What I'm Listening To: SUMMAH!

"Special Lady" by Junior Kelly [Muzick Vibes Records - 2023]

It has definitely been awhile from since we've last talked about Junior Kelly, at least in regards to any project he had around, so I was well pleased to not only see that he was back with a new EP, but also that it.... was actually pretty decent. "Special Lady" comes courtesy of Muzick Vibes Records from out of Argentina and features some very solid material which is what the chanter should be making. At his best, Junior Kelly is a mark of consistency in Reggae, but he... has his moods. In particular check 'Them Nah Know' and 'Stand Up' alongside Blessed and just generally give "Special Lady" a try. You might find a big tune or two.

The Slow Motion Riddim [Madhouse Records - 2023]

Partially due to their infrequency and largely due to.... him being a complete and utter genius, there will always be a very rare air reserved for the work of Dave Kelly and his Madhouse Records label. The very reclusive ace is arguably THE finest creator the Dancehall has ever produced (off the top of my head, he has my vote right now based on strictly how BEAUTIFUL his tracks are) and he's blessed 2023 with his work on his latest creation, the Slow Motion Riddim. As you might suspect, the kind of slower detailed track makes for a very snug fit for most of its artists, but it is, surprisingly, TOK who takes top honours with their very clever 'Sexy Time'. Blakkmann also registers as does Busy Signal and a trio featuring Bounty Killer, Dexta Daps and, of course, Baby Cham.

 

"Island Hopping" by General Degree [Size 8 Records]

Of course I will always have room for General Degree and that extends to his latest creation, a four-tracked EP release by the name of "Island Hopping" on his very own Size 8 imprint (like most of Degree's work). This set won't change lives at all anywhere, but it does serve its purpose of providing a bit of light amongst the very DARK landscape of what is considered Dancehall these days (and I got that from a review General Degree did for The Gleaner). While the title track here is fun, the main attraction is definitely the hilarious 'Di Bwoy Oral' which follows a career length line of very clever such tunes from the deejay ["She waaaaan di pianist"] (these days apparently she wants something else as well). Fun times are to be had as they always are with the General.

"Dancehall Gift" by I-Octane [I-Octane]

TRASH

"Moodiraw" by Féfé Typical [DJ Kaprisson - 2021]

And for our blast from the past, we don't go too far back as also on my radars as of late has been the latest release -- just a couple of years old now -- from someone who I should definitely be listening to more, the brutally consistent Féfé Typical, "Moodiraw". The former sparring partner of longtime Achis Reggae favourite, Tiwony (big new album of his own, "Frequency", out now), from out of Martinique would deliver an absolute GEM of a set here which most certainly did not receive the attention it deserved but I'm doing my best these days to make sure anyone within earshot of my players has an AMPLE opportunity to right their previous wrongs if they overlooked it. "Moodiraw" was just outstanding. Reaching the furthest amongst the pack were winners such as 'Le pater', 'Un Bon Sound' with DJ Kaprisson, 'Ecoute-moi', 'L'emuélanine', the big BIG closer 'Corona' and the KNOCKING 'Reprends Tes Priéres'. You couldn't go wrong with anywhere you dropped in on "Moodiraw", however, and, for what it was, it was definitely one of the best Reggae albums of 2021.

'Preheated': A review of "Piece of The Pie" by Junior Kelly

I know you. On one side, there is something very powerful and very attractive and inviting about getting to know a new artist. Besides, most importantly, taking in their music and musical style, as fans we kind of get to know their personalities and their histories and, although very different, it is almost like making a new friend who, hopefully, will 'be' with you for many years to come. On the other side, there is definitely strength in traits such as familiarity and dependability as well. Already having gone through that 'getting to know you' process, there remains a very nice journey in remaining interested in and LOYAL to an artist who has become a proven figure in your eyes and ears. For example… I don't know, let's just use someone like a Junior Kelly today (all types of familiar!). Kelly has been around from forever but still very much is a modern artist whose career, as we'll examine, is a work in progress. And be it singles or albums, until very recently, he has shown himself as one of the most consistent stars of Reggae music of the era, a quality which has not seen him become THE biggest name in the genre, but has earned and kept him legions of hardcore fans full of people like You and I throughout his career. In terms of albums, Junior Kelly found his precise area and has spent the better part of the last decade solidifying it. The chanter fit perfectly into a group which has also included I Wayne, Gyptian, Busy Signal, Etana, Queen Ifrica, Tarrus Riley and others as the official artist roster for, still, the biggest Reggae label in the world, VP Records. There was also Capleton, Lady Saw, Mavado and Tanya Stephens - this group being artists who formerly did their album releases 'exclusively' on the album before subsequently moving on. That's a very interesting next step and of the four that I mentioned, only two of them, Lady Saw and Stephens, have taken it. For her part, Lady Saw (who might make for an interesting subject of a 'Discography' post someday) chose to go independent with her first album following 'walking out' from VP and in 2010 she released her most recent project, the aptly titled "My Way" which, if I recall correctly, did pretty well in terms of promotion at least. Stephens, on the other hand, just up and gave her next album, "Infallible", away for free and there have also been others such as Warrior King who have gone through that process, at least somewhat successfully, as well. Junior Kelly now joins that lot.  

Junior Kelly & VP Records

Why??? Because he completed his contractual obligation in 2010 to the label when he released his final album for VP Records, the terribly overlooked "Red Pond". By my (surely inaccurate and just damn WRONG) count, "Red Pond" was the fourth product of that musical relationship which was very fruitful for both parties - also including "Tough Life" in 2005, the gorgeous "Smile" two years prior and, of course, "Love So Nice" from 2001. With that being said, however, Junior Kelly would also 'release' (whether he knew it or not) (and he probably did not) a string of albums through the… mess that was Penitentiary Records and I won't even annoy you by naming those (although they weren't BAD albums, necessarily). But his next album, whenever it reaches, will be the first in a long time (and I read that his contract was four seven years, which would mean that it stretched from between "Smile" and "Red Pond" - and "Love So Nice" was prior to his exclusivity) which finds Junior Kelly not as a VP artist.  

