Signatures Vol. XVII: Fantan Mojah

In what is becoming an all too often tradition around here of sorts, today we give thanks and honour the contributions of someone who we, most unfortunately, recently lost physically. From the time Fantan Mojah made his grand arrival via his signature LARGE, anthemic brand of Roots music, he announced himself as someone who would be damn difficult to ignore over the course of the next quarter-century or so; along the way providing the genre with some of its most unforgettable tunes of the era. At the peak of his popularity, 'The Macka Tree' was one of Reggae music's most reliable hitmakers of his era and he has left us with a BEAUTIFUL body of work as he rests. 

Today, just as we did with Cocoa Tea and Determine before him, we pay tribute to someone who is set to perform his first sold-out show in Zion. Signatures: Fantan Mojah

1. 'Thanks & Praise'

Here to stay. There may be (there ARE) HUNDREDS of Roots tunes with the title 'Thanks & Praise' or something very similar (i.e. 'Give Thanks & Praise', 'Thanks & Praises'...). It's a very common title and if you listen to Fantan Mojah's version of it, you won't hear a damn thing that you won't likely find on any of the others in terms of ideology. What differs it is such a POWERFUL combination of passion, energy and conviction with that SWEET AS ALL HELL riddim. Around twenty years ago, the world's leading Dancehall producer, Don Corleon, ventured out of his comfort zone and showed that his kingdom covered farrrrr more ground that just songs about girls, guns and ganja with the very well received Drop Leaf Riddim. He would do it again, almost immediately, with the Seasons Riddim which was arguably even stronger. It would carry bona fide hits from the likes of Morgan Heritage, Wayne Wonder, the aforementioned Jah Cure, Vybz Kartel, Natural Black (who scored with the single greatest song he's ever done, 'Far From Reality') and Mojah. With the exception of Natural Black and maybe Cure (whose 'Love Is' was just a damn devastating display of his most STRANGE of gifts that has ever existed) I'd CLEARLY put 'Thanks & Praise' ahead of the pack and when you REALLY dig into some of that material, that's saying ENDLESS about the nature of 'Thanks & Praise'. No it wasn't revolutionary in the slightest and it wasn't doing anything that hadn't been done countless times before (or since) but in its own UNIQUE way, 'Thanks & Praise' was magical and it still is. 

2. 'Hail The King'

Take nothing at all. Let's talk about how incredibly interesting 'Hail The King' is for a minute. It'd been a minute since the last time I'd laid ears on this tune and, even after alllllll these years, I find it downright JARRING. It is such a nice song and it hits you on so many different layers. You know where I am with it in 2026?? I'm thinking about EFFORT. I'm thinking about the punchline:

"IT NO TAKE NOTHING AT ALL FI HAIL THE KING!"

Saying that to praise His Majesty requires NOTHING AT ALL from you. It won't cost you any money, you don't have to go anywhere, you don't have to break a sweat, you don't even have to talk to anyone! It is as simple for you as rising in the morning! It should be a natural process that occurs in your body and, from the standpoint that Mojah was coming from, and considering the effort and passion he put into it, he almost comes off as a bit frustrated with the masses but he's doing part. He's done his part. Now I must do mine and you must do yours.

3. 'Stronger'

Make me stronger. The title track from Mojah's second album, the Maximum Sound produced 'Stronger' (biggup Frenchie) was another sizable hit from the Macka Tree. A kind of a dual-leveled effort, 'Stronger' was both a praising tune and one which dealt with responding to negativity and those who may be working against you in a slightly more tangible sense as well. Yes. It was fairly well written but the lion's share of the appeal for 'Stronger' were the sonics. Although it didn't have the performance of some of their others, strictly as a music composition - the Jah Powers Riddim which supports here was probably one of the finest tracks Maximum Sound has EVER done and this was, FAR AND AWAY, its biggest moment (respect to Jah Mason though who did quite well with his 'Things Will Be Better'). 

'Stronger' was exhilarating, it was powerful and one of the STRONGEST of its time and Fantan Mojah's entire body of work. 

4. 'Tell Lie Pon Rasta'

CONSPIRACY! Frenchie & Maximum Sound were back at the helm of another sizable hit registered by the Macka Tree, the hard-to-forget 'Tell Lie Pon Rasta' which utilized their gorgeous Session Riddim (where it reigned supreme). The song found Mojah (appropriately) concerned with the image and perception of Rastafari and how the walk is so often misunderstood. 

"Dem talk alotta things bout Rastafari

Bout how wi a cult, wi a Blackheart man 

Dem seh Rasta mean and Rasta no clean

And how wi nuh have no self-esteem"

The song's direction has always at least somewhat reminded me of another favourite of mine, 'Rasta Still Deh Bout' by Lutan Fyah & Josie Mel and while 'Tell Lie Pon Rasta' was most certainly a bit more on the proverbial 'front foot' both songs have etched themselves in my memory for similar reasons and I'm still celebrating them both as much I possibly can! 

5. 'How Can I Be Ungrateful' featuring Zareb

After all that Jah has done for me. While putting this list together, it has occurred to me that I could legitimately make a strong case that THREE tunes that're combinations between Mojah and criminally underrated, sweet singing Clarendon native Zareb (formerly Mr. Flash) (before that he was Singing Flasher) could make this list. I'm still working on it and I'd be surprised if at least two of them don't make the final cut but when I got them all together the one that I was most certain about was this complete GEM of a tune produced by Shore Jam on their LOVELY but overlooked Ruff Life Riddim (Natty King had a golden piece of tune on it as well).

"Jah give me health and strength upon di battlefield 

Teach mi how to love my brother and mi sister that is real

JAH YOU FULFILL MY NEEDS SO MI NAH GO STEAL 

Rastafari blessing never conceal

Di wicked dem ah pray fi mi ting pop dung a road

The Most High a mi Guidline, dat a fi mi code

Preach violence: Eye fi an eye, soul fi a soul

When dem check seh mi dun lef get a new episode"

The song's title (and chorus) spoke for itself. How in the world can be an ingrate, given everything that I have going for me in my life. There're ALWAYS people in worse situations than you, so it's important to appreciate EVERYTHING that you have going for you in your life. 

6. 'Rastafari Is The Ruler' featuring Zareb

What a joy it bring. If you didn't get the message on 'How Can I Be Ungrateful', Mojah and Zareb come back with the harsher 'Rastafari Is The Ruler' to make sure everyone is clear precisely where they stand. Mojah, for his part, really stepped up the intensity on 'Rastafari Is The Ruler' but we ultimately arrived at the same point, when contrasted by Zagreb's very smooth vocals. A somewhat overlooked ultra-passionate and LOVELY tune that has stuck with me through the years and, again, one of several testaments to just how well these two worked together.  

