And Another One!: A review of I-Frequency by Mosiah

Expressions. Of the several good things that I've experienced during the time that I've been writing on these pages, I have to say that one of the best has been all of the wonderful artists that I've manage to stumble upon over the years. There is a certain group of individuals who are at a certain level where, if you write about music, they're almost entirely inescapable. I'll spare you the details but, OBVIOUSLY, if you're talking about Reggae... the name Marley MIGHT pop up from time to time and if you're talking about Dancehall, perhaps "Beenie", "Bounty" and "Buju" are not words that you're likely to be unfamiliar with. They are of a given variety and, at times, downright necessary to get a point across. Today, however, I'm thinking more about those names who, in doing natural research (for the purpose of not having to write about the same people over and over again) that I've encountered musically (and sometimes personally. Conversated with many nice people over the years) and have either become a consistent fan of or even just a supporter of for maybe one project that we dealt with that they did. You can look on this very same page and notice all the tags and while you'll find big numbers next to the names of our personal favourites such as Sizzla Kalonji, Queen Omega, Akae Beka, Anthony B, Norris Man, Sara Lugo (who DEFINITELY fits in both groups), Pressure Busspipe, Mark Wonder, Turbulence (once upon a time a favourite of mine anyway. These days I do still find him ultra-interesting to write about, however), Jah Mason and others, just as fascinating -- if not more so -- is to go down that same list and focus on names with maybe only ones or twos attached that still managed to make a big impression on me. In this respect, I'm looking at people like the ultra talented Aima Moses from out of Dominica, Jah Nyne who I have not heard from in years), Jah Defender, Jah Marnyah, NAHYUBI JOSEPH (WHAT!) (BOOM!), Ras Zacharri, Ras Professor, Zacheous Jackson (who I actually heard from a week or two ago), Ambush, Avaran, Bless Noble (you see I've gone back to the beginning and started counting again) and so many more. There are just so many of them who I can recall (or not recall in some cases) (it's been a long time and I'm very, very old) either first hearing or making a point to write about because what I heard was something that I thought more people needed to hear. Some of them (like Meshach and Yahadanai) remain pretty damn mysterious to this day and likely always will but I always find myself looking for more and more names like those because I have ran into some absolute GEMS throughout the years and, hopefully, we can find a few more. They can (and do) come from all around the world (biggup Ras Muhamad) and because of that, it well shows the power of this music and how NO CORNER of this globe is 'safe' from Reggae music and it never will be. 

Coincidentally, it seems as if a rather ripe 'ground' or set of circumstances for producing such talents, specifically, is Europe... by way of the Caribbean. So many of those I've mentioned thus far are people who began their careers at home, somewhere in the Caribbean, but have found their greatest successes on the Reggae-starved European continent. The aforementioned Jah Defender is a good example of this as he originated from Trinidad (....Queen Omega is another one, now that I think about, but she is ROYALTY on these pages) but has done extensive and impressive work in France and, in general, I feel like we've done a really good job in covering the Reggae talents coming from out of the home of Soca. From the far more identifiables like Queen Omega, Marlon Asher, Khari Kill and I-Sasha, to Jah Defender, Ras Pilot, Royal Dainties and, most recently, Jalifa - artists whose work may require a bit more digging to get into, but is well worth the journey and today we are adding another log to that fire. Meet Mosiah. Though I never really kept track, I've loosely been familiar with the works of Mosiah for maybe three or four years now. The first track that I recall would have been 'Burn Down Babylon' on the Meditation Riddim from a label by the name of Anotha One from out of Austria. That same track carried tunes from the likes of another favourite of ours, the great Naptali ('Save The Youths, which was excellent), as well as Spectacular, so it was on my radars and Mosiah was there as well. The song was FUN and maybe one of the better on the riddim altogether and though I wasn't floored by what I was hearing, it did leave enough of an impression on me that I did remember the name (though it'd be impossible to forget that particular name, in the absolute sense). Since then (unbeknownst to me until I began doing research of the sake of this review), I'd run into another couple of Mosiah's tracks which I also remember, with the standout probably being 'Nah Do That' from a few years ago. His style was very open. He sang and chanted and deejayed and it was a fun brand of Roots Reggae music which, as I said, found a corner of my mind and set up camp for future reference (at times he almost sounds like Kabaka Pyramid in some ways. He carries a melody better than the Pyramid, but he isn't as gifted lyrically) (but who is???), despite knowing virtually nothing about the artist, himself. 