So! For "the first time in a long time" Junior Kelly is doing things differently, officially, and now he wants his own "Piece of The Pie". Even before getting into the music, there're so many things which are interesting about this album. The smallest detail of which certainly is not the fact that it is the first Junior Kelly album in three years (not including that mess that was "What Will It Take" from two years ago). His albums typically register somewhere between 'very good' and 'spectacular', so it existing, alone and regardless of its maestro, is a substantial piece of news. I was REALLY happy to see when this piece popped up and when I learned a little more about it (not a lot more) (more on that in a second), I was very excited. That next particle of information which really intensified my interest in "Piece of The Pie" was the fact that it was being worked on and released by none other than one of my favourite labels today and one of everyone's favourite, the esteemed Al.Ta.Fa.An. (which is not very easy to type). Over the years they have done some incredible work and -- matching their star here -- if you've REALLY been paying attention, you've noticed that the label has been one of the most consistent houses of production (biggup House of Riddim) in all of Reggae music. Just last year they had a hand in the third best album I heard, the remarkable "Working Wonders" by Mark Wonder for Oneness Records (more on them later, too) and a week prior to this album, they also dealt the latest and self-titled album from vocalist, Bryan Art. So, theoretically speaking, a new Junior Kelly album produced by Al.Ta.Fa.An should be, at its absolute WORST, a good album and I'd still be really excited for such a project. But then I saw the tracklist for "Piece of The Pie" and it slid just a little. For his latest album, the very familiar Junior Kelly steps with the very familiar Al.Ta.Fa.An and does so with a very familiar bag of songs. Checking in at fifteen songs, I was already pretty familiar with just about EVERY song on this album, in one way or another, before hearing this album, making "Piece of The Pie" not a new baking, but an amalgam of… various recipes. Still, and again, such an album couldn't fail, even if it tried to, but it did, unfortunately, diminish a bit of my excitement. Still, let’s take a[nother] listen. 

Perhaps you can never really leave. Though it is Al.Ta.Fa.An who handles the vast majority of the production work on this album and it is their release, it actually comes attached to a subsidiary of VP Records, the exceedingly active, VPAL (which also does the latest from another former VP artist, Sanchez) ("Give Praises [Live]", in stores now). If you are unfamiliar with the style of Al.Ta.Fa.An's work, I should say that Anthony Senior and company make a very pleasing and entertaining brand of modern Roots Reggae and, as I said, I'm a big fan of their work so the prospects of them doing a full set for Junior Kelly was such a nice one, even though I knew, EXACTLY, what was coming as it turns out. Getting us started on Kelly's new album, "Piece of The Pie" is his cut of the label's GORGEOUS Addicted To Music Riddim ["Poverty still deh deh, still deh deh"] [BOOM!], the firm 'Rock Rock Rock'. This tune, like several present here, may be nearly a decade old at this point, but it continues to shine to my ears and is a highlight of this union of artist and label. The tune is also, from a sonic point of view, very indicative of what you can expect on the fourteen tunes which follow. The first that group, the huge praising piece, 'Creator', takes things to an even higher level and, in to my ears, rises to being the single most delicious slice of this pie. 

“Moving so fast and none a dem can break our stride

Realize, organize and then wi can centralize

Jah is with us, so who can be against us?

Who come in with a force so mighty?

Purification cause a so Jah Jah like it

Live the life you love and then feel the joy!

Hail up His Majesty and then feel the joy!"

The track literally sparkles on your ears and although there are several stunningly beautiful songs here, the rest of them are going for a second place because 'Creator' takes top honours. Next we have the first of a trio of combinations on "Piece of The Pie", 'Go Round Dem', which features the rough voiced veteran, Lion Face joining Kelly over the fine Security Riddim. Though not the greatest of standouts on this album, I always did enjoy this song. Kelly's delivery is very varied and it gives this song a looser feel to it, which is something the fiery Lion Face excels at.

"Protect us from di bomb, di gun

Protect us from disease

Protect us from di poison gas weh blow inna di breeze

Defend di Earth, di dirt, di bird, defend di fortress

Defend di river, di ocean and defend di honeybees 

Likkle children are like seed weh di farmer man go sow

Then again - depends on how you treat your crop - that's how it gonna grow

Then again - other words di children dem fi know what dem fi know

Mek dem know seh Ithiopia is the rightful place to go"

And just to conclude the moment : The other two combinations on the album are also very familiar to my ears. On 'Don't Say No', Kelly links with one of my favourite artists right now, the aforementioned Mark Wonder, on a tune which appeared on Wonder's fine album, "The True Stories of Mark Wonder and Friends", also from Al.Ta.Fa.An. Again, it may not be the best song on this album (and I'd love to hear those two make another tune together), but a pairing between Junior Kelly & Mark Wonder is guaranteed to be big and it does not disappoint. The other guest was an obvious one as always impressive Aruban star, Smiley (new album, "Traffic Light", in stores now), appears on a tune which greatly helped bring himself to major prominence, 'Dem A Wonder'. It IS one of the best songs on this album and, despite how well-traveled and familiar it is at this point (and it is both!), it's a personal favourite of mine and I was glad to see it not forgotten for "Piece of The Pie".

