the album but it isn't bad at all and I'm actually glad that they decided to mix things up just a bit. If you go back and listen to "Unstoppable", you'll see immediately that Cali P has earned his stripes in the Dancehall as well (and Necessary Mayhem, albeit in a different way (they tend to more old school oriented), also touch Dancehall music relatively often) (biggup Mr. Williamz) and you can hear it on 'Girlfriend'. I also enjoyed reading the press release on the album which mentioned how this song (and others) organically evolved. It goes to show just how much producer and artist (and artist's lady) truly do VIBE together.

I do have a pair of standing critiques for "Vizion", one of them is obvious and the other is related in some (probably none) way I think. The obvious one is that if you're really into Cali P's music, then you're already familiar with eleven of its thirteen tracks. It will only give you 'Innit' and 'Care For Us' (which, I remind you, is its best moment for me) as entirely new work. The second is the music on the album. WHAT! Hear me out. Maybe I've grown spoiled listening to Zion I Kings albums but when you make VIBES that sound this good, I'd like to think that you'd want to show them off just a bit. Some of these songs have tracks (even 'Girlfriend', actually), that you'd want to hear more of and I think it would have been a good opportunity for Teka and company at LowLow to add extended versions of some of the tracks and just PRESENT the vibes of "Vizion" even more, because some of them (most of them) are exceptional and deserving of such treatment. And, back in his Rootdown days, when they would frequently release riddim albums, Teka often (not always) would include instrumental tracks for his riddims (and he even did it for the Whirlwhine). I wouldn't be against it if, someday, "Vizion" received some type of instrumental release because, again, that would be DAMN interesting and enhance the vibes of this big release. 

Overall, if you've hung around here to any length of time you know that they had me convinced at 'new Cali P album'. I was interested already. However, after hearing how things played out and really tuning in "Vizion", I'm still impressed. Cali P's style is so diverse and so open that he can work well with just about any talented producer, but in Teka, like Riga before him, he's found a nearly perfect musical match. They vibe amazingly well. And what sticks out here, in retrospect (allow me to turn into a giant nerd for a second) (you're probably a nerd too, however, after reading a review of this length), is that despite how the VIBE of "Vizion" never really makes a grand deviation (and it isn't a huge leap to put a Dancehall song on a predominately Roots Reggae release, especially given the artist's history), it has this lovey, OPEN, feeling to it. And I'd say that to the point where, ahead of any other Cali P album, I'd probably recommend "Vizion" to newer fans -- which allays, somewhat, my largest critique of it -- because it is a very strong introduction to one of the strongest and colourful artists of this current era. Older fans, like You and I, know what to expect and there is ample BULK to the project for us as well as "Vizion" hits a few different targets. I don't know if I actually managed to stumble across any type of 'correct' definition (I did not) for the term, but I do know that whatever a VIBE really is, "Vizion" has a warehouse full of it. Very well done.

Rated: 4.20/5

LowLow Records

Digital

2021