And the future has arrived (the old adage is that tomorrow will never get here, but apparently that is untrue). Getting to know a bit more about Mosiah he, too, is out of Trinidad and has set up his base of operations in Germany which has brought him to a certain amount of prominence and, in early 2024, has also brought him to his very first album, "I-Frequency". The project comes via the same Ragatac Music label which has handled much of Mosiah's work throughout his career and have apparently put quite a bit of work into "I-Frequency". I've come to learn that it took a couple of years to put together and also features live instrumentation with Mosiah's band, Mystic Rockaz and is all put together by one Selector Taylor. Previously, Ragatac also released "Chant Tafari", a six-track EP release from Mosiah which was new to my ears and eyes but having listened to it just recently now (pretty sure I ran into 'Reggae Sweet', but cannot say that as a fact), it was DAMN impressive, with 'Reggae Sweet', the syrupy sweet 'Caramel Flavour' and 'Jah Never Fail' ["Jah will never fail. From you have The King inna yuh life, mi seh yuh bound fi prevail"] leading the way. Had you been following along in his career closely, I would imagine that you were well anticipating a full release from Mosiah and it seems to be the case and though I'm not necessarily BLOWN AWAY by what I have seen, I have very much been impressed to see just how far this album has 'travelled' in the week or two following its release. There are many Reggae albums which are class which tend to go well overlooked by the masses (which is a quality, to be honest, that I look for, which is why we've been so productive with the artists that I've mentioned), but "I-Frequency", at least on its own scale, has not been amongst them. Of course, that says absolutely nothing about its QUALITY -- how good it is --and that's where You and I come in (mainly me, but you're with me). By its end, if you're like me and I haven't been on board every single step along the way, "I-Frequency" serves as a very big, full introduction and figures to be one of the, if not THE very best debut album of 2024. Let's talk about it!

I told myself at the start of the year that I was going to attempt to write more reviews this year to make up for a rather dry 2023 on that end and I've been looking for projects which caught my attention and, besides everything on the backend of it, what REALLY attracted me to "I-Frequency" was how well done it is. Doing the research on it, I also ran into a couple of interviews with Mosiah and he seemed to be a very nice person and one with an interesting methodology about him (apparently he doesn't write lyrics, if I understand correctly, he keeps them in his head and only writes them down so others can see them). So many times Roots Reggae gets styled as a more 'rigid' genre, but if you are of that line of thinking, I would point you in  the direction of Mosiah's dynamic and exciting debut, which gets going with the most appropriate repatriation anthem, 'Sailing Home'.  Given the inspiration of the name this artist has chosen for himself, you would hope to hear such a track in his work (at least to know he's capable of appreciating the life's work of that Source) and the opener for "I-Frequency" well demonstrates that Mosiah is more than up for that task. It sits, at album's end, as one of the best tunes here and it's just a very nice way to get things started. The pace picks up on the next piece up, the very nice 'From a Far'.

"Coming from a far, coming from a far

Sill we've got far to go

And if you don't know who you are, you'll get caught inna this judgment 

Coming from a far, coming from a far

Sill we've got far to go

You got to know the road you walk, this is the armageddeon"