'Dem A Wonder' w/Smiley

Like I said, being familiar with something does have its charms and that is evident throughout this album as I found myself experiencing small DELIGHTFUL moments of nostalgia while listening through this set. Such a instance came on track #5, 'Working Hard'. This tune is balanced by what may be my single favourite Al.Ta.Fa.An track, the Senior Riddim. Kelly uses it to deliver a brilliant and beautiful song about survival and succeeding during hard times in your life. I'd forgotten all about this tune (also on that same riddim were stellar tunes from Ziggi Recado, Chezidek and others) and being on this album has definitely given it another life for me and I'm sure I won't be the only to say that. A similar situation would be the KNOCKING 'Save Your Soul' which is underpinned by what was left of the Hold A Medz Riddim after Ziggi and Gentleman collectively drowned it with 'A Better Way'. This was another one which kind of has a loose and free-flowing nature to it and is another winning song to my opinion, highlighted by its wonderfully chaotic latter portions. 'Still A Hold Faith' is another one which I hadn't heard in a minute and although it isn't as strong as some of the others in my opinion, I don't actually remember it being this good - across Al.Ta.Fa.An's syrupy Lover's Rock tinged Tabla Riddim.

Of the newer/not as (but still not entirely un)familiar, there is further interesting and impressive material to be found on "Piece of The Pie". Definitely the one which leaps out highest on paper is 'Heads Up', which was Junior Kelly's effort on the Redeemer Riddim from the aforementioned Oneness Records (biggup Oneness Records).

"Poor people keep ya heads up

All the warriors keep ya heads up

Survivours keep ya heads up

Dig deep, find strength and don't you stop

Baby mothers keep ya heads up

Freedom fighters keep ya heads up

Youth progressive keep ya heads up

Hustle and earn an honest bread, don't you stop

Been through war, so wi full a scar

Ya haffi go through weh wi go through fi know who wi are

When yuh si di bare feet pon di hot tar

When you si di homeless out deh ah hustle hard

Let my focus pon di rise and dem no watch no fall

CAH DI ONLY TIME YA FAIL A WHEN YOU NO TRY AT ALL

AND DI ONLY TIME YOU WIN IS WHEN YOU WORK HARD

Youth and youth stop beat di shell dem and go lock di arms

Push on far

Poor people keep ya heads up

All the warriors keep ya heads up

All survivour keep ya heads up

Dig deep, find strength and don't you stop

Baby mothers keep ya heads up

Freedom fighters keep ya heads up

Youth progressive keep ya heads up

Hustle and earn an honest bread, don't you stop

Well wi ah try fi be more!

And go further than before!

Yah si di youth dem weh ah sleep pon di floor

Confidence!

Deep dung inna yah core

Just tell yaself -

Free yaself, yah waan more

Force to be reckoned with

Ya pride - no step pon it

Leggo di talk!

When physical is happening 

NO PROGRESS NO COME THROUGH IDLING 

AND YOU WON'T GET NO FOOD FROM MURMURING!

So poor people keep ya heads up

All the warriors keep ya heads up

All survivours keep ya heads up

Dig deep, find strength and don't give up

Baby mothers keep ya heads up

Freedom fighters keep ya heads up

Youth progressive keep ya heads up

Hustle and earn an honest bread, don't you stop

Don't be foolish

Don't you think that if wi fall wi won't get up back

Sun above mi head and sweat ah wash down mi shirt back 

Waan mi prove it - Seh a regular wi go bed wid no dinner

And still no rob no one and buss no shot and tun no killa

Wi can do it -

Though pocket dry and bankbook thinner

No cover on wi bed and rockstone a wi pillow

Si how dem foolish -

Ah talk bout dem no si wi when wi deh yah

Gimme di key, mek mi buss out di door open"

MAD! It had been a minute from last I spun the Redeemer (a situation which you know I remedied after hearing this tune) and this was one of its best and IS very much one of the best on this album also. 'Fly Away' is an older tune which wasn't the most popular, but I did recognize it by the chorus (and the riddim, the Vista. Another good piece of familiarity is here as I may have NEVER heard this song again had it not been brought back into my memory on "Piece of The Pie". The song, essentially, speaks about leaving all the negativity and nastiness of the world behind. It gets very broad and expected, but it also goes into specifics as well, making it a definite contender for the best lyrical effort on the whole of the album. I don’t know the riddim behind the somewhat 'moody' and Sizzla Kalonji-esque 'Bun Babylon', but I do know the tune also appeared on Al.Ta.Fa.An's BIG compilation from a few years back, "Roots Rocking Reggae Vol. 1" (as did four other songs from this album). It is kind of odd with the delivery, but it also has grown on me somewhat throughout the years. Junior Kelly had a couple of selections on the Jah Children Riddim from Nowtime, one was the riddim title track and the other turns out to be this album's obligatory herbalist tune, 'Lots of Herbs'. It is a decent piece, but they chose wrong, 'Jah Children' was MAMMOTH (and you can still find that - Chezidek and Mark Wonder were on it as well).

'Been There'

The LOVELY social commentary, 'Been There', was a bonafide hit from Junior Kelly last year and its presence here is certainly a nice coup for Al.Ta.Fa.An. It is a piece which doesn't need a resurrection and won't get one here, but anytime you can take such a song and spread it to more ears is a good thing. 'Piece of The Pie', the song, another excellent social commentary, also came in just last year and it would appear on another of the label's compilations, "Driving Through Jamaica". This song will get a whole heap of needed attention from the album named after it because it is a powerful and intoxicating and DRAMATIC song which finds Junior Kelly just asking for a deserved piece of the proverbial pie from the poorer class and oppressed people of the world. In terms of DISPLAY, it is the most memorable moment here and, as a title track (and a good title), it is what it should be (if you name an album after a song, even if the title is a catchy and 'sexy' one, it should be a GOOD song, above all other possible qualities). And finally (I don't know how long I've been working on this thing, but it seems like I just started writing it fifteen minutes ago), the last slice of this pie, 'Win or Lose' is exquisite one just baked up within the last year or so (you may not want to actually eat a year-old slice of pie, but you should surely listen to it).

