Attention?: A review of Reggae Ambassador by Qshan Deya'

Higher? I've always said that I consider us lucky, You & I, to have existed in the time that we do in regards to the music and the artists that we're able to listen to. Bob Marley was gone by the time I was born but I would honestly put the overall level of talent that we have had over the past quarter century or so up against any other in Reggae history. I'm not saying that we have it better, but it is at least comparable and that conversation can be had. Furthermore, where I think we have an unquestionable gap is within the diversity that we have in this current generation. Surely largely due to the work of Marley and his peers (and others who they've inspired), Reggae has touched the furthest reaches of the globe and the seeds it has planted have begun to grow and we're here to see it and HEAR IT! While the archetypal image of the dreadlocked, guitar playing, ganja smoking 'Reggae singer' has not changed, the idea of who you may find in his company (or who you may find playing on the bill of one of his shows) most certainly has and his own origins have as well. He is no longer entirely bound to Jamaica or even the Caribbean, he can come from, literally, ANYWHERE, speak any language and his music can be find an audience anywhere on the planet. The entire world has a serious case of Reggaemylitis and it will never be cured. One of the areas where I think this is most interestingly apparent is when you begin to look at just whom or, more importantly, who HAS NOT attained a certain height of stardom. The kings and queens of any era, at least in my opinion (with very few exceptions. I do so wonder how people of the 1960's-70's would have received the work Akae Beka and, of course, there's that Dancehall stuff), would have reigned regardless of when they were around but I think that, were there less in the way of 'competition', that we have a rather sizable group of names who would have been far more celebrated had they arrived in different eras or under a different set of circumstances. I look at people such as Mark Wonder and.... I wonder why that man isn't a bigger star in Reggae than he is. Along with being as consistent as anyone in the genre, THAT VOICE that he possesses is as identifiable and transferable as you could imagine and the sheer quality of his work has put it to fantastic usage throughout his career (and he has achieved quite a bit, to his credit). I'm also going to mention a curious lot with the likes of Jah Marnyah, Jah Hem, NiyoRah and a handful of others (such as Prophet Benjamin). Mark Wonder is someone about whom I am completely perplexed as to how anything exists for Reggae musicians that he cannot attain but for this other group, I don't see exactly how they aren't more well known than they are, even amongst more serious Reggae heads.

Someone else who, so comfortably, fits within that pack would be the Volcano Trumpet, Jah Humble Servant, Qshan Deya'. If you look at all of those individuals, -- Marnyah, Hem and NiyoRah (seriously, with his style, NiyoRah should be a household name in Reggae music at this point in my opinion) -- they all hail from Caribbean stations outside of Jamaica and, along with the possible challenges that presents in terms of getting attention and remaining active (although I would say it's changed a bit from the start of their careers now), none of them have gotten on with THAT tune that has grabbed the wider attention of fans of the genre as has Pressure Busspipe. Deya actually comes from a place that we sorta/kinda cover around here fairly frequently (and I place I've visisted a few times), St. Vincent. Home of the great Skinny Fabulous ("PEOPLE HEAD GARN!") amongst others, Vincy has produced some of Soca's most gifted lights but hasn't birthed many well known practitioners of Reggae. Outside of Deya', the most well known... off the top of my head would probably be Ossie Dellimore who blessed us with one of the single greatest songs I have ever heard once upon a time called 'Time Has Come'. So what's so interesting about Qshan Deya'??? Just as is the case with the aforementioned Mark Wonder, the most immediate characteristic that you will notice about his music is that RICH voice of his. Much in the same vein as respected vocalists Bushman, Natty King and, of course, the great Luciano, Deya has this gorgeously HEAVY delivery which, CLEARLY, people who love the genre have a history of gravitating towards. Now why haven't more of us gone in his direction???

2012

Maybe because he hasn't given us enough of an opportunity to. Wayyy back near the turn of the century, in 2001, Deya would release his debut album, "Journey" for J&D Records and produced by Derrick Moo-Young. I can remember that album being extremely well regarded in its day and  somewhat of a 'sleeper' of an album. These days, "Journey" is still held in high esteem amongst those who have heard it, it has aged well and Deya would make a solid introduction through its release (the title track there was AMAZING and it was not alone). Afterwards, his name would pop up on various riddims for big named production talent over the years from time to time, but he never really found a level of consistency, so it was a very welcomed surprise when, a dozen years on in 2012, Deya popped back up, with "Love Govern Us All", his sophomore set, this time via Diamond Rush Productions. Check this: I was a few weeks away from my 31st birthday when I wrote the review for that album and at the end of it, I wrote:

"now hopefully he can do another one of these before I turn FORTY-TWO! Well done."