'From a far' has moments where it DAZZLES on the notion that, despite the fact that we have made a considerable amount of progress, we still have even further to go. It might just be THE song on this release that I would point to were I attempting to put the best possible vibe into the ears of someone who I was attempting to turn on to the music of Mosiah. It's very, very HEALTHY, and VIBRANT and LISTENER FRIENDLY and I'm almost surprised that, at least as far I know, it has yet to be chosen as a single here. I would expect that to change at some point and I would be disappointed if it didn't. 'Economic Slavery' is an actual previous single for "I-Frequency" and, listening to it, it was also a proper choice in my opinion. Surely the fact that it features one of the biggest guesting names appearing alongside Mosiah on the album, veteran Teacha Dee, helped the choice to give it a featuring role ("I-Frequency" actually has an unexpectedly large number of combinations with nearly half of the album's twelve selections featuring a guest vocalist. I most certainly did not see that coming) and they did choose wisely, 'Economic Slavery is excellent (...that didn't come out right, but you know what I mean. THE SONG 'ECONOMIC SLAVERY' IS EXCELLENT. I didn't mean.... yeah). A big social commentary with its roots within the financial end, 'Economic Slavery' finds the duo calling for an entire overhaul of the way the world handles money ["Keep working and babylon keep wanting more"]. It also leads to a more spiritual side as well (and does so constantly), which is an interesting combination of ideology for the same tune, but it works to a fine point in this instance. Rounding out the first third of "I-Frequency" is another big effort, 'Black Livity'. If you are under the impression that 'Black Livity' is the single finest creation here, I won't put up an argument at all. It is FANTASTIC! The tune is one about instilling pride and respect in people of African descent and doing it in a way which promotes knowledge and education (and maybe not in the formal sense here, but more like of the 'street smart' variety). It is just such a powerful vibes and I'd also tell you to watch the riddim which hits a higher level in the latter portions of the tune and is not to be missed.

Along with Teacha Dee's fans are likely to be familiar with another pair of artists who join in on the fun of "I-Frequency", Denham Smith and the always fun Skarra Mucci. The former makes his presence known on the... decent lover's piece, 'Till The End'.  I do not love this one at all, but it's fun and it's the type of tune that sticks with you. Surely not the only one of its kind in that, but you'll be singing the chorus of 'Till The End', well after you've moved on to the next. Far better is the gorgeous 'Vampire' which features the handiwork of Mucci. The two come together to remind all to be careful of the company you keep. 

"In this world of competition and nothing but fake

For the little, hardworking people out there 

Working, sweat and tears and nah get nowhere

All telling you they love you, how much they care

About demself and about dem wealth

They don't give a damn about you, nor bout your health

ALL WEH DEM DOING IS TO SUIT DEMSELF

WHY THEY KEEP ON STEALING FROM EVERYONE ELSE?!"

'Vampire' breaks no new ground, you've heard it all before (maybe even with the same title) (biggup Peter Tosh), but it is LOVELY and has a wonderful vibes that it generates. Though (as we'll cover in just a second) "I-Frequency" grows and gets VERY strong in its latter portion, the true apex of the album comes right between the previous two mentioned combinations as something downright special happens within a couple of selections. The first, 'See It Clearly' is a vibe! YOU WATCH THIS!

"It's like dem no hear wi

How you fi know di right and do di wrong?

Cause I ah si it clearly

LIVE NEGATIVE, MI SEH IT AHGO WEIGH YUH DOWN

Well Ratsa no waan nuh bagga talk, seh dat no fi mi

STILL MI HAFFI SHARE DI LIKKLE KNOWLEDGE JAH JAH GIMME

When up a Bobo HIll and inna di prayer, when you si mi-

Just, love and inity and if I hear dat, would ah fi mi

Backbiting no bring

Wrong news, mi nuh carry

If a Satanism, nah go mix, wi nah go par-ee

Presumptuous dem, I seen dem pon dem knees go beg a 'sorry'

Fyah I ah blazing, red hot"

This thing BOUNCES and Mosiah forcefully (but in a way which seems to come so easy to him) sets up camp and operates all over that beautiful riddim. Even more stellar (stellarer?) (why wouldn't steallarer be a word???)... even stellarer is another previous single, the downright ROYAL 'More Than Gold'. Though it is a nice company which it keeps, this is the single finest moment on the whole of "I-Frequncey" and stands as a MAMMOTH praising track ["Seh what you want fi seh. Selassie a mi God and King. Head of the Rases, God of the masses, rule over everything and, WHAT A JOY IT IS TO KNOW THE ONE WHO RULETH FROM CREATION!"]. While this one does end up going in a variety of different directions (more towards the social side, predominantly), at its core is this uncompromisingly BRUTAL ode to His Imperial Majesty and, again, the greatest piece of music I have ever heard from Mosiah.