7. 'Hungry'

Open up the door! As we always do, we begin with what I think is likely Fantan Mojah's most memorable tune and it was also probably his first. The absolutely MAMMOTH 'Hungry' would not only go to signal what was coming in the way of the burgeoning vocalist but, more specifically, the work he would go on to do with Downsound Records, who lent the St. Elizabeth up and comer their reimagined Invasion Riddim, which he would return to them with a crown!

I use the word ANTHEM to describe much of Fantan Mojah's music. An anthem for me is a song with a big, bright sound that sticks in your head and you can literally picture people singing along to it, WITH PURPOSE, there's a cause behind it. That describes 'Hungry' perfectly and, all of these years on, we're still singing it.

8. 'Nuh Build Great Man' featuring Jah Cure

Babylon be still. I don't think I'm going too far at all by calling this LUSH combination with the single greatest voice ever placed in a human being better a CLASSIC. 'Nuh Build Great Man' did a heavy amount of damage in its day and its presence on a list like this of mine was a definite.

"Dem nuh build great man

Dem only kill great man

Babylon be still and no underrate man"

For my ears, 'Nuh Build Man' was a SUPPORTIVE anthem. It was about seeing people who're doing positive things (like making music, for example) and putting your backing (whatever that may mean for you) behind them. I can say that such a song, theoretically, probably isn't terribly rare in the genre but you don't usually hear them sounding like this. So while the subject matter wasn't necessarily outlandish, the QUALITY of the material most certainly was: One of THE best songs Mojah or The Cure have ever done. 

9. 'Vampire'

 

Rubber tire. London Individuals pulled in a load of big names for their gorgeous Billion Riddim, including Fantan Mojah who, arguably, gave them their single biggest track altogether. I think this one just may be the most unlikely of my entire list but I've always LOVED 'Vampire'. There're certain songs on which the artist almost sounds like... they are OVERWHELMED with just... disgust. That was this song. Mojah comes off like certain people's behaviour is SO DAMN NASTY that it has led him to make 'Vampire' with such a brilliant level of passion. It isn't messy or overdone at all. 'Vampire' hit every mark for me and has, quietly, become one of Mojah's strongest selections altogether for me. 

10. 'Most High Jah'

Deliver me. The infamous Flava McGregor was at the height of his powers when he delivered to the world the biologically perfect Rub-A-Dub Riddim (THAT THING WAS FLAWLESS ON A MOLECULAR LEVEL!). The track would give life to a number of hits from the likes of Etana, I-Octane, Morgan Heritage, Capleton, Richie Spice and Ginjah ["NEVER LOST MY WAYYYYYYYY!"] [BOOM!] but, to my opinion, it was Mojah taking top honours with the HALTING 'Most High Jah'. Not only was it the best song on the Rub-A-Dub but it's also my favourite song that he's ever done. Period! 'Most High Jah' featured a version of Fantan Mojah that came off as highly emotional (he sounded like he was going through some things when he recorded it) at times but not to, obviously, the detriment of the tune's quality - it enhanced it! Listening to it now, of course, 'Most High Jah' has an even greater significance for what has happened and it hits me even harder in 2026. 

11. 'Authentic Love' featuring Zareb

What I'm searching for. I told you this might happen. After considering everything, you will find THREE tunes featuring Mojah alongside Zareb on this list and for good reason. The final of the trio also just happened to be the title track for the singer's (very overlooked but SOLID) debut album from nearly twenty years ago now. 'Authentic Love' was just a GORGEOUS love song across a cut of the Hard Drugs Riddim. Love songs can be sorta odd and you won't find the ranks of these posts full of them but there is definitely something to be said when someone gets it RIGHT. 'Authentic Love' was beautiful and ENTERTAINING. It wasn't some sappy 'oh baby I love you forever' type of track and, at least for me, stands as a signature for both Mojah and Zareb.

It's too bad that we'll never get them back together again but what they've left us with as a a pair (and there're other tunes they've done) (check 'Good Meditation' - also a big tune) stands as some of the best work of both and unforgettable in my mind. 

12. 'Rasta Got Soul'

"Many are gone but not forgotten"

...how damn fitting is this song now. 'Rasta Got Soul' was Fantan Mojah's tribute to this wonderful artform and those who came before and paved the way allowing individuals like himself to soar as they did and still are and now... he's joined them! 

"No, you caan influence mi fi go do another ting

FROM MI BORN A REGGAE MUSIC MI AH SING

Some don't know di history and don't know di ting

Big mouth dem nuh stop labbering

Nuff nah show respect to di elder dem

Wi haffi crown dem heights, dem a di great legends

YOU CAN'T COME TELL MI SEH YOU A DI MAN WHEN REGGAE MUSIC YUH NUH OVERSTAND

And nuff a dem nuh know bout di music

Dem just ah hustle and to try fi abuse it

Dem nuh sew no seed!

Dem waan fi reap and ah sell wi out cheap

Respect to di youths dem weh buss from di ghetto 

Cross di world, dem mad Reggae music ah echo [ECHO]

Nuff a dem a bandwagonist

Dem caan follow this

Listen di lion, wi ah roar!

RASTA GOT SOUL 

REGGAE MUSIC ROCKING MY BONE"

Sometimes you get a certain feeling that the person singing the song had a REALLY good time singing that particular song; I get THAT feeling from Fantan Mojah on 'Rasta Got Soul'. If you were to ask him, I think he'd call it one of his favourite songs from his career and it resonated with the people, scoring as one of his biggest hits to the surprise of absolutely no one. 

Thank you for your contributions to this wonderful artform, Fantan Mojah and REST EASY!

Strictly The Best 63

"Strictly The Best 63" [VP Records]

1. 'Driver' by Romain Virgo

2. 'One More Time' [Don Corleone Remix] by Jah Cure

3. 'Don't Say You Love Me' by Aza Lineage

4. 'Soulmate' by Lutan Fyah

5. 'Open Heart' by Jah9

6. 'Nah Sell Out' featuring Kabaka Pyramid by Alborosie

7. 'Cyaah Done' featuring Iwaata & Country Hype by Konshens

8. 'MUGGER' by Intence

9. 'Happy Living' by Jahshii

10. 'Only Room For Two' by Gyptian

11. 'Gyal Dem Time' featuring TeeJay by Shaggy

12. 'It's Guaranteed' Remix featuring Bounty Killer & Busy Signal by Christopher Martin

Okay so, while we aren't too sure who's showing up these days and, if they are, when exactly they'll be arriving, I am damn pleased to say that we definitely are getting a shot of one of the most reliable compilation series in... in ever, as the latest installment of one of Reggae's most reliable sets, "Strictly The Best 63", is set to reach in just a few weeks' time. VP Records delivers as always in a time where "STB" remains quite consistent, having missed only one year in recent times, by my count [2021], despite one of the label's other large annual releases, "Reggae Gold" (which just may be the genre's most identifiable collection), being a bit more of a mystery in terms of scheduling these days. I took a quick look at the tracklist of "STB63" and a couple of things that I saw caught my attention and did so in a good way. 