"Woman mi seh mi love yah, cause yah love Far I 

And you sekkle fi di likkle and yah well satisfied

Never murmur, never grumble when di cupboards dry

When mi look dung inna ya eye, mi si seh you bonafide

Nah go mek no peer-pressure mek ya cheat pon I

Woman ya sign up, join up and ya twine pon I

Sweetness di Rasta get when yuh wine pon I

Well ah giggle, mi ah giggle when you climb pon I

Yow, what dem talkin bout dem nah know seh Kelly got ya covered

What dem dealing wid - dem nah know seh Rasta is your lover

Fight dem ah fight wi, a dat mi discover

DEM CAAN MASH WI UP, DEM DON'T GOT DI POWER!" 

Junior Kelly doesn't mind sharing the final slice with his special one who is the main point of interest on the infectious album closer. 

Junior Kelly

Overall, I have to say that after breaking it down for the sake of this review (well over three-thousand words at this point because I included the entire lyrics to one song) (no behaviour) (NONE!), "Piece of The Pie" is probably better than I gave it credit for being after listening through it. And also, if you haven't been following the work of Junior Kelly and Al.Ta.Fa.An. as closely, then you won't, at all, have the issue that I did when I just looked up and down the tracklist. It'll be new to you and if I can be impressed after being so familiarized with so much of this album, then surely you will be. If, however, you are in the same situation that I am, yes - the experienced will be diminished a bit and the excitement as well. Yet, while you have tasted and digested so much of this one already, you'll soon discover that it isn't exactly spoiled and is a fine and suitable "next step" in the career of one of the greatest doing it today. Very nice. 

Rated: 4/5

Al.Ta.Fa.An Records

2013

CD + Digital

Review #435

Discography: Junior Kelly

Although he isn't likely to be remembered in the same way, Junior Kelly is an artist who very much belongs to the same class, in terms of both class and era, which produced Reggae greats such as Capleton, Sizzla Kalonji and Luciano. His music has reached the furthest corner of the Reggae listening world and has made him one of the more respected acts of his day. He's also someone who has very much paid his proverbial dues. As we examine today, his chosen road, although not always the clearest, has lead to a career which will never be forgotten. And although he is generally hailed as someone who hasn't necessarily gotten a proper amount of respect, I think in the case of Junior Kelly - the respect and the acknowledgement is well on its way. Today we take a look back at the work of one of Reggae's most stalwart and resolute of entities. Discography: Junior Kelly.

{Note: We intentionally did not include "What Will It Take"}

The music of Junior Kelly

"Rise" [JetStar Records - 2000]

Hail the uprising. Looking back, I think Junior Kelly's debut album, "Rise" is an album which has actually aged quite well. In its day it was certainly held as a bit of a disappointment, because of one glaring omission which its label, JetStar, would never actually correct, but it's hard to not be able to appreciate a great deal of the songs which actually did make it here more than a decade on. Besides the rumbling title track, standouts included the likes of 'Purified', the gorgeous 'More A Dat', 'Let It Be Me', 'Let It Grow' and my favourite tune on the album, 'Be Blessed'. 

"Juvenile" [Jetstar Records - 2001]

Remember. The "Juvenile" album is a pretty strange one in retrospect. That definitely isn't in terms of the music here (more on that in just a second), but as far as what has become of it. Out of all the work Kelly would do with JetStar Records (who had actually signed him to a contract) throughout his career this is the single best remembered album of them all. That's made even more curious when you accept the fact that it wasn't exactly packed with songs which would go on to be hits. Of course that isn't to say that it wasn't nearly stellar because it certainly was. The title track headed a group of thirteen which also included winning moments such as 'What Will It Take, which was a hit, 'Poor Cry', 'Ethiopia', 'Whoa Lord' and the MASSIVE 'Living Hell'. 

"Juvenile In Dub" [JetStar Records - 2001]

Companion piece. JetStar wasted absolutely no time in continuing the push of the "Juvenile" album as they would very soon later offer up its dubbed out counterpart, which was, and remains, a fairly unusual play. This album, although less crucial than the original (obviously), "Juvenile In Dub" served up a dub version of ten of the album's thirteen tracks and while this is a set which has, essentially, vanished these days, it's not a bad release. I've never been much of a Dub head, but something about the version of the title track a few other pieces on board this record really works for me.  

"Love So Nice" [VP Records - 2001]

'Love So Nice'

BOOM! There's so much to say about the "Love So Nice" album that I probably (definitely) can't get into even most of it here, but what prevails in the memory of this one is that - it was FANTASTIC! It was a modern classic [#8] in Junior Kelly's debut for anyone besides JetStar. To the surprise of hopefully no one it was VP Records stepping in to capitalize on the huge success of the title track (which would have been a couple of years old or so, already, by this point) and the would surround it in some truly masterful work as well. Songs like 'Clean Heart', 'Boom Draw', 'Hungry Days', 'Juvenile', 'Jah Nuh Dead', 'Standing Firm', 'Jewel of The Nile' and 'Go Down Satan' were ALL of a very select and super high class and really have degenerated in any sense through the years.

"Conscious Voice" [JetStar Records - 2002]

Bless. I may be almost completely alone in my full on LOVE of this album, but to some degree "Conscious Voice" is very much a personal modern classic for me as it contains music which has become very useful over the past decade from its release. The album may just be the most lyrically impressive that you'll find on this list and it's somewhat of a more compacted version of the album we just told you about because it is crawling with genuine BIG tunes throughout. 'What A Worries', 'Push A Fire', 'My Only Joy' alongside Chukki Starr, 'Dem Should A Know', 'Bun Down Rome', 'Jah Live On', 'Come One Day', 'Word Power' and others are HUGE tunes, but even they pale when compared to one of the best songs I've ever heard from anyone which is present on this album - the unending 'God Bless'.  

