DO IT AGAIN!: A review of Remz Of The Dragon Slayer by Mark Wonder

Crowns. We have been spoiled, You and I. We have been treated a little too well and I'm afraid that, if ever it is no longer the case, we will not know what to do with ourselves and how to go on. The good news is that, if it does ever actually stop (and it will not), we will have decades upon decades worth of STUFF to go back to. Of course, I'm referring to the wonderful music we've gotten from a seemingly infinite amount of sources throughout the years and today, specifically, I think I'll focus strictly on the music I have had the LUXURY of covering on these pages over the past thirteen years or so (minus four or five when.... I didn't feel like it). Just here, we've talked about many albums which not worked in their time but have gone on to become some truly timeless work and, personally, some of my absolute favourites from anyone, of all time. And just to demonstrate how wide this point is applicable I will grab two albums which could not be more dissimilar if they tried, to make my point: On one end there would be Mad Cobra's "Helta Skelta", which was the very first album review we did on this blog, while on the other would be a candidate for my favourite album recorded during the last thirteen years, Midnite's "Beauty For Ashes". One of those sets (and I'll let you figure out which one I'm talking about) (think very carefully) may just be the finest lyrical display I have ever seen on an entire release as its star delivered gem after gem, all bouncing around the central theme of unity and bringing people together. The other may be THE most violently offensive and divisive album in the history of Dancehall music (not 'topped' by the likes of Bounty Killer, Merciless, Ward 21, Ninja Man, Vybz Kartel, Mavado or Aidonia (of course not Aidonia)). There was no unity to be found as the DJ would pick a fight with anyone, including The Devil, Himself. Both, in their own very distinct and unusual ways, were displays of genius but, again, they could not be further apart but we've had so much fun with both and will continue to. A quick visit to the 'Modern Classics' tag reveals that while most of the biggest material that has been soaring during our time here has been of the Roots Reggae variety (and I think that is, primarily, due to it just being so prevalently recorded on albums as opposed to the other genres we deal with), the artists themselves are of such a BEAUTIFUL assortment, that it makes me PROUD. Along with the expected likes of Sizzla Kalonji, Capleton, Luciano, Anthony B and Vaughn Benjamin, you'll find MACHEL MONTANO and Queen Omega from Trinidad, Gentleman, Ziggi Recado and Lion D from Europe. You'll see, along with Queen Omega, Etana and Tanya Stephens and then Batch, Niyorah and Tuff Lion (who didn't even need to utter a word to make the list with his stunning "Ten Strings") and even a release from our old friend Harry Mo. Like I said, we've all been spoiled. Spoiled rotten! 

2012

A nice sized chunk of the 'blame' for our expectations be sky-high can be also placed at the feet of a very interesting union of artist and label. Back in the summer of 2012 there was a most wonderful album from a most wonderful artist which produced by a most wonderful label as the increasingly incomparable Kingston born Mark Wonder linked up with the just as accumulatingly exceptional Oneness Records from out of Munich to give to the world the GIFT (THANK YOU! THANK YOU SO MUCH!) that was "Working Wonders". I've extolled on the splendours of both ad nauseum (even prior to the release of "Working Wonders") (well, maybe not to that degree way back then) and you're well familiar with their works, even apart from one another, if you frequent these pages. Mark Wonder is simply one of my favourite artists today (and probably ever) and Oneness Records is amongst my favourite labels ever as well. With both predominately focusing on Roots Reggae, the potential of such a union occurring would have been appetizing for me at the time and, before I'd even actually heard it, I can remember having such a strong feeling about the possibility that we were about hear something special and "Working Wonders".... kinda turned out alright, didn't it??? I think so. 