The first thing that I noticed was that they kept it simple. You get a dozen tracks and in those tunes (and the second thing that grabbed me) you get a very healthy mixture of artists and styles. Compilations and albums in general can be too damn long at at times and I was very happy that they chose to keep "STB63" on the more 'cozy' side of things. As for the sounds you will hear here, how about this: You get people such as the incomparable Jah9, Lutan Fyah, Alborosie, sitting Reggae Grammy holder, Kabaka Pyramid and Jah Cure, then we make room for the likes of Romain Virgo, Christopher Martin, Gyptian and Aza Lineage and not to be excluded, we'll also cover the Dancehall with Bounty Killer, Shaggy, Konshens, Busy Signal and Intence (or whatever they call that stuff Intence makes) ('Mugger' is not Dancehall. I don't care anyone says) (not saying it's bad, IT IS TERRIBLE, but it isn't Dancehall).  So the vibes on this one are HEALTHY to say the least. "STB63" also boasts of four exclusive tracks, including efforts  from the Fyah (a new Lutan Fyah tune??? Works for me!) and Aza Lineage as well as several selections which have never previously been available on disc (if you're old as hell, like me, and're still interested in prehistoric physical media) (just make a contraction out of anything. What the hell is "and're"??) (Andre who???). So, it seems as if they've taken great care with assembling this year's edition of the esteemed series.

How well does it work? Well, you can join me in figuring that all out when "Strictly The Best 64" releases on the 15th of December from VP Records.... but I can tell you it's probably going to be pretty good. 

OURS: A review of Undeniable by Jah Cure

Only one. In case you haven't been paying much attention recently or throughout the years, we, Reggae fans, are kind of spoiled. There're certain aspects and facets of our genre which simply do not exist in any other in the world and I know fans of pretty much any kind of music would likely say the same thing.... but we'd be right! Though we've had more than our share of conspiracies and controversies (and will have many, many more of both), we really do have quite a bit to be thankful for. I very rarely bring up this man's name as an example because it's always my desire to kind of introduce and reinforce the work of other, lesser known, artists, but we do have a guy named Bob who, to this day, towers over the entire genre. I don't know if another genre in the world has that in a single person. I think once upon a time it may've been true with Rock with Elvis Presley (then again, it may not have been), but in 2023, just as it was it 1983, and just as it is likely to be in 2033, the dominant and most well known figure in the history of Reggae music is Bob Marley and he just happens to be one of the most revered musicians ever. Period. So that's something! So much is that the case, also, that even the NAME Marley, on anyone anywhere, is also often associated with Reggae. Think about it the next time you see it written outside of a musical scope. Speaking of reverence, along with other legendary figures such as Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Dennis Brown, Lee Perry and others who get a certain type of more MATURE appreciation, we also have DANCEHALL! Though I will continuously lament the current state of the music (as the crotchety old ass man that I am), that very nice international (and FLEXIBLE) level of respect given to the likes of Beenie Man, Shabba Ranking, Bounty Killer and Buju Banton is definitely something to be proud of; and I also must mention that Reggae music is one which, of course, has its own walk of life and culture as were I to say to you to tell me what most immediately comes to mind when I say "RASTAFARI", you wouldn't get very far down your line, AT ALL, before Reggae or something inherently Reggae-related would come out of your mouth. You could surely think of genres such as Gospel and... yep, Gospel, that have more spiritual elements tied to it, but examples of that are very few and far between ESPECIALLY to the saturation that is exists in Reggae. Go look over to the tags on the right of this same page and you will literally see DOZENS of individuals making music with a spiritual and culture core and doing so in a way which is not a niche at all within its genre. Like I said, we have things which do not exist anywhere else. 

You know what else we have in Reggae which, by definition, simply does not exist in any other genre of music in the world??? It just so happens that THE greatest SOUND every put into anyone's voice, EVER, is property of someone who sings Reggae music. It isn't Opera or Pop or R&B or anything else you may come up with, it is Reggae as long controversial Kingston native, Jah Cure, has....  damn wonder in his voice. If you have not heard that man sing, then you have not heard anything like that man singing and, again, he has spent a long (detour-filled) career utilizing it singing Reggae music. I'm going to write this review at least attempting to ignore the obvious 'elephant in the room' (dealing with why you will not actually SEE Jah Cure, himself, on his new album) but were the Cure to call it a career at this very moment, he would be known for two things: Being very 'interesting' outside of making music and being blessed with one of the greatest musical 'instruments' the world has ever seen - reaffirmed virtually every single time he opens his mouth.

2015 & 2019

Largely because of that tool (and, to his credit, when he is at his best, he is a very good songwriter as well) Jah Cure's music always comes with a 'built-in' interest. If he makes something and you don't like the melody and you don't enjoy the lyrics, there's still a chance that the tune could be of interest to you because of what he may do vocally. If he turns in an epic performance, you're going to want to have a listen and it is a situation that I found myself looking at late last year or so when news popped up that a brand new album from the Cure was forthcoming. It's been well over a decade now since the last time we actually reviewed a Jah Cure album, but he most certainly has not been idle and, in that time, he's done some relatively impressive work, though I do confess I remain a bigger fan of much of his earlier material (back when we are downright mystified by his backstory, wondering if his actual name was truly Siccature Alcock and still trying to figure out exactly what the hell we were listening to) (... I guess, technically, we still are trying to figure that out, aren't we) ["Run come love me toniiiiiiiiiight"]. Most recent was 2019's "Royal Soldier", which was decent, featuring some more than solid combinations with Damian Marley, Capleton, Yami Bolo, Junior Reid and others (like Mya). Ahead of that was 2015's Grammy nominated "The Cure", which was a fantastic set arguably rivaling almost any album before it in quality. That album, if I recall correctly, also did quite well commercially and, listening through it nearly eight years on - I am not surprised. Now, keeping with his four year release schedule, early 2023 sees the release of "Undeniable", the ninth full album release from Jah Cure. Like most [all] of his recent work, the new album also comes via VP Records and this time it features production from a K-One from out of Sweden [by way of Iran], who I'd never heard of before, but subsequent research has placed his background, largely, in Hip-Hop, though he's also worked with European Reggae veteran, Million Stylez and the venerable Clive Hunt was also instrumental in the realization of the new project (Hunt is one of those people who has done more work on more music than anyone will ever know and it's probably literally IMPOSSIBLE to credit him for everything that he has done at this point). Jah Cure has previously done work which seemed to place him in a more international spotlight as far as the style of his work (for some reason I tend to recall the SoBe/Danger Zone years as being more 'mainstream' than they actually were. if you go back and listen to an album like "The Universal Cure" now: That's a Reggae album) and when I began to dig into the 'meat' of what we might encounter on "Undeniable", for some reason I just presumed that we'd see more of that (listening to "The Universal Cure" right now - DAMN! What a beauiful album that one was as well). While I wasn't entirely wrong on that, what "Undeniable" does turn out to be is a piece of work which has one predominately constant direction split into about three different styles. The results, while certainly not vintage Cure, at least have a chance in making a nice impression on many of his listeners. Let's take a listen.