"Smile" [VP Records - 2003]

Never let them see you frown. The "Smile" album, easily, is one of the finest of Junior Kelly's catalog and it's just as simply one of the best remembered offerings you will find here today. It's even held in a significantly higher esteem than its two follow-ups for VP Records, which is a very good quality (and you could even make the case that, sans title track, it's better remembered than its predecessor as well). Besides its own title song which was GLOWING, 'Just Another Blend', 'African Bound', 'Nah Bow', 'Till The Soil', 'Can't Meditate', 'Trod' and 'Black Am I' highlighted an album which is a champion in this group. 

"Bless" [Penitentiary Records - 2003]

Real??? "Bless" is an album, exactly like the next album on this list that you now wonder about greatly because it arrived right when the entire madness of Penitentiary/Charm/Rude Boy Records would have been starting and its liners, complete with barest of credits (which were actually incorrect in some cases) across one page, definitely hint toward it being a machination of that woeful group of imprints (which I'm still very much convinced was ran by a dolphin). The songs came from pretty much everywhere with many different producers, so I'm inclined to say that this album is well within that makeshift project madness. It wasn't horrible (they usually weren't), but surely the excitement for most of its finest moments has all but vanished today. 

"Creation" [Penitentiary Records - 2004]

And another one. Everything we just said about "Bless", you can quote it, almost verbatim, for the "Creation" album. This album is a bit more solid than that set, but again, you kind of feel a little DIRTY for liking it, as a whole, these days, because it was almost certainly just thrown together for mess-like purposes. Like the last album, it too wasn't devoid of good moments (I'm sorry, but I LOVE 'Burdens Heavy'), but it's now a lost album and . . . It's probably for the best. 

"Tough Life" [VP Records - 2005]

Blaze. Taking out my allegiances to the "Conscious Voice" album (another album which came via a 'Penitentiary Records', but with JetStar legitimately on board), "Tough Life" is the second best album that Junior Kelly has ever done and I don't know that I'd completely shut out an argument for it being better than "Love So Nice" (even though that case would be an incorrect one). This album just exuded CLASS in so many directions and as the direct 'descendent' of the "Smile" album, you'd hope for nothing less and, in its time, it was a well received and appreciated set. That's no great shock - it was excellent. The MASSIVE hit 'Receive' was featured here alongside several standouts included the title track, 'Blaze' which was the title track for Pow Pow's huge riddim of the day, 'Satan Throne', 'Ease My Pain' 'Youths Dem Nah Cool', 'Rasta Should Be Deeper', and a couple of remakes featuring help from the immortal Dennis Brown and JC Lodge. 

{Note: "Tough Life" & "Smile" featured the same 'Give Thanks' sections from Junior Kelly}

"Live In San Francisco" [2B1 Multimedia - 2007]

& Direct. Just in case you've forgotten at all how useful the people 2B1 Multimedia were in their day, they also got around to doing a project for Junior Kelly before they left the business, which is something that is SO NICE and they deserve a big credit for it. "Junior Kelly Live In San Francisco" wasn't the greatest of their batch (biggup Batch), the crowd response was never great here, but the fact that Junior Kelly has a live album in his vault is just an excellent thing. Dean Fraser, Mikey General and Luciano (who also had one of these) made appearances.

"Red Pond" [VP Records - 2010]

In motion. And lastly (this didn't take long at all to write) - Junior Kelly's most recent album release, "Red Pond" from VP Records in 2010 is one which I don't think has quite gotten to where it's going yet and it may very well be a few more years before it does (but I think that it will ultimately). The album has gone somewhat overlooked, but the more and more you listen to it, it 'unravels’ very much into the type of project which will take awhile. It's kind of interesting now because this is the type of thing I lament over - going on and on about how people neglected in REALLY listening here - but I'm almost sure that someday they will come around to the realisation that "Red Pond" was excellent. Let's just give them a minute.  

So! While some of these (two in particular) are best left as a part of a history which is summarily forgotten, Junior Kelly has had a fine catalog and one which continues to deliver from years back today, into the future. 

"Stand Alone": A Review of Red Pond by Junior Kelly

One of my very favourite topics to write about is how our music is so unfortunately castigated and belittled as being obscure and less regarded in the ‘mainstream’, despite the fact that it is rather CLEARLY the greatest form of music in the world without question. I talk about the challenges our artists face to gain the attention that they deserve in the more popular circles and how almost every time one seems to break into those communities, it generally seems more of a matter of ‘being in the right place at the right time’ rather than an artist actually grabbing the public‘s attention. Well, sadly that’s also a phenomenon which seems to exist within our own community as well and it is even more frustrating here because when dealing with people who actually KNOW WHAT THEY’RE talking about, it becomes more and more difficult to decipher and decode exactly why artists who’re clearly amongst the most talented in the world don’t receive comparable exposure and attention to some of their more popular peers. Case in point - If you read me to any degree at all, you know who my favourite artist is and you know I look forward to his releases unlike those from any other artist (even when they obviously aren’t going to be very good in some cases). Along with ‘him’ (biggup Sizzla every time), I know people who have the same affinity for Capleton’s music (lots of looking forward for you guys these days isn’t it?), Luciano, even Anthony B (finding them more and more these days) and OF COURSE for Buju Banton. If you take and accept those names as THE dominant names from this current era of Roots Reggae music, leading into the next (with Ifrica, Tarrus, Etana etc.), and you very well should, then a name which belongs in that exact same class who you’ll rarely see given that ‘territory’ in the same way is JUNIOR KELLY. In my opinion, for whatever it’s worth, Junior Kelly is a star in Reggae music - A bonafide STAR. From the way the man carries himself, to the way he presents himself and performs his music and down to his actual music itself, the man definitely has star quality. He also has the experience which is just as important and despite the fact that he may not be as superficially popular as the other names I’ve mentioned here, one would still have to qualify and register his as a ‘household name’ in Reggae music in my opinion. He has the HITS behind his name, he’s traveled the world presenting his music and he’s certainly done the work as everyone here has, so just like them, when Junior Kelly has something to say, it should be celebrated and of course Reggae fans worldwide should well take note.