...I will be FORTY-FOUR in a few months. Qshan Deya' now returns with this third studio album release, "Reggae Ambassador". Fortunately, the case could be made that he has spent the time between the second and third albums more fruitfully than he did between one and two. There was at least one EP in between (I want to say that there were two of them, actually), 2021's self-issued "Politricks" and, just searching his name around here, shows that he would pop up relatively frequently and it would have been even more if not for our hiatus (more than once I mention that his tune on a particular riddim ranks amongst the very best on that track). More recently, he's done considerable work with Sugar Hill Recordz & Mystik Productionz which, I THINK, are based in Ghana (they may even be his labels) as is Deya himself! The singer packed up his career and his life, traced his lineage and repatriated to The Black Star. Coincidentally, the May 2025 release of "Reggae Ambassador" marks the second anniversary of the move as he has taken a SERIOUS step in demonstrating that he is someone truly living what he preaches within his music. The circumstances behind the new album are absolutely delightful as handling productions is the venerable House Of Riddim from out of Austria. You simply could not ask for better, so in that respect, perhaps we are seeing a bit of a step up from Qshan Deya. Something else that I think is worth mentioning about him is the fact that he just seems like a very positive and upful person. He's also cheerful, always smiling and, if you listen to him talk, he'll tell about some of the hardships he's experienced and is currently experiencing, but you get the thought that he knows it's all just 'a part of the ride' and nothing he goes through REALLY gets Qshan Deya down, at least not for too long. So, with all that being said, does he put his proverbial best foot forward and run the road with his new album??? Uhmmm.... well, kinda... for the most part.

As I alluded to, prior to the release of this album, Qshan Deya had done several singles for Sugar Hillz Recordz and Mystik Productionz and, apparently, there was an album in the works named after one of the singles, 'Freedom Street'. So far as I can tell, however, that album has yet to manifest and, even more recently, House Of Riddim also released a number of singles, which became part of the early sound of "Reggae Ambassador". Said album begins, however, with a tune which was completely new to me, the tried and trusted 'Thanks and Praise'. I, like You, have probably heard a hundred or so songs with at least some variation of this title and the vast majority of them have the same purpose (even when they don't actually have lyrics). I am not complaining AT ALL when they sound like this one does, Deya's 'Thanks and Praise' is GLORIOUS and it is both the type of song that sets the tone for what is to follow, but it has a 'star quality' to it. After listening (and listening a few more times), you want to hear what is to come next. It's very warm and inviting and it's something that maybe no one talks about to any degree, but in this day and age where everything is digital and someone can stumble across your album so easily, making a fine first impression can be very important to getting them to stay on board (as opposed to a day when physical media dominated and it didn't really matter what they heard after they'd already made that purchase). Deya and HOR spot a big winner right at the head. So what they do for a follow-up??? Nothing... besides charting the single biggest tune of them all right behind it. 

"So tell mi what ah cook-up inna Africa

Russia link up with Niger

Now China is everywhere in Africa-

Fighting for world power

Sucking out the African resource

Robbing the leaders in their faces

They're acting like they're helping but no changes-

Which has been going on for ages

War in the solution

We can have a paradigm shift-

If we change the situation

They fool the people, telling dem that they are free

But still we are not free, from your political tyranny

AND YOU ARE AGAINST DIVERSE SOCIETY

YOU GOT NO RESPECT FOR CULTURE

Rastafari is bringing us together"

'Paradigm Shift' is a MASSIVE  social commentary, targeted at a general oppressive society and those that run it. There is a certain amount of POWER behind this one and I mean that both lyrically and in terms of the its sound. Just like the opener, listening to 'Paradigm Shift' is all kinds of inviting. You want to hear more! From what is said, it is a call for unity in the world as BILLIONS hold more of the power than just a few... and if they don't, something is SERIOUSLY wrong. I absolutely LOVE sentiment tracking 'Best Version' and I also that RIDDIM behind it as well. THAT THING IS GOLD! While 'Best Version' is unlikely to take home any awards for its wording (it's largely built upon sayings & phrases and things that sound like sayings & phrases), its sentiment is a powerful one. Some things (virtually everything) is not within your control in the world. The one 'thing' do have great influence on is what you do and how you carry and present yourself. You can choose to negative things and be an angry, lazy and nasty person or you can be something better and be a HELP TO SOMEONE ELSE. We're not perfect and we're constantly prone to making giant mistakes at any point but what we do before that and after that can definitely make improvements. That's what I got from 'Best Version'.... and have I mentioned that RIDDIM?! The album's SWEET title track and recent single has a gorgeous sound to it and it also features Deya maybe taking a shot at some of his less 'committed' peers while covering some of the highlights of his career as well. 

"Mi bring dem fashion and culture

And move in kente, straight outta Ghana

YOU AH BAWL 'MAMA AFRICA' AND ALL YUH FABRICS YOU WEAR FROM CHINA

SOME AH CRY 'REPATRIATION' 

BUT WHEN YOU CHECK IT, DEM STILL LIVE IN DI CARIBBEAN

Di whole a dem ah deceive di nation

Di one who set it is di one called Qshan [Deya!]"

I mean.... he's right. Hard to argue with that and, given the giant steps he's taken, Qshan Deya has earned the right to be the one making such callouts. On that front, whether you're listening to him or not, he is TRULY an expert on the topic.