That one constant course that I alluded to being present here is the fact that "Undeniable" is, basically, an album full of love songs. When you see the tracklist, you quickly come to that conclusion and it is proven true throughout. The range of sounds, to my ears, roam somewhere between Reggae, R&B and even Zouk (though I'm going to assume that I'm probably the only one who is going to make that leap) (love some Zouk). As you might suspect, that makes for a colourful sound and I'm thankful for that as it definitely spices things up here, musically. Jah Cure and K-One are sure to put their collective and proverbial best foot forward on their brand new album, "Undeniable" as its heaviest hitter altogether and title track sets things in motion. 'Undeniable' features up and coming big voiced singer, Kaylan Arnold, who definitely manages to hold her own alongside the Cure on this POWERFUL vibe. This tune is dynamic, it's fun to listen to and, just on its surface, it does not come off like a stereotypical 'love song', at all  (we've become accustomed to calling Reggae love songs, "Lover's Rock", as a sort of subgenre. This is not Lover's Rock. It is something else). It is also quite apparent that everyone involved knew precisely what they had on their hands as well as, by more than twenty seconds, 'Undeniable' is the longest track on the album named for it (and the fact that they did call the album "Undeniable" is probably more evidence of what they thought about the music). BOOM! The album's second offering, 'Everything', is also its second and final combination, this one featuring the STALKING Stonebwoy who seems to feature on everyone's album [Note: Small world. Kaylan Arnold has an EP to her credit - 2021's "Hydrate", that album has one featured guest.... his name is Stonebwoy). I actually read an article where the Cure spoke on just how close the two artists have become over the years and how he felt compelled to make sure Stonebwoy was involved on his next project. Their work here doesn't reach the levels of the opener (nor do any of the next nine songs) but it is pretty solid and very unique. If you think about it (though I may be wrong), I don't think you see a lot of combinations featuring two male artists on a love song. It is something which seems to be somewhat rare and 'Everything' is a piece focusing on that maddening post-breakup portion of the relationship where you sit around, driving yourself crazy, thinking about 'everything' you did wrong and wondering whether or not it is too late to correct at least some of them ["Promise to do you right this time, around, if only I coulda rewind"]. 'Everything' also has a very nice vibes to it and I wasn't shocked to see it receiving a single treatment for "Undeniable" in the slightest. 'Trust' (biggup Buju) comes through next and it brings with it the first tinge of a bigger sound with that lovely piano intro, before ascending into some sweet Reggae/R&B hybrid (probably 65-35 in favour of Reggae). 'Trust' is just a very nice tune about... exactly what you think it is about. I wouldn't be surprised to see this one go overlooked to a degree; it won't change lives, but it definitely does help flesh out the body of "Undeniable" with its attractive and appealing sound. Then there is the sweetness that is another of the  biggest winners here to my opinion, 'One More Time'. Again, maybe (probably) it's just me, but when I got here, I hear BEAUTIFUL, GLORIOUS Zouk from the intro and throughout this one and what happens is that 'One More Time' begins to build and build and, eventually, comes to a point where what you have is EASILY one of the most satisfying selections on the whole of "Undeniable". I'm going to stay right there as well because the very next drop, 'Good Life' (biggup Cocoa Tea), is similarly vibed in its sound, though just a bit more straight forward to my ears. Regardless of where you feel it is sourced (as it progresses into that SWEET riddim), I'm thinking anyone who hears 'Good Life' will not only appreciate it flatly, but also enjoy how the theme of the tune so perfectly matches its nature. You WANT to be a part of the Cure's idea of this 'good life'. It sounds fantastic.

'Think About It' was another piece that had me... thinking about its origins as it also sounds well Zouk-ified (probably the most so on the whole of "Undeniable). It literally sounds like sparkly, beached out Zouk and it actually turns out to be one of my favourites on the album, though it did take a few spins to arrive at that point; so if you're struggling with this one, I would suggest you maybe give it a bit more time before heading it on because (like several other tunes present here), 'Think About It' is quite easy to dismiss as just another pretty 'face'. Better still is the very next track in 'Be The One', which just may be the album's second strongest selection altogether in my opinion. There's some... very cool, slow-burning intensity on 'Be The One' which is quite odd because it doesn't take very long to make itself noticed at all. I heard it from the very first time I listened to the song.

"Give me that energy

Roll it and light it, then roll around with me"

I'd probably put it more on the R&B side which works well with the nature of this one - just a very solid, romantic piece which I expect to find a fairly sizable audience. 'Find My Way', on the other hand, just may be a future hit with everything going on there, musically. Armed with what is likely the single finest composition on "Undeniable" (that thing is SO NICE!), you can very well just lose yourself to a degree here as it is damn hypnotic at times within its brevity. I'd likely come back and criticize it, near closing, so I'll just do it now: At the end of this song, I think K-One and Jah Cure and whoever else really missed an opportunity to just allow that riddim to play on a bit as, pretty much, we get the final half-minute without vocals; were that closer to a minute on the very short track (the second shortest on the album), I think it would have gone a long way to showing off its finest asset. The tune itself is kind of a motivator set within a love song, which is nice touch but, again, everything bubbling around it is GLORIOUS and I think they could have made more of it.

After finding its way, I actually think "Undeniable" loses a bit of ground in closing as a couple of its final trio miss the mark in my opinion (and the other isn't great either), with both the BRIGHT 'If I Had You' and the closer, 'Turn Off The Lights', really just being average. Both sound quite nice (as does every other song on "Undeniable, that is undeniable), but they don't sound exceptionally so and the rest of them don't do much either for me, really. The latter also has the unfortunate circumstance of being entirely too damn short and it is the single briefest effort on the entire album by some ten seconds (remember I just told you that I wish that they had taken more time with 'Find My Way' and done more with it??? 'Turn Off The Lights' is ten seconds shorter than that). 'Beautiful' does come with this delightfully very BASIC vibe to it (that never develops much, which is a good thing) and it also does more lyrically ["You've got royalty in your genes yeah, but you're living in a skin-deep world"] than 'If I Had You' and 'Turn Off The Lights', but a few weeks from now, when I think back to this album, I cannot imagine any of these final three have made much of an impact on me. 'Beautiful' MAY be the exception, as it does have its moments, but those points still do not see it even near to the class of "Undeniable" for me.

Something I do feel inclined to mention about the way "Undeniable" plays out (because I harped on it so much in setting it up) is the fact that we never really do get THAT vocal display from Jah Cure within these eleven tracks and thirty-four and a half minutes and it's kind of a disappointment. It could have definitely used a BITE to it and, in retrospect, what aggression it does have probably comes most via Kaylan Arnold on our title track, so it would have been nice had the Cure, himself, taken off that harness and unleashed his greatest asset more.