Well I hope you, Reggae fan, have your pen out now because Junior Kelly has something to say and it is WELL worth hearing. Never the most active of artists and not one who seems to have a great deal in terms of consistent backing - in the way that Sizzla would have Judgment Yard or Capleton with David House - (both of which may be causes which have effected his standing to some degree), Junior Kelly has pretty much been on his own over the years and he has DEFINITELY done extremely well for a ‘loner’ when it comes to his music and particularly his albums. Therefore, although it wasn’t exactly on my radars in terms of expecting it, when it was actually announced that 2010 would bring the first legitimate studio album from Kelly since 2005’s Tough Life, it IMMEDIATELY skyrocketed on my list of ‘things to do’ this year. Well I’m ‘doing’ them now because I’ve gotten my hands on his excellent new album Red Pond and even before I dug into the actual music here, I had a VERY good feeling about this one given the various things I had heard surrounding it and also the early sounds I had managed to hear (and the ones with which I was already familiar). Besides just being a Junior Kelly album (again, in and of itself, more than enough to grab my attention and anticipation), Red Pond comes via the label with which the artist has had a great deal of the majority of the best work of his career to date, industry leader VP Records, also on board here, as far as production, is the legendary Firehouse Crew. Of course the artist with which Firehouse is most closely associated is Sizzla Kalonji (and they produced, just last year, the increasingly excellent Ghetto Youth-Ology from the August Town genius), but given the way their riddims are typically laid (at least to my ears), with much of this BIG and SPRAWLING anthem-like very modern sound (with just a twinge of the old school), myself and I think most Junior Kelly fans would agree that such a style is nearly perfect to meld with his style. With Kelly’s very vibrant (and somewhat varied) type of chanting which often borders into what I feel is quietly one of the better singing voices in all of Reggae music, and of course his experience in doing just that type of voicing, the link between the production on the album and his tones, even on paper, are very impressive. Furthermore, the two entities have also worked well in the past with the pinnacle being probably the BIG tune ’Black [Am I]’, arguably one of the bigger hits of Kelly’s entire career. And to speak back on the Junior Kelly/VP Records link - Red Pond becomes the fourth studio album of the relationship - following the aforementioned Tough Life, 2003’s Smile (on which ‘Black’ appeared) and of course Junior Kelly’s opus Love So Nice in 2001. So, if ever there could be an album which was almost CERTAIN to be a winner, even before actually listening to the music, certainly this one would have such a possibility. Also, have I mentioned that it’s been about four and half years since we’ve had the honour of digging into a Junior Kelly album! The passage of that time only adds to my own anticipation (and hopefully yours), for what ultimately proves to be a LOCK for one of the best Reggae EXPERIENCES of 2010.

What really stands out for me as far as the material on this album is how it’s quite a bit more socially conscious first than spiritually conscious. The album is one very much on a tangibly inspirational vibes and much more so than an ‘upward thinking’ inspiration. Perhaps that has something to do with very earthly title of the album which is the nickname of the community in St. Catherine (Frazer’s Content) where Junior Kelly is from (always thought the man was from Kingston for some reason), which would seem to portend a more ’immediate’ and social direction for the album. Said album, Junior Kelly’s excellent Red Pond from VP Records, begins so nicely with three of the most powerful efforts on the entire project, including my absolute favourite. The first of the triumphant trio, ‘Celebrate Life’, is definitely one of the more spiritual pieces on the project, but it makes such a wonderful tangible connection. I just like how the message comes through on this one because if you check the lyrics, “celebrate life whoa, fyah bun you if you no celebrate life”, it’s very much something you can get a quick handle of and Kelly takes it in so many different directions (including the resolution of conflict) as examples of celebrating life that you REALLY take in the fullness of this awesome opener very quickly. It leads very powerfully into my full on favourite tune on the album altogether, ‘Nuttin Wrong With The World’. This tune doesn’t have the SPECTACULAR sound you’ll hear coming from several tunes on Red Pond (including the opener), but what it does have going for it is a very sweet old school set, combined with the fact that it just may be one of the most lyrically impressive tunes of Junior Kelly’s entire career (which is saying a great deal, definitely). The tune speaks, BRILLIANTLY, of how people have essentially fucked the planet up and how it alone is without flaw and serves its purpose. “Nuttin nuh wrong wid di world, ah di people dem weh in it, if you don’t hail di King wi ahgo bun you every minute” (and it's grown on me considerably since I've first heard it several months back now). Kelly also, again, makes the proverbial bridge from the spiritual to the tangible and does so on such an impressive high level - “Alla di war weh fight inna district tell me weh man a fight fah? Fi control di world weh dun control by Jah Jah”. I mean this thing is DEEP! I’ve found myself spending half hour stretches at a time going back and back on this tune already and I’m sure it’ll resonate within heavy fans of the artist as well because it is GENIUS! Not far from that same level is ‘African Child’, another beautiful piece which speaks so nicely not only about Junior Kelly’s special lady, but is a tune I’ve taken to look at the love of an entire family. This one is very healthy also, checking in at just under four and a half minutes, it’s vibed to sound well over five minutes and I LOVED it. BIG BIG opening.