'System Corrupt' & 'Wicked People' reach via similar wavelength as 'Paradigm Shift'  as we find Deya calling out wrongdoers of the world. The former is the ever so slightly better of the two and it is so because of how well written it is - it's one of the best such on the whole of "Reggae Ambassador" ["Confusing the mases with politricks, when their real agenda is politics. Swearing to serve the people, when their real investment is in evil"]. For it's part, 'Wicked People' is aimed at arrogance and people who've lost their place in the world and think that they are actual leaders ["Don't let your vanity make you think that you are higher than humanity"]. It most certainly is not a poorly written song AT ALL and both 'System Corrupt' and 'Wicked People' sit amongst the album's very best. I also should mention how damn exquisite 'Wicked People' is, musically. A song called 'Vatican' is probably going to attract more attention today than it would have when it was recorded, for obvious reasons. Year's ago, you'd hear songs like this often in Reggae music but they've slowed down considerably over the past decade or so. It'll be very interesting to see if the music has any wider reaction to recent developments and if there is (and even if there isn't), Deya is getting in early. 'Vatican' isn't specific in terms of any individual, as you might imagine, instead it's more dealing with he way things are taught and interpreted to the masses. I HAVE to mention the second verse on the song - it is BRILLIANT! It has a very organic, if not spontaneous type of vibes to it and I don't know if Deya came up with it on the spot but if he did not, I would think he wrote it fairly quickly. While 'Love and Harmony' is more measured and less free-flowing than 'Vatican' and it is more of the same type if sentiments that you've heard on Roots tunes hundreds of times, but IT WORKS (if it ain't broke...) as the singer turns in a very simple and obvious winner. Later on is a decent pair in closing efforts, 'Weed' and 'Reggae'. 'Weed' is pretty average but it does have a nice and easy sound to it which will probably aid it in finding a nice audience (it is about as BASIC as can be and that isn't a bad thing). 'Reggae', on the other hand, is really good. Here, Qshan Deya declares himself to be just like You and I: He loves Reggae music. It comes across like a song that didn't require much planning and was something of a vibe ["I love Reggae" is its punchline] but it has its SIZZLING moments, including its ending portions where HOR just lets that sweet riddim play! 

Okay, unfortunately the four remaining songs on "Reggae Ambassador" just... they aren't very good. I wouldn't call a single one BAD (though one comes pretty close), necessarily, but none of them reach heights near much of anything else here. That being said, far and away the best of them is the decent 'Saturday Night'. Listen to 'Saturday Night' and then go and listen to the similar and aforementioned 'Reggae' and you should notice a fairly large difference in quality between the two. 'Saturday Night' has nothing special about it -- even for what it is (where you aren't expecting some kind of genius from such a song), it isn't particularly well-written -- it's just kind of 'there'. When I heard the first words spoken on 'So In Love':

"Hey baby"

I had a bad feeling about what was to come and, for once, I was correct. 'So In Love' is about as mediocre of a love song that you will encounter. It's saving bit is that it has a sound which'll probably get your head bobbing and fingers tapping... but that's about it. HOWEVER, 'So In Love' is noticeably better than what comes immediately after it, 'Close to Me'. This one is the worst of the lot in my opinion. It's also not written very well, its sound is nothing special and, surprisingly, even the vocals aren't what you'd typically expect from Deya. I just did not like this song at all. Finally, while 'Butterfly' is better than 'Close to Me' (although not by much), it also doesn't come close to the early standard set on "Reggae Ambassador". All four of these songs share the trait of just being underdone in terms of the lyrics. Sure. You're not looking for challenging, complex and hard-hitting ideology when it comes to love song (and they all pretty much are with the exception of 'Saturday Night' but when you hear:

"You always build me up-

Whenever I am down

You disappear my frown-

Each time you come around"

You know either someone could have done better or, perhaps even better, maybe the album should have only been ten or eleven songs, instead of fourteen and I hate saying that because, if it had been, it would have been outstanding, but I have to judge it in its totality. 

Overall, let's think about that "totality". Yes, "Reggae Ambassador" hits a low and stays there for  too damn long. Four (even three) songs out of fourteen -- when expectations were so high -- are a big deal and we cannot overlook that. The majority of its latter stage is an underachievement from someone so talented. Nevertheless, what comes before it, is a monster and fully emblematic of not only his skillset but linking those capabilities with someone like House Of Riddim. There is some VERY significant material on this album and a few of these songs will stand up as ranking amongst the very best the singer has ever turned out - which is, again, what you would expect form such a link. "Reggae Ambassador" proves to be a damn difficult recommendation, unfortunately. For newer fans, either of the first two albums are better but I cannot confidently say that THE best of "Journey" (incidentally, if you are looking for "Journey" album, digitally, check it under the spelling of Qshan Dia)  and/or "Love Govern Us All" is any better that what you have here. I'm still of the belief that Qshan Deya' has that special release in him, AND I THINK HE WILL DELIVER IT AT SOME POINT, until then, hopefully new eyes and ears will catch on board to the best of what "Reggae Ambassador" has to offer because it's just been too damn long! And yes: Hopefully he can do another one of these before I turn fifty-six. 

Rated: 3.5/5

House Of Riddim

2025