Overall, judging it by what IS present, "Undeniable" is likely best seen as a nice display of music... I know that sounds absolutely ridiculous, but you know how much I love to elabourate, so here we go. The growing point I attempted to make here was just how nice "Undeniable" SOUNDS! Even some of the lesser tracks have a certain charm to them which is pleasing at the very least and, at the higher end, represent some very talented work on behalf of K-One, Clive Hunt, Jah Cure, himself, and others who worked on the production here. That is what "Undeniable" is. It is a very nice sounding project and not a whole lot more, actually. As strange as it may sound, however, I don't feel particularly disappointed with what happened here as (apart from the voice not being fulling represented) (that part definitely IS too bad because you'd think that if you sounded like THAT, you'd use it to its fullest as often as you possibly could), looking back now, I don't necessarily think that my expectations were extremely high and, again, there is enough material here which is going to make me (and a lot of other people) FEEL GOOD and there is a value in that. So, while "Undeniable" certainly is not one for the ages in displaying this one of a kind, amazing talent, it is a decent enough of a stop before the hopefully inevitable next time where THE Cure can be RELEASED again... in more ways than one. 

Rated: 3/5

VP Records

2023

CD + Vinyl + Digital

Jah Cure is Undeniable

"Undeniable" by Jah Cure [VP Records - 2023]

1. 'Undeniable' featuring Kaylan Arnold

2. 'Everything' featuring Stonebwoy

3. 'Trust'

4. 'One More Time'

5. 'Good Life'

6. 'Find My Way'

7. 'Think About It'

8. 'Be The One'

9. 'If I Had You'

10. 'Beautiful'

11. 'Turn Off The Lights'

Okay so, set to light up early 2023 is the first album release from a big named artist that I can see currently scheduled as the always interesting Jah Cure is back with a brand new album, "Undeniable", for VP Records on the 17th of February. 

Don't know who's producing it and I don't know what the music will be like but, from what I can tell, it'll be more on the love song side; BUT it is Jah Cure, it's the greatest singer in the history of the world, so you're interested. Just thought we'd let you know.

The Vault Reviews: The World Shall See

Golden days. As a music fan and as a fan of virtually anything, the longer we occupy ourselves with that particular thing, the greater the opportunity is there for us to begin to acquire favourites. If you're fortunate and you pay a great amount of attention, you might have several favourite artists and producers and riddims and performances (both that you have personally attended and that you have seen recorded) and a variety of other things which have stuck with you and will remain with you for the rest of your life, hopefully. Favourites have a variety of different classes as well and, as you very well know, they can be very significant and emotional things for people, making it all the more crucial when we come across them. So with that being said (and returning to writing this review after about a month or so. I know. I'm sorry. Technically you've been waiting for this review for over twenty years), today I thought I'd go back and celebrate one of my personal favourites which TRULY has no equal in what it was in its day, for me. There was an, unfortunately, now either wholly lost or extremely underpublicized set of circumstances in Reggae where we had these groups of artists under one umbrella-ing label. The vast majority of these, whether they do or do not exist in any way today, are relics of yesteryear which're left for us to think back to in forms like this as 'da good ol' days. I'm thinking about stations like Beenie Man, Tanto Metro & Devonte and Lil' Kirk at Shocking Vibes for Patrick Roberts. There was the Main Street crew and Danny Browne who, with a wholly infectious and very digestible style of the music, brought Dancehall fans years and years of hits courtesy of the likes of General Degree, Red Rat, Mr. Vegas, Mr. G/Goofy and others. Main Street, in retrospect, has aged quite well in terms of the music it made (having produced, for example, both the wildly popular 'Granny' and 'Pianist', respectively, for Degree) and the impact some of its direct and indirect stars went on to make. On the Roots side there were people such as Richard 'Bello' Bell and Star Trail family (biggup the Star Lion Family) who is probably best known these days for having brought the legendary Anthony B to prominence, but the label was also very instrumental in building up names such as Everton Blender, Norris Man, Capleton and even Beres Hammond who they worked extensively with in their day. Continuing on that same line of thought, I can distinctly recall Star Trail being like half of what would turn out to be a sizable explosion of modern Roots Reggae music (in retrospect, probably the most significant it has ever had) in the mid to late 1990's or so. The other half of that equation would be the reason that we're here today -- about to talk about a random, twenty-two year old release -- and simply my favourite Reggae label (label of any kind, really) of all time. 

Of course I'm referring to the immortal Philip "Fattis" Burrell and his Xterminator Records imprint. The easy way to explain it is to say that Fattis and Xterminator developed and brought to prominence some of (and THE in my opinion) greatest artists in Roots Reggae music in its day; they also produced some of the greatest songs and full albums as well and that is a solid legacy in and of itself in my opinion. However, when you begin to look at it as far as what resulted from the work that they did and who influenced whom and what became of that following generation, the label has left a lasting legacy that continues to reverberate to this day and will NEVER stop (have I mentioned that I'm reviewing a twenty-two year old album??? I have? Okay just ignore that part there then). How many artists today grew up listening to that same generation of Xterminator alums and how many MILLIONS of fans did the same and, in turn, passed it on their children? We've gotten to that point already where, looking back to the not too distant past, has grown to this wonderfully nostalgic degree that we find ourselves looking at a random, twen.... oh yeah, nevermind. 

2002

Along with doing releases for artists, occasionally labels would put out compilations, while these were far more prevalent back in da day, you still see them today, generally as riddim albums, but sometimes something a bit more. These release stand/stood as kind of updates as to what the label had been up to at a given time or even as greatest hits type of releases for the label or for a certain artist. Xterminator was no different as, along with albums for their artists (some of them were outstanding) (a handful of them were legendary), they also did greatest hits sets and general compilations from the label. Perhaps one of the best known of the latter was 2002's "Rough Inna Town", a drop featuring hits from both the then-current and past and future stars of Xterminator; and there were others such as an installment of Charm's (I know.... it's Charm (I don't if anyone really knows what was going on with Charm back in the day, if there is someone he/she is not me) but it was solid) "In The Producer's Hot Seat" series (that album contained two of the finest songs I have ever heard, so I had to mention it) and others still, like a Dub album for Jet Star. Within this group and just ahead of most of them was a lovely collection through VP Records at the turn of the century by the name of "The World Shall See". If you are familiar with the actual tune for which the album is named then you probably already know why I dug this one wayyyyyy up for a vault review (if there're perfect songs, it is one of them). I've had this actual disc for maybe five or so years and I always wanted to talk about it because of just how thorough it was for its time. There're three names on "The World Shall See" that do not leap out at even more faithful followers of the genre and the label and one of them, in particular (technically two, actually) I could not name you ANYTHING else they did in their career without research. That, alone, isn't very good (isn't bad either), but what that was attached to just happened to be precisely what you would expect from a general release from Xterminator in the year 2000. It was LOADED with absolute giants of the genres, up and comers and just solid contributors to the Xtm legend. Though there was one unfortunate omission -- Mr. Mikey General -- but every other base at the time would have been covered as far as that era via this one set. On top of that, the material that was present on "The World Shall See" was powerful for the most part. As I said, with a certain tune being at the head of it, this a fine, tiny representation of the label around the time and what something that I really have enjoyed about it is what you find in the 'ancillary' artists (and I mean that in the most respectful way possible, of course, I just really wanted to use that word). There're certain people who have come to link with Xterminator -- about to tell you about a few of them -- but there are certain other BONA FIDE LEGENDS who you may not realize have also done extensive work and recording with Fattis and company. Vocalists of all types end up shining on "The World Shall See" making it, though underknown, a powerful example of one of the greatest outfits Reggae music has ever seen. 