It’s interesting that I take the first three tunes and single them out as such an impressive stretch of tunes on Red Pond because I could just as easily make the case for most of the album being on a similar stretch. Another lineup begins with the former single, the very fiery ‘Murderer’, which flows over the Firehouse Crew’s big Wata Bed Riddim. You should simply just vibe this tune on your own, as it finds Junior Kelly on full intensity going after exactly who the title suggests (and violence in general) and sacrificing none of the GENIUS lyrics to do so. ‘Waan Lef De Ghetto’ is SERIOUS and it’s the next tune up (it kind of sounds like the old vibes Minor 7 Flat 5 used to push and I mean that in a good way). This one is HUGE and is probably my second favourite tune on the entire album. It presents the story of a person striving to improve themselves and get out of poverty, but not wanting to do so the wrong way and not wanting to abandoned his home either. It presents and ‘paints’ a VERY interesting set of ideas and it’ll definitely get you thinking. It’ll probably have you thinking in much the same fashion as the very interestingly vibed ‘Stumbling Blocks’ does on the following track. This excellent effort espouses on the corrupt system, itself, and does so in a very relatable way. It almost sounds like, at times, Kelly is intentionally stringing together simple thoughts to make some (clear) greater meaning and message and this one is the better because of it definitely - One of the most interesting pieces on Red Pond. The very classically tuned in ‘How Better Ah Go Come’ steps in next which, at least in my opinion, kind of takes a previous tune ‘Waan Lef De Ghetto’ to a more detailed step as it kind of outlines WHY exactly (people “waan lef de ghetto”) and how (it became a ghetto in the first place). It was around this tune on the album when I simply realized that Kelly was in ‘the zone’ in terms of heightening his vibes here for this nearly magical stretch and of course he didn’t stop there.

Right after that, three of the four most ‘differently’ vibed selections on the album come in succession. The first is the obligatory acoustic set, ‘Believe In Yourself’. This one impresses even more than such tunes have recently for me (and that’s saying a nice thing in this case, because I’ve been dealing with very talented artists as of late). It has other complimentary vibes in the backing as well, serving as a nice stage for Kelly’s very straight forward and comforting message. ‘Slackness’ is a bouncing almost Ska-ish type of number which kind of had me thinking that Kelly might be about to address some of his peers and their lyrical choices, however and of course, he takes the tune in a direction which observes SOCIAL slackness. Isn’t it always confusing with tunes like this? On one hand you want to observe its serious nature, but on the other hand you kind of feel like dancing don’t you (and then feel bad for doing so)? Well, you can find me doing both, simultaneously. And then there’s the kind of ‘churchy’ sounding (another acoustic piece) ‘Real Love’ which had to work on me a bit, but eventually GRABBED me and did so in higher way than ‘Believe In Yourself’, also. This tune just taps into your emotions and makes you feel good and I’m all for that!

I mentioned that those three pieces were three of the four most colourfully vibed tunes on Red Pond. You can find the forth ‘She’s Gone’ earlier on in the album and it is the first of three relatively high profile combinations here also. This one is a pretty straight forward R&B sounding tune and it features the talented singer Lukie D. It isn’t necessarily one of my favourites for the album (as you might expect already), but it isn’t a bad tune and I’m thinking quite a few people will probably enjoy it and to no small degree either. The second combination, however, I LOVE! I had my eye on ‘Papa’s Song’ ever since I saw that it featured the insanely talented Ras Shiloh, but I never made the connection to the fact that it was a tune that I had actually known. The tune was from a few years back and apparently just never received a great deal of attention (SHOCKINGLY) (in both of their cases actually), but it is wonderful and one of the best here. I always love songs that take things in a different direction and you have two of the music’s greatest practitioners singing a song for all of the (GOOD) Fathers of the world, it should have a far reaching strength and here, it most certainly does. And the final combination on the album is the most high profile and the most popular as well, the dynamic ‘Too Late’ which features the divine Queen Ifrica. This Al.Ta.Fa.An produced piece is excellent, it’s been around and popular for awhile now and I THINK this is the first artist’s album on which it appears so it’s certain to get a much deserved ‘second wind’ of sorts here, as a highlight for this release. Not bad at all, in full - For an artist who pretty much does things on his own and in his own way, Junior Kelly typically does strong combinations and Red Pond is definitely no exception.

That leads us into the final two tunes on the album, which are also two of its finest outings as well. ‘Treacherous Waters’ actually reminds me quite a bit (for some reason), sonically speaking, of the aforementioned ‘Black’ with it’s HUGE ‘rolling’ style of vibes. Junior Kelly uses the big backdrop to deliver a message warning the masses to BE CAREFUL in your daily works and be mindful and just INTELLIGENT in regards to with whom we associate. Excellent tune. And finally is ‘One Bright Day’, a tune which I’m fairly sure rides Firehouse’s nearly legendary and MAMMOTH Like Mountain Riddim (which you know from having backed Sizzla’s tune of the same name as well as Jah Cure’s EPIC tune ‘Chant’). Kelly does indeed live up to those lofty expectations amassed from the output of his contemporaries with the tune which kind of takes the opposite view of the traditional chant (to which it is not related), ‘Babylon Throne Gone Down’ [bka ‘Rastaman Chant’] as, instead of saying - One bright day the righteous shall inherit the Kingdom Of Zion - Kelly takes it in another direction and says “one bright day, heathen will get dem pay”. He offers a heavy SPIRITUAL warning to the wicked (and even WONDERFULLY breaks into reciting Psalms in the latter half of the tune) as he closes the door on Red Pond, hopefully to open another sooner than four and half years from now.

Overall, I do so much want to stress how not only IMPRESSIVE this one is (and it is), but also how SIGNIFICANT it is. As I said before, Junior Kelly is a Reggae star, whether people on the large scale want to show him that level of respect now remains to be seen, but that is EXACTLY what he is and when he has an album, it is a big deal. Red Pond is a BIG DEAL! It also happens to probably his most lyrically advanced outing to date. Kelly says some very interesting things and expands on some equally very interesting ideology on EVERY tune on the album. Of course the production is top notch from Firehouse Crew (and I do so much hope that they continue to release albums), which was to be expected and I’ll tell you what else I’m expecting - Come December you’re certain to see Junior Kelly’s Red Pond in discussion for album of the year honours. As far as big names go, Junior Kelly is the first of 2010 to offer a truly BIG album. Very well done.