2019

So why not try it again? It seemed obvious enough to me but (probably thankfully) what always seems like the right move to make in my mind doesn't always occur; but this time it did. Perhaps it goes to show its lasting strength and significance that, about seven and a half years following its initial release, Oneness Records would released "Working Wonders In Dub" which was a lovely dubbed out EP version of the album via the great Umberto Echo (they only did seven of the fifteen songs, but it was a BEAUTIFUL, kind of nuanced and non-stale style of Dub) ('nuanced' may not be the best word, but they weren't just like instrumentals with a few sound-effects thrown in, here and there). And, thankfully, that wasn't the only work planned for Mark Wonder and Oneness Records with one another. Just a few months later in March 2020, Mark Wonder and the Oneness Band would once again team up (biggup Jah Mason) for the full sequel to "Working Wonders", the epically titled "Remz Of The Dragon Slayer". If ever there was an album which had pressure on it, there was such "Remz Of The Dragon Slayer". I'm thinking of an album that not only followed a great one (and it didn't do so directly, between sets with Oneness Records, Wonder would do both "Scrolls Of The Levite" in 2015 and a couple of years later would come "Dragon Slayer". Those albums did nothing to dampen expectations on any forthcoming Wonder release AT ALL) but followed a great one with the exact same background in terms of labels and producers and such. As far as what we've dealt with here, what Chezidek and Dutch label, JahSolidRock, managed to do in 2013 with the mighty "The Order Of Melchezedik" definitely comes to mind. That set would arrive three years after what stands as, arguably, the singer's greatest piece of work to date, "Judgement Time", and was damn near a classic of its own. So what would become of "Remz Of The Dragon Slayer"? Could Mark Wonder and Oneness retain the MAGIC that would produce its older sibling some EIGHT YEARS later? The only stupid question is the one you already know the answer to. Of course they could! In retrospect, "Working Wonders" exists as this downright immaculately concepted, performed and produced piece of Roots Reggae. It absolutely SHINED from beginning to end and demonstrated a brand of the music which so wonderfully refined and well done that, nearly a decade later, it exists as bright as ever. So how do you follow up on something like that. The easiest way to describe what happens on "Remz Of The Dragon Slayer" is to just say that THEY DID IT AGAIN. In fact, they did it SO well that it left you 'wondering' if somehow, someway, they managed to even do it better this time. Let's think about that.

To the surprise of hopefully no one at all, the second album comes very much as a continuation of "Working Wonders". If operated under the notion of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' and "Remz Of The Dragon Slayer" isn't much of a deviation, if at all, from its predecessor. So, if you enjoyed "Working Wonders" (and you did), you're very likely to have a similar appreciation for this one. I will say, reluctantly (because I loved it), that because the first one did exist, it almost seemed as if the chemistry had grown even stronger and we got yet another TREMENDOUS release from Mark Wonder and Oneness Records. AND, if I recall correctly, (again, due in part to the large reception "Working Wonders" received and the buzz it generated) going into this one, the attention was extremely high and it was what we were all expecting. Expectations began being met on "Remz Of The Dragon Slayer" IMMEDIATELY as the very first selection, 'Level With Me Idrens', was a bona fide FUTURE CLASSIC, as soon as it stepped through the door! WHAT! It comes in with such a nice and tranquil vibes about everyone simply making an effort to get along with one another ["No tug-a-war, it's just an upful vibes"] and to stop making an effort (because that's exactly what we're doing) to find things to separate us further and further apart. And the riddim here (with those horns!) is so powerful - altogether making 'Level With Me Idrens' a tune which ranks high for Mark Wonder completely, on this album or any other. A similar BRIGHT message is the theme behind the syrupy sweet 'Another Day', which also rises near the top of "Remz Of The Dragon Slayer. The fact that 'Another Day' was selected as one of the singles from the album should come to the surprise of no one at all because... I mean.... I understand we all have different tastes and it's a beautiful thing that we don't enjoy the same things and aren't 'wired' the same way but.... seriously, if you're even the slightest bit interested in Reggae music, I'm going to have a hard time listening to an argument about how you could not possibly like this tune! It is so nice! I mean, listen to this thing (I'm assuming the video is in here somewhere)! Settled so gingerly in a one-drop which is as brilliantly simple as it is STERLING, 'Another Day' threatens to BLIND listeners as Wonder tells us to give a thanks for EVERYTHING we have and if we don't have anything, then to give thanks for the coming of a new day and a new opportunity to get something (there's probably be like six-ish songs that I could call the best song on this album. I just told you about a pair of them. Here's another -). If it were possible, "Remz Of The Dragon Slayer" manages to go even higher on the next piece up, the towering 'Brand New Me'.