Even if you were to take out the set of circumstances and the label involved on this project (and bias towards it) what most immediately stands out just running down the tracklist of "The World Shall See", at least for me, is the extremely impressive line of vocal talents present here. Regardless of what brings them together, even a casual fan of the genre is likely to be impressed by the run of exactly who is present here. If you need an example of that, you need not go any further than the opening selection on "The World Shall See", a personal classic for me and many others I'm sure, 'Stand Tall' by Capleton. I forget this tune was actually produced by Xterminator and it probably (surely) is better known for appearing on the Prophet's opus, "More Fire", also for VP in 2000. 'Stand Tall' was complete and utter genius.

"I see di wicked man will have to fall!

And all the righteous man will haffi stand tall!

A DI WRONG MAN NAME DEM GUH CALL!

And now dem back against di wall, dem fall 

Longtime mi ah warn dem and dem neva waan listen

Tell dem no diss di man weh get di blessing

Listen to di birds when you hear dem ah sing

Listen di leaves all on di tree limb

Watch all di fishes in di sea when dem swim

EVERY LIVING THING HAFFI COME HAIL DI KING

And all di water from di spring!"

Despite its nature (it was downright SWEET at times), if you really tuned in 'Stand Tall' it could be overwhelming at times. Capleton kind of built it in a way where, though it didn't change in intensity much, it became a matter of just LOADING the listener with knowledge and ideas that, especially in its latter stages, 'Stand Tall' was.... probably one of the finest praising songs we've ever heard. Speaking of songs which may've been unintentionally candy-like, another superstar and one well known for his work with Xterminator, Luciano (oddly credited by his actual name here, J. McClymont, comes in next with 'Free Up The Herbalist'. The year prior, Luciano would release one of the most popular sets of his own on VP Records, "Sweep Over My Soul" (so named after another Xterminator steered shot) and while this tune did not appear on that album, it would have been, EASILY, one of the finest works there (though, I did not love "Sweep Over My Soul"). 'Free Up The Herbalist' was fantastic and it does have its running theme, it's a ganja tune, it's also a very detailed social commentary and a spiritual song. It succeeds on all those fronts as well and I hesitate to call it one of Luciano's best, period, only because I know the weight such a statement carries, but it is EXCELLENT! Label staple, Prince Malachi, would also have an album on VP in 1999, "Love Jah" and "The World Shall See" plucked from it its GOLDEN title track. It's either been far too long since I've heard this one or I've just spent the last twenty years or so really underrating it because I don't quite recall it sounding this good at any time. Malachi's work with Xterminator, in general, may be overlooked these days by many and if you're one of the people for whom nothing he did during that period immediately stands out, I would DEFINITELY direct your attention to 'Love Jah'. Such a stunningly beautiful piece of praise and, after I'm done here, I'm going to dig up some old Prince Malachi (pretty sure I have both "Love Jah" and "Watch Over Me" on disc).

In 2000, it was well within the timeframe when the great Sizzla Kalonji (you knew He was coming) would release at three albums a year for the three biggest Reggae labels of the day, VP, Greensleeves Records and Jet Star. His VP album from that year was the very interesting Xterminator produced "Words Of Truth", best known for being a double disc, with both a studio and a live album in the packaging. His set for Greensleeves also came via Xterminator, "Bobo Ashanti". To my opinion, "Bobo Ashanti" was one of the.... best ten or so albums Kalonji has ever done and it was crowned by one the greatest tunes he (or anyone else) has ever done in my opinion, 'The World Shall See' (it was just called 'The World' on that album). TEARS! ABSOLUTE FUCKING TEARS! I've said in the past that Sizzla's music changed my life, it changed my way of thinking and it was songs like this ["Then, dem neva know: Seh A KING SELASSIE RULE THE HEART AND THE SOUL"] that did much of that work and opened my eyes to something I had been surrounded by for all of my life. This is the best song on this album (they knew it was, that's why it is named after it) and it's probably never appeared on any album where that wasn't the case and it almost surely never will. BOOM! In 2000 Fattis would fully bring his next charge, Turbulence, to the masses with his debut self-titled release on Xterminator. The following year he would deliver his second album for VP, "Rising", deemed a modern classic on these pages and still the greatest album of his career in my opinion. There's a pretty good chance that the very first time Turbulence would have appeared on any VP project was on "The World Shall See" as he contributed the sublime 'Think Of Peace'. This song wasn't on either of the first two albums and I don't know why, it was pretty good. It wasn't the strongest lyrically (he was still very, very young at the time. It's dated 1999, he was probably eighteen when he wrote it), but it did have a nice vibes to it and, good luck finding it anywhere else. And speaking of the youths, rounding out our first third of selections on "The World Shall See" were the young Morgans, L.M.S., with 'Follow Jah'. LMS is another one [three] whose time with Xterminator has probably gone forgotten, but it says a great deal that two of their four albums were produced on the label, so there was some clear chemistry in the work and it shows on this tune. 'Follow Jah' isn't amazing, but it's very solid and the more you hear it, the more it grows on you. It has a delightful vibe to it which wasn't rare to find in L.M.S.' music, even if I wasn't the biggest of fans.