Rated 4.75/5

VP Records

2010

Junior Kelly

Junior Kelly @ Myspace

"Vibes So Nice": The Best of Junior Kelly

Junior Kelly

Okay so, we’re almost exactly a month out from the expected release date of Junior Kelly’s increasingly anticipated new album from VP Records, Red Pond. The album will potentially be his first (legitimate) studio release in four years and because of that and to celebrate the occasion, as a Junior Kelly album is a REALLY big deal in my opinion (and should be in yours also), I thought I’d stop for a second to take a look back. Junior Kelly’s has been one of the most underappreciated and underrated in the annals of modern Reggae and it is so unfortunate because, besides the big tunes which everyone knows from throughout the years, he’s scored quite a few BIG albums as well which many people don’t even know about. Thankfully, with the release of the new album, as is generally the case in Reggae, fans will have an opportunity (and a MOTIVATION) to go back and to look at exactly what he’s done if they haven’t before. So, if you are such a fan, I thought I’d make things easier on you and submit for your approval, The Best of Junior Kelly.

{note: I don't know if that's the actual album cover, I got it from Amazon}

{note 2: I have included Jet Star/Charm/Penitentiary albums because I THINK they are legitimate to some degree, however, I make it a point to advise all to use EXTREME caution in purchasing them}

#5. Rise [Jet Star/Charm, 2000]

Where it all began. I was very much under the impression that it was actually the Juvenile set which was Junior Kelly’s debut album but I was very surprised to find that it was, in fact, Rise which was his true debut album and it’s remained all these years as one of his most COMPLETE works to date. While this album certainly hasn’t gotten the respect and attention that Juvenile has gotten over the years, I definitely feel it is the stronger of the two Jet Star albums via the material at the very top of the album (in terms of quality and literally the songs at the top of the album). When this album is good, it was REALLY good and very close to great with tunes like ’Be Blessed’, ’Purified’, ’More A Dat’, ’Last Days (big tune)’, the title track and others as well (like ’Let It Grow’). I don’t reach for this one very often, but certainly there’re some very near classic tunes on Rise a decade on.

Best Tune: ‘Purified’

#4. Smile [VP Records/2003]

A big bright grin is the type of expression elicited by this wonderful album which may actually be Junior Kelly’s most recognizable to date (and I can’t exactly explain why, but over the years I find this one to be the most oft-referenced of his lot). Smile was just beautiful, it was packed with a lot of upful material, as the title would suggest and it just seemed as if it were specifically ‘aimed’ at just raising the spirits and consciousness of its listeners. That’s not to say, however, that it was just flare and glitter which made it what it was - ‘I Nah Bow’, ‘Black I Am, ‘Til The Soil’ and definitely ‘Can’t Meditate’, would beg to differ that the allure of Smile was just ‘smoke and mirrors’, it most certainly was not.

Best Tune: ‘Smile’

#3. Conscious Voice [Jet Star/Penitentiary, 2002]

Call it an upset but REALLY, I really LOVE this album and I have for around eight years or so. You may have to someday have to put up with me making the case for Conscious Voice being a modern classic because almost every tune on this album is a classic for me. Despite the fact that I have it ranked third (and believe me I was tempted as hell to rank it second), there isn’t a doubt in my mind that I have spun through this album much more times than any other on this list over the years. Why? Because it was gorgeous. This uptempo piece, like Smile, didn’t have to sacrifice its message nor its impact for the sake of having a nice and loose vibes. However, where the previous album was geared towards making the listener just feel good, Conscious Voice wanted you to feel so good that you got up and did some moving to the wonderful selections here. Oh and the fact that it has a few of my favourite JK tunes and one MAMMOTH shot which is definitely one of his finest (see ‘best tune) certainly doesn’t hurt things either. Don’t call it 3, call it 2b.

Best Tune: ‘God Bless’

#2. Tough Life [VP Records, 2005]

Tough Life was a bit heavier and more serious version of the Smile album to my ears, first and foremost. In retrospect it was also pretty much a masterpiece (very near ‘modern classic’ level actually) as throughout its seventeen tracks, Junior Kelly displayed almost everything which is to enjoy about his wonderful style and also showed himself to be an artist capable of all of the things one might assume given his accomplishments and experience. This album, blessed with tunes like the very Luciano-ish title track, ‘Blaze’ from Pow Pow’s hit riddim of the same name, the scathing ‘Rasta Should Be Deeper’, the biggest hit ‘Receive’, ‘Hold The Faith [alongside Dennis Brown]’, ‘Youths Dem Nah Cool’, ‘Ease My Pain (I Swear Riddim)’ and really I could name every damn tune on the entire album (and I didn’t even name my favourite in there), because it was absolute magic from beginning to end and the only album on this list capable of giving my subsequent number one a run for the top spot.

Best Tune: ‘Satan Throne’

#1. Love So Nice [VP Records, 2001]

I can remember reading a retrospectively hilarious interview with Junior Kelly in which he rather casually mentioned the fact that after he had written the tune ‘Love So Nice’ how he had this great feeling that tune would be a certain hit and so much so did was he positive for it that when he was approached for an album by Jet Star, he intentionally neglected to mention that he had the tune so as to seemingly preserve it for a bigger moment. Well what eventually became the album Love So Nice from VP was definitely such a moment and the album didn’t disappoint as it surrounding the HUGE tune with completely special material. ‘Clean Heart’, ‘Boom Draw’, ‘Juvenile (*wink wink*)’, ‘Hungry Days’, ‘Jah Nuh Dead’, ‘Jewel Of The Nile’, and ‘Go Down Satan’ were just some of the BIG tunes chosen to accompany the divine title track on an album every bit fitting to carry such a tune. Where the two previous sets kid of blur the edges, Love So Nice was most certainly a modern classic and it was also the best album of Junior Kelly’s career. Period.

Best Tune: ‘Love So Nice’