"Thanks for the lesson well learned

You have taught me so well

Now I won't make the same mistake again

It's just that I've always believed in loyalty to the end

Now I'm a brand new me

I'm a brand new me

I'm a brand new me

On the battlefield, a soldier gives his soul

BUT NOT EVERYBODY KNOWS TRUST IS WORTH MORE THAN GOLD

Seeking for the treasure, gotten no measure

But while we're living, while we're giving-

People can still be so cold

But I'm believing and redeeming myself and whole

Now I'm a brand new me"

This piece of gold strikes in on a message of just going throughout life and amassing experiences, good and bad, and how to move on from them. I really enjoyed how 'Brand New Me', as fine as it most certainly is, isn't entirely positive. It has REALISTIC negative aspects to it, which made it very relatable and tangible to my ears. Rounding out our first third of "Remz Of The Dragon Slayer" was the the heavily diasporic 'Voyages Across The Sea' which featured two Oneness favourites teaming up as South African, Crosby, joins Mark Wonder on the label's lovely Bambu Riddim. Once upon a time, we used to run into the work of Crosby quite frequently on Oneness Records' tracks and I was damn happy to see his name attached to this project (he also had a solid full project of his own, "A Better Place", just a few years back) (really cool tune on that album called 'Play Yuh Something) because he's delivered some fine material of his own (check 'Jah Powers' on the Redeemer Riddim and 'Heart of A Lion' from the Raspect). Unsurprisingly these two blend perfectly and form yet another winner from both on a Oneness production.

'Remz Of The Dragon Player" is very much a release which you can truly just turn on and walk away from. Do so, even as a background vibe, and you will encounter some truly STUNNING music as, along with basically the entire first third of the album, the winners continue to roll through. For a PRIME example of that, check, oh I don't know, the very next tune, as Mark Wonder goes ancient with 'Kemetic'. Pieces like this, which are so specific can be taken in a variety of different ways, in my opinion. Along with the literal approach of drawing this line from Rasta and Ethiopia to Egypt, I also think it works in the sense of just demonstrating to someone how powerful their lineage is and how high of a standard they should hold themselves to. When you're able to do that for someone, although it may be difficult to comprehend (it is), and have them really get it, not only does it make them FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES, but you also have the potential effect of instilling in them something which they will go forward an use in fully tangible ways such as, perhaps, finding better ways to conduct themselves and/or treating themselves and others better. When you come from such CLASS, it is your job to keep it sharp. 'Nubian Glory', Wonder's cut of Oneness' African Children Riddim, strikes with a very similar message of maintaining a very high status and standard of life because of your ancestry and who you were born to be ["African children, this is the revolution. Steadfast in meditation - knowing Haile Selassie is The Highest One, Ruler Of Iration"]. This one, more specifically, speaks to the younger generation (and as I sit here typing this, I'm just now noticing, after more than seven and a half years, that 'Nubian Glory' was basically the title track of that riddim), where it has legs as both a tool of education and inspiration... well I guess us old folk should be taking it like that as well. And if you stick with this streak, you run into the similarly rooted and downright MAMMOTH 'Blessed Itiopia' which, by the slimmest of margins, is probably my second favourite song on "Remz Of The Dragon Slayer" altogether (slim on both sides, from #1 and #3).

"From di anciency, up to this time presently 

All hail, unanimously - A ROYAL DYNASTY

Now the scepter will  never depart from thee

ALL CULMINATING WITH THE CROWNING OF THE KING"

'Blessed Itiopia' is SERIOUS! While similar in many respects to both 'Nubian Glory' and 'Kemetic', 'Blessed Itiopia' is a praising tune at its core. It is also incredibly dynamic and just a joy to spin through. If you're at all familiar with Mark Wonder's work (even if you aren't and this is your first time listening), you know that such tunes are a specialty of his -- they always will be -- and 'Blessed Itiopia' has to be one of the finest of its kind that he has ever done. You take the vibes from that huge set and go right into 'Better Days' and... things change just a bit and I mean that in a good way. I was SO DAMN HAPPY that they included a track like this one on the album because what it does is to change the pace but not in such a huge way that it becomes strange. 'Better Days' is downright melancholy but it arrives in a way which, should  you choose to really tune in, does not lose one shred of the strength that you're going to find on some of the more VIBRANT selections here. To me, something like that speaks to the true talents of an artist: You can play absolutely anything and if he feels it, Mark Wonder can produce something magical. 'Better Days' is magical.