'Bubble In The Struggle' featured the elder Morgans, Morgan Heritage. Though not as extensively as their younger siblings, MH also did quite a bit of songs with Xterminator as well and this is one of their best in my opinion. Coming in with a nice old school sound, the Morgans used the vibes to check in with a message about people not only surviving and maintaining in troubling situations, but THRIVING within them as well. The immortal Beres Hammond is another one still whom you may not know for appearing on the label but even he made several songs with Fattis and co. One of them, the outstanding 'Hold On', is carried on "The World Shall See". Hammond is someone who, with his delivery and his general CLASS, can get something out of just about anything he does (you have to TRULY be rubbish as a producer to push out a bad song by Beres Hammond) and 'Hold On' was of his typically high level and with a powerful idea of showing just a bit more patience, perseverance and not being afraid to stand up for yourself and show some backbone when necessary. This tune was actually a pretty nice sized hit for Hammond and, in 2003 when VP released his greatest hits anthology, "Can't Stop A Man", it appeared there along with several other Xterminator songs; the most popular probably being 'Full Attention' (it was also the title track of an Xtm produced Hammond album in 1993). You'll also find in this grouping 'The Story Of My Life' by US singer, Anthony Mills. Mills is one of the three that I alluded to whose name surely will not be very familiar to Reggae heads if you don't remember what he would do with Xterminator (and even if you do recall it, there wasn't a tremendous amount of it). His effort here is fine. It's kind of a Gospel themed tune, but what stands out for me, is the music. There is an infectious electric quality to this riddim which seems ULTRA simple at times but really is not when you tune it in. The singer would do more work with Xterminator and is obviously still active these days so feel free to look him up if you like this song, there is a TON more from him. Malachi returns with his second and final effort on "The World Shall See" with 'Life Cycle', taking on the same track behind the title track. Just as was the case on his first piece, 'Life Cycle'  is also EXCELLENT. This song I'll call a spiritual celebration of NATURE. Malachi deals with Mother Nature in the greatest sense but also in the most terrestrial and, 'stemming out', how important it is that we maintain the world because we are TRULY lost without it ["Combined together with Jah forces, She's our home and She is our hostess. Oh Mother Earth, oh Empress. Yes I know. We continually need Your service and no many coulda neva deny this"]. 

Sizzla returns with his own second (of three) selections on "The World Shall See", the well underrated humility anthem 'Why Boast'.

"Why boast when it get you nowhere?

And your riches will soon disappear

Trying to be like those and prove you so unfair

Come to protect the poor

I love them ever-dear

Why boast when it get you nowhere?

And dem riches will soon disappear

Trying to be like those and prove you so unfair

Come to protect the poor and Jah is ever there

Dem neva want us reach nowhere

Yet I know - I & I are everywhere

From Holy Mount Zion to the Earth's plane

The Conquering Lion bringeth no shame

NO RESPECT FOR THE POOR AND YET THE TABLE PREPARE

Continue to ignore, they insult our care

WE COOK THE FOOD THEY EAT AND MAKE THE CLOTHES THEY WEAR

What a tribulation poor people deh bear

Inna every situation, still wi neva fair

They make it all so dem start move queer

And a dem thief out di poor man share"

This isn't quite what I would call vintage Kalonji from that era, but it is damn close. At his zenith during the early 2000's, Sizzla would weave these nearly perfect lyrical GEMS which could reach a listener on pretty much every level. 'Why Boast' was maybe half a step lower, but even such quality rises it near the best on a more than solid release like this one. The other vocalist who appears here more than twice, Capleton, returns with first of subsequently a pair of combinations, 'Jah Kingdom', alongside Luciano. BOOM! These two have linked up several times throughout the years -- with probably the biggest being 'Hail King Selassie' for Black Scorpio -- but I have to tell, as far as any combination between the two, 'Jah Kingdom' is AT LEAST as good as anything they've ever done. I'd have to do some more research to see if I'm forgetting something, but if it was THE best Capleton/Luciano song ever, I would not be shocked at all. 

"Jah kingdom come down upon earth

Rastafari voice must be heard

Jah kingdom come down upon earth

King Selassie I a wi shepherd

Jah kingdom come down upon earth

Rastafari voice must be heard

Jah kingdom come down upon earth

Revolutionary soldier is at work

Babylon haffi go stay mute, dem haffi accept di truth

Cah man a revolutionary, every soldier, longtime recruit

Dem haffi stay mute, dem haffi accept-

Well dem caan stop mi from dig out mi truth

Babylon, yah gun dem soon nah have no use

No more ghetto youth dem you caan come shoot

Di youth dem seet and dem find di truth

Dem caan sow wi like no seed nor pick wi like no fruit

I AM DI BRANCH, I AM DI LIMB, DI STEM AND DI ROOT

Luciano! Kick dem wid di gideon boot!

Behold The Lion Of Judah has conquered again and again

Set all the captives free again"

It's direction was precisely what you expected it to be (the same as 'Hail King Selassie') and its quality is as well with these two PILLARS of artists coming together in honour of His Imperial Majesty and to slap down corruption any and everywhere it exists. 

The final lot of tunes on "The World Shall See" gets downright colourful in regards to the artists, making for some genuinely memorable moments in the process, including one or two that you might not have remembered/known were products of Xterminator. The legendary Leroy Sibbles also blessed Xtm with some fine work in his day and a great example of that would be his tune here 'Fight' (if you need another taste, look up a song of his by the name of 'Oh Jah') (even if you don't NEEEEEED it, you may want to look it up anyway). This one was a call to action and a call that maybe it's time to begin taking some personal responsibility for yourself and your well being ["If you're a man, you've got to stand on your own two feet. That's the only way you're gonna eat"]. It was just very well-written and I'm sure there're many fans of the music, even some diehards, who may not even know that it exists. The same surely can't be said of Cocoa Tea's 'Mr. Neck Tie Man', as it was pretty well known and Cocoa Tea is someone who voiced extensively with Xterminator, having delivered several albums for the label in the 1990's and 2000's (five by my count). 'Mr. Neck Tie Man', which used the same riddim as Luciano's classic 'Sweep Over My Soul' was featured on 1998's "One Way" for VP (big tune on that album called 'No Faith') and probably a few other greatest hits styled compilations as well. It deserved the run that it received, in my opinion as Cocoa Tea, as is his signature, gave us the wonderful SIMPLE message about those seemingly living two different lives at the same time ["Sometimes you hold the Bible in your hand. The other times you hold the alcohol pan. Wanna know - what is your true religion? Are you praising Jah Jah or it is Satan???"]. You'll also find a pair of combinations near the end "The World Shall See" which grab attention for a couple of different reasons. The first of them is 'The Vibes', linking together the only two artists here appearing thrice, Sizzla Kalonji & Capleton. Though I've never loved this song (it almost seemed like they knew it would be a good idea to make a song together and just.... vibed it together and 'The Vibes' is what they came up with), it's probably a little better than I've given it credit for being, though nowhere near as strong as one might imagine such a combination being. The other combination here on the other hand, 'One Gun', is better than you're thinking. Placing Turbulence alongside rapper Fucious. This tune appeared on Turbulence's aforementioned debut album. I do not hate this anti-violence tune and it does have its moments ["War a nuh nice thing, remember that. A nuh mosquito bite when you get gunshot"] (Turbulence's entire first verse is pretty impressive), but I've never been the biggest fan of Hip Hop and Fucious... yeah, I'll just leave it there. He clearly does his best. The unfortunately all too interesting Jah Cure also popped up on "The World Shall See" with one of his greatest earlier tracks, 'Trod In The Valley'.

