Completely Random Thoughts: Tapping In Even Further

Okay so, May's turning out to be a pretty big month. Along with our first review, we also have releases from Mikey General (review already done, coming soon) and Marlon Asher; and even Shaggy is back later this month with a brand new album and we're working on a few other things as well. Before we move on, however, I wanted to get back and take another look at the album we most recently covered, the beautiful "World Tap In" by Akae Beka, a week later. I'm still working with it (I always will be) and I wanted to kind of focus on one thing that I said during it and give you an actual example of what I meant by one thing in particular and how the wonderful music that this man has left us with sends me down these BEAUTIFUL rabbit holes.

I tend not to try to take in too many opinions of others before I review an album because if I feel one way about something but the prevailing thought is the complete opposite, I don't want to be swayed. i want to be on that island. Akae Beka's music is a bit different though because you don't see much in the way of negative responses so my interest in a situation like this would be to see which songs people are gravitating towards. While there hasn't been much yet in the way of a critical response that I've noticed (I haven't seen another review besides mine but I would expect more to be on the way), I have seen fans discussing the album, here and there, and what has come my way from our old readers (who still have my email address) has been that one of the biggest winners from "World Tap In" is 'Sycamore Tree'. That very same tune took top honours from me and I've been working on it and have all sorts of fun doing so. [Now you watch where this is going] When I first heard it, one of the things that went through my mind was how unique that it was and I immediately started to think of other songs Vaughn Benjamin had done that it reminded me of. The one I mentioned was 'Sha-tee', which probably isn't a very good comparison (and I likely just mentioned it  because I absolutely love that song) but I had another one in my mind that I was thinking of but couldn't quite get out. You know I searched high & low for that song and I THINK that I found it in a very curious place. 

A dozen years ago, a label by the name of Iaahden Sounds released a Midnite album by the name of "Stand The Test". The song was 'King Ring' and I was completely wrong, it sounds nothing like 'Sycamore Tree' at all, however, LISTEN TO THIS DAMN SONG!

"Dem seh dem ahgo abandon dem ship then ah feel fi go down wid it

Mediterranean children to all the world metropolis-

Is rhetorical vitriol that naïveté omit

World know the region is the world hand pocket

It all seem insurmountable to politician tactic

News state featuring hold-up language

Just to find a stable medium between the poor and the rich

TOWNHALL MEETING INNA DI SCREECHIEST PITCH

INDEPENDENCE BECOMES DI BIGGEST SLICE PERCENTAGE

Political position dem no waan fi be associated with

World cities of a changing demographic

Lack of technology cah dem see it as limited

Merchant marinas find a store weh wi deal 

The manners of our guest - observation fi is

THE MANNERS OF THE HOUSE MAY BE INCLINE-ED

These are the roadsigns from the time weh wi live

Di warrior bust from ancient was explicit

Bible seh nothing new, under the sun, exist"

I remember "Stand The Test" (it was kind of a Hip-Hoppy sounding album) but I do not remember it sounding like THAT! There is a further connection in here as the press release (that no one bothered to send to me) mentions that one of the players of instrument on "World Tap In" is a Jordan 'Iaahden' Jones who, of course, is also the Iaahden behind Iaahden Sounds and produced "Stand The Test" in its entirety. THIS would also take me on another journey through Benjamin's catalogue because, of course, I was also certain that I remembered another tune which reminded me a lot of 'King Ring' and this was easier to find because I had actual words in my head and that was 'Ithiopia Millenium Deliverance', from the album "Ina Now". 

"And the Genesis of the age is Selassie I, Jah

And the Genius of the age is Selassie I, Jah"

I hadn't listened to "Ina Now" in quite awhile so what I do with things like that is that I'll go back and read through my own review, curious as to what I said about the album generally and, particularly, which song I said was my favourite at the time and in this case I was really happy because I actually did choose 'Ithiopia Millenium Deliverance'; and I even referenced that lyric as well.

Okay, that "one thing" that I mentioned from my review that kind of started me to actually writing this was this:

"Benjamin's work is truly the gift that keeps on giving."

Do you see what I mean? This isn't a random occurrence either. It's surely more often happening these days given the new album release but, even without it and not to exaggerate anything, but I'll have episodes like this... maybe once or twice a month even without new material pointing me in a certain direction (the "Kings Bell" album usually does it for me. If you REALLY get into that one, there're so many lines you can draw to other work) and whether I find what I'm looking for (if I'm even looking for anything) does not matter. It is the journey to comprehension that matters most and Vaughn Benjamin left us with a, literally, endless musical itinerary. That is not death. I don't know what that is but that is not death.