While 'Better Days' is surely the album's changeup in terms of sound, 'In Tune 2 Di Rockaz' manages to 'resituate' things here slightly on its own. So much of "Remz" is heavily spiritually based and so is this one, but here we find Wonder kind of placing the music is a kind of a 'go-between' for the spiritual side and the people in the tangible world. In doing so he, once again, is damn impressive - serving up one of the undeniable highlights of the release. And with about a minute and twenty seconds to go Echo and company, perhaps, give us an early taste of a future Dub version as the vocals fade away and the track is left to DAZZLE and it does! 'Crisis' was the singer's great take on the Buff Baff Riddim from Oneness and Real People Music and despite the obvious risk I run of being a broken record (you know I don't care), it proved to be one of the album's finest tracks and definitely one of its most formidable lyrically as well ["A continuation of the propaganda machinery. Finding new ways to obtain their monopoly, so di ghetto people dem have to find a new strategy just to maintain their space in society"]. Still, to my opinion at the pinnacle of "Remz Of The Dragon Slayer" has to be the JARRING 'Same King'.

"Rising up to meet the sun raise in the morning

Giving thanks and praises for a new beginning

It's such a joy to see the rainbow bliss

And like robins, my people rejoice and sing

The waters meet in Zion

The truth within manifestation

It's the truth: IT IS HIS DOMINION

Thy precepts will always keep

BE HUMBLE, IN KNOWLEDGE WE SEEK

HE SAID 'WEEP NOT, SONS AND DAUGHTERS, WE ARE THE WORD'

It's the same song and the same King

It's the togetherness

Forever, yes -

HE LIVES"

This tune SHINES! Coming with a golden old school vibe, courtesy of the Retro Locks Riddim, what begins as another very nice praise ultimately ascends into a very complex and IMMACULATE (the latter kind of goes without saying, it is a Mark Wonder song after all) moment of giving a supreme thanks to THE Supreme. BOOM! And ending matters here and sending us on our way is yet another very powerful and just beautiful (it just feels good to listen to) selection, 'Voice of the People'. This one is Wonder standing up for the marginalized people of the world who are so often overlooked ["Voices of the people cry aloud and, dung inna di slum everyone waan get out. System implementing need cut out. Total catastrophe there ain't no doubt"] and the 'vehicle' used to deliver that message is a gorgeous one (with horns!). A tune like this one could really do some heavy work because what you get is this powerful idea and it is packed in something which is so easily digestible and EASY TO RETAIN! When your message is presented like this, you have something special.  

Overall, Mark Wonder and Oneness Records definitely had.... "something special" on their hands when they sealed up "Remz Of The Dragon Slayer", once again. I'm of the opinion that they could do as many of these things as they wanted and the results would continuously be of this level (there is no reason not to believe that) (AT ALL). And I have to reiterate just how happy I am that this album exists. Following "Working Wonders" (which, I am going to assume, was as successful commercially as it was critically), it would have seemed a natural next step to take and then came the Dub release and this sequel - CLEARLY artist and label are very conscious and APPRECIATIVE of what they have found in one another. Fans, such as You and I should be most grateful of what they've managed to do and.... who knows what they can do going forward. Until then, however, as I alluded to (I think I did), I walked away from "Remz Of The Dragon Slayer" 'wondering' if maybe Mark Wonder and Oneness Records had actually outdone the MAGIC they'd produced in the first time around. A year and half later... damn. I think they just might have. FLAWLESS! 

Rated: 5/5

Oneness Records

Digital

2020