Here's another selection many may've forgotten was produced by Burrell. When this one truly came to prominence, the Cure would have still been incarcerated (.....the more things change, the more they stay the same) but 'enjoying' a situation where he was becoming this kind of underground artist that had an ever-swelling fanbase. Many of those were coming to figure out what exactly was going on with him and who he was, but they would stick around for genuine classics such as 'Trod In The Valley'. Lastly was a very, but not really, underknown Mr. Biggs who does a respectable remake of an R&B song by US artist, Tyrese, 'Lately'. The story here, besides the song (and maybe even more so, twenty years later) is that, as far as I know, Mr. Biggs is actually Donald Dennis, one of the most esteemed players of instrument of the modern era and ever, really. He plays bass on every single song on this album and he also does some keyboards and guitar as well and, like all talented active musicians - you've probably heard his work dozens of times without realizing it, particularly on Xterminator material.

Overall, while I didn't want to paint the picture that "The World Shall See" was this all time great classic of a compilation and that it had been woefully forgotten by the masses (although that second part there is true). What I did want to show, however, is just how completely SOLID of a set it was and what a fine job it did in encapsulating a high point in the history of my favourite label/producer ever. Mikey General is missing, as I said, and so is Chezidek (though, in his case, this album arrived before he rose to notoriety. His own debut, "Harvest Time", would come for VP Records two years on from this one), so it could never be called 'DEFINITIVE' even in regards to the work done in a decade's span, but just judging it for what was here, "The World Shall See" was not only very good, but it does retain a very nice sense of nostalgia and, from time to time, is a JOY to go back to listen to. You'll find some of the material here on classic albums which you're likely to draw for far more consistently than it, but if you, like me, just occasionally want to drift back, pretend that you're not an old ass man or woman and enjoy some of the strongest work from the immortal Philip "Fattis" Burrell and Xterminator Records, you can do no wrong in digging up "The World Shall See".

Rated: 4.40/5

VP Records

CD + Vinyl [good luck with that] + Digital

2002

What I'm Listening To: July

"Therapeutic" by Ziggi Recado [Zion High Productions - 2014]

By far the album most dominant of my attention these days is the latest from Ziggi Recado, the ever-evolving and constantly developing "Therapeutic" for Zion High Productions. We brought it back not too long ago in a Rewind and I never really put it down (I could probably now rewind the Rewind with new opinions and thoughts). I always (and likely always will) point the music of Ras Batch as an example of something which is 'ahead of its time' as each and every time you listen to his work, at its best, Batch gives you something to think about which will almost certainly mean something different to you with the passage of time and if you wanted to experience that same phenomenon in a single record - here you are! As its title suggests, "Therapeutic" is a process, it isn't a one-time occurrence. It takes time. And with tunes such as 'Masquerade', 'I'm Blaak', 'Jah Mercy' and a whole heap of others -- including 'Got It Right Here' ["I want to give you something…] [BOOM!], "Therapeutic" promises to be the type of release which thrills fans years and years after its release date. 

CD + Digital

'Life We Live' by Jah Cure [Iyah Cure Music - 2014]

Also on my radars these days is a big tune from the greatest voice in the entire world, Jah Cure, 'Life We Live'. I surely haven't paid as good of attention to the Cure's music over the past year or so but, of course, his music has a kind of inherent beauty to it each and every time (because of the way he sings) and if/when he is in a good form only comes as a 'bonus'. That bonus is firmly intact on the delightful 'Life We Live' which, in my opinion, is one of his better singles in quite a while. 

Digital

Releases on July 8

[Thanks Susan!]

"Under The Magic Sun" by Third World [Cleopatra - 2014]

In June, the venerable Third World returned with a brand new album, "Under The Magic Sun". The album was done as a tribute to the band's late and great lead singer, Bunny Rugs who made his transition earlier this year and features some of their classics and most well known pieces re-recorded in his honour (including 'Try Jah Love', '96 Degrees' and 'Now They We've Found Love') as well as a full 'Livication To Bunny Rugs'. The album also features remakes of songs from different genres of music as well as, of course, the signature BIG sound of Third World.

CD + Digital

[Thanks Heather!]

"Yeah Man" by Degree [Greensleeves Records - 2001]

Moments like this will annoy me to some painful degree but as they inevitably tend to do and as I've mentioned in the past (and as is the case here), they can also make for some great journeys back. "Yeah Man", a very overlooked album from [General] Degree via the once mighty Greensleeves Records has popped back up on my players because of its second track, 'Don't Break The Rules'. We recently made a mention of the Energy Up Riddim and I finally took a second to realize that I new that thing from somewhere and had this frustrating bit of nostalgia for a moment. It was a remake of the old Energy Riddim (produced by First Name Records who also handles the remake) and my favourite song on that track was Degree's 'Don't Break The Rules' which was carried on this album. It certainly wasn't alone as the album was one of those old monsters which GS used to deliver. Checking in at TWENTY-ONE songs and more than seventy minutes long, "Yeah Man" dazzled at times with tunes such as 'Don't Break The Rules', 'Better Jamaica', the title track over the Lightning Riddim, 'Do You See What I See' and definitely what is probably my favourite song on this album, 'Stamina'. I'd still call it the best full album Degree ever did and, for what it was, it was amongst the most FUN Dancehall albums of its era which wasn't exactly thin with them. Also Degree has a new EP forthcoming which we'll surely tell you about at some point. 

CD + Digital

"What About Love" by Sara Lugo [Soulfire Artists/Oneness Records - 2011]

"There's nothing to worry about

Cause He'll be there 

I have no doubt 

In times like these, when you find yourself in trouble -

Take it easy, take it slow, don't make it double

In times like these, when you find yourself alone -

don't matter where you are, you walk in trouble zone

You feel the sky is falling on your head

Don't worry cause He said He would be there

He will guide you, trust me

He'll brighten up the dark

Shine His glory on you

Help you out when times get hard

No matter hard big your troubles may be

WITH HIM BY YOUR SIDE, THEY'RE ALWAYS TINY

You need not worry, need not struggle, need not fret

Cause all He really wants is, for you, the best!

THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!

CAUSE HE'LL BE THERE!  

I HAVE NO DOUBTS!"

BOOM! I had a conversation with someone which actually led me back in the wonderful direction of the enormously gifted and flawlessly delightful Sara Lugo and her fantastic debut set from just a few years ago (this album does not seem like three years old. Maybe two at the most), "What About Love". In particular it was the song 'Nothing To Worry' and this song has absolutely been EXPLODING (like a bomb of love) [WHAT!] in my head over the course of the past couple of days. I don't know that I ever actually gave the song the musical credit that it deserved but it was a gem (and a credit from there goes to a Philipp Winter) and, for her part, Lugo made the most of it and pushed a tune which obviously I'm still finding new ways to love. 

CD + Digital