The final pair of combinations here feature two artists that listeners aren't likely to be familiar with, though I do have a very limited knowledge of. Elder Son is a name I know only in doing research for this review as he featured on the aforementioned "Chant Tafari" EP (on a tune called 'Herbalist', which I did not love, to be honest. It had a nice vibes but it was a bit... cluttered. If that makes any sense). His participation here, on the social commentary 'Mass Murder', is, delightfully, a similarly vibed selection (and it's also a little messy) which shows significant development over his initial pairing with Mosiah. This tune also brings a bit of fire to the album (I wouldn't call it an attitude, but maybe you could say that) which is always a good thing when it's done this well and I'm fully expecting these two to do something again together at some point in the future. Speaking of fire - I have heard the name Tabitha Gerbadian previously, but it's been quite a while, yet when I heard her voice it brought something back to me. Gerbadian, a Bajan, is a very talented and UNIQUE artist. On one hand, she's a rapper. She's not a 'chanter' or a 'deejay' in the way we typically use those terms (and that's what she's going to show here), she's a Caribbean rapper. Far more impressive, at least in my opinion, is her singing voice. You will not hear it much during her appearance on 'No Fear' (look up a one called 'Shine' if you would like to hear more of what Gerbadian can do), but what you will hear, almost surprisingly, is actual, genuine DANCEHALL music. You wouldn't know from the way it blazes in for its intro, but this thing settles down IMMEDIATELY and finds a groove that I was not expecting AT ALL. I listened to an interview of Mosiah's, which should be in here, somewhere, and he made the point that he never recorded tunes to fill a quota - meaning he would never say the album needed a love song, for example, or something people could dance to, but what a level "I-Frequency" hit when I stumbled upon DANCEHALL, as enthused as it may be, it still COUNTS and this powerful declaration of courage became an instant personal highlight for me. Rounding things out are two more SUBLIME pieces, 'Ghetto Tribulation' and 'Equality'. The former comes in with this beautiful, kind of RUSTY, infectious bounce (there's something very WORN about this riddim and I mean that in a great way) and Mosiah turns in a top notch effort atop it in delivering a track focusing on the state of the times currently in the world. 'Ghetto Tribulation' is another in the running for the album's finest to my ears. Just a step or two behind would be 'Equality' and its unusual vibes. There's something very ODD about the way 'Equality' sounds. Its delivery is just a bit off and the riddim is so simple that it pretty much allows for anything, for the most part, but it does spread out a little and what it becomes is also somewhat peculiar. That being said, however, it's still very, very good. Not different much from 'Ghetto Tribulation' in its direction, 'Equality' makes the mark, on its own, via that sound which, as weird as it may be (at least to me), does leave the listener with a clear impression and a positive one. 

Overall, I'm going to give you a very specific recommendation for this album (and then broaden it out just a bit as well): If You ("You" = more experienced, constant listener of Roots Reggae music) maybe have someone in your life that you're trying to turn on this wonderful sound, I'm going to suggest you play for them "I-Frequency". It is a very FUN, dynamic and modern Roots set and it's one which gives you enough on the heavy side (especially lyrically), that it would, at least in my opinion, comfortably lead someone who enjoyed what they were hearing early on to be interested in pursuing more. That kind of lukewarm fan of the genre will EAT this up, I'm sure. As for "You", there's enough here for you as well! To his credit, in scrutinizing "I-Frequency" for the sake of this review, I've grown to appreciate more and more the ample talents of Mosiah and you wouldn't construct such a sound around a more RIGID type of an artist. However, in saying that it's also important to stress that you don't have to worry about anything crossover-ish in this case either. What Mosiah does with "I-Frequency" is give a glowing introduction of himself to the masses and, in doing so, reveals a talent which figures to be ultra-productive for all wise enough to tune it in. Well done and I would be absolutely shocked if this weren't one of the better debut releases of 2024. 

Rated: 4/5

Ragatac Music

2024