Tizzy & El-A-Kru Jus Ah Come!

"Jus Ah Come" by Tizzy [Faluma]

Okay so, the old saying is that you never forget a first impression and while that may or may not actually be true (it isn't. You'll forget eventually), a more substantial adage for our purposes may be that you never forget a big tune. Maybe you won't know the words exactly anymore, but I can confidently say that SOMEWHERE in the back of your head is a song that you absolutely LOVE but haven't heard in years and were someone to hum out the melody to it, it would bring the widest smile to your face and all kinds of delightful feelings of nostalgia. IT'S IN THERE SOMEWHERE AND YOU KNOW IT! In an attempt to make that point even more glaring, allow me to reintroduce you to someone who I've surely talked about in the past, but never in this wonderful form, the incomparable Tizzy. The Antigua blow torch has been someone whose work, throughout the years, I have SO looked forward to each and every season and I cannot at all tell you the very first time I heard the music of the front woman of El-A-Kru (I told you. You can forget first impressions), I can easily give you a bucket full of big tunes she has provided us with in her career. The biggest of them all may just be THE finest Soca songs I have ever heard and one of the best of any genre in my entire life, the TRULY RIDICULOUS 'Expose'.

Typically, I prefer a little more.... 'spiteful' (and I don't mean that in a bad way, obviously. I just... like it a little angry, when it's of the Power variety), but 'Expose' was genuine, 100% Power Soca and it was NICE, but just sickeningly addictive. I am STILL addicted to it and if that is no longer the case at the end of my days, I will be terribly disappointed. It is perfect as perfect today as it was when it dropped initially, over fifteen years ago, and it always will be. Along with 'Expose', Tizzy & EAK have given us gems such as 'Drop Bombs' ["ALL I DO IS DROP BOMBS AND ROLL OUT. I'M DI BADDEST THING YOU COULD KNOW BOUT!"] (probably my second favourite that they've done and that song was definitely "a little angry"), 'I Luv Carnival' ["DE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH!"]. 'Wuk Meh', 'Kick It Off', 'Da Bounce', 'My Carnival', 'No Behaviour', 'Rocket Launcher' and a whole heap of others (focusing on their older ones, in particular) in their vault ('Doh Try Stop We') ('We Insane') ('Feter's World', BOOM!)- making them, perhaps quietly, one of my favourite Soca acts of all time. So, were someone to come along and... oh I don't know.... maybe release a new EP for Tizzy, that would be something I would definitely be interested in. 

A big credit goes to Faluma (who I didn't even know were still around, actually) who has now done precisely that with the deliverance of "Just Ah Come", a brand new five-tracked EP from the vocalist, featuring some of her more recent jewels and I thought, which may be a first time for Soca, that we'd do what we do for EP's and take a quick, track-by-track look at the new release from the great Tizzy & El-A-Kru.

'Hot Gyal Time'

Though not the finest tune on 'Jus Ah Come' (that comes next), I don't think that they could have come up with a finer choice for an opener than the extremely BRIGHT 'Hot Gyal Time'. If you've never heard EAK's music and just stumbled across this one by chance, 'Hot Gyal Time', on the strength of its vibes alone, will DEFINITELY keep your attention. It's just so open and welcome and inviting and, though it may take a spin through or two (which it won't have any difficulty in securing), it begins to stick with you and is damn hard to shake. I should also mention the riddim behind which may just be special.

'My Band'

Grrrrr. Speaking of special riddims.... I don't know what he hell that thing is backing 'My Band' but it is as intoxicating as the tune built atop it. 'My Band' is MAMMOTH! Attached to this beautifully PULSING track, Tizzy captures and covers all the prerequisite Carnival bases and pushes them to their limits on one of the finest creations that I have heard in 2023 and one IMMEDIATELY taking its place amongst my favourite EAK tunes of all time.

'Fireworks'

Were it not for the presence of 'My Band', top honours on 'Jus Ah Come' would belong to the brilliant 'Fireworks'. Maybe it's just me, but I hear a delightful old school quality to this one  (and it's not something entirely foreign to EAK's music, in general. Even when I don't mention it, it's often present in their work), mixed with an energy entirely of the modern era. Somewhere in the lovely mixture is a song with feet comfortably resting in both Groovy & Power spectrums of the genre and one which, regardless of categorization, is GOLDEN. 

'Wonderful'

The final original offering from this release is one which I hadn't actually heard prior to it being featured here and I'm happy they chose to include it. The best and most fitting thing that I can say about 'Wonderful' is that it will make you smile. It will make you feel good! 

"I love this kinda feeling

The atmostphere is healing me

Searching for a meaning-

Of why this music's leading me"

It also has a bit of further reaching meaning (at least to my ears) than any other selection here as Tizzy talks about the importance of feeling good and not taking things so earth-endingly serious, at least not for the moment. 

'My Band' - Road Mix

The Road Mix of the starring tune here comes courtesy of Precision (doesn't it always???) and though these things, for me, are never as good as the original -- and this isn't an exception -- it would be damn difficult for anyone with talent to take away from such a sizable tune. Precision is excellent and they only help to push even higher what was already a master class. 

Maybe you're familiar with the music of Tizzy & El-A-Kru and "Jus Ah Come" will be for, like it was for me, another opprtunity to enjoy and celebrate their 'wonderful' work or maybe they're new to you and it will serve as an introduction. In either case, I cannot think of any single sensical or nonsensical reason why you should pass this one up.... come on now! They made 'Expose' after all.