As Expected: A review of Eminence by Beenie Man

Unshock. Sometimes you go into these things and you just don't know what the fuck to expect. Be it some oddly overactive artist (biggup Sizzla back in da day), someone announcing that some album that they're doing is going to be more on the experimental side, someone just unpredictable, in general (biggup Perfect) or for some other reason; sometimes you don't know even remotely what you're getting into when you listen to an album... and then there are times like these. On the other side of the examples I just gave you would be several others which virtually guarantee what you're going to hear (quality, of course, being a different story - just  talking about SOUND right now). Not too long ago, we told you about a new EP from VI standout, Pressure Busspipe by the name of "All For A Time". The set found Pressure, once again, linking with the venerable Zion I Kings, a pairing which has not only proven to be ultra-fruitful and productive but has also managed to produce a very signature sound; everyone and everyone's mom knew precisely what we were getting into in that instance (...in that particular case, the quality was also assured, actually). And that could be the signal that gives you an overview of what's going on. Sure, someone working alongside someone else doesn't always have to be the same thing but an oft-pairing of artist and label/s making a certain type of sound can definitely be a strong forecast of what is to come. This is true despite the fact that Pressure is someone who has changed things up in his career. He's made Soca and Dancehall and even an entire album full of love songs at one point. In other cases, they can just TELL you what to expect. That occurred on Buju Banton's most recent release, "Too Too Bad", which he billed, essentially, as a sequel to "Too Bad", an album built upon hardcore Dancehall music almost entirely. Again, we can talk about the results of said direction at another time (we already did that) but the route to be taken was crystal clear and, there especially, became a major selling point in the marketing of "Too Too Bad". Also, just as someone like a Perfect Giddimani can be very erratic (and I mean that in a good way), there're others who can be just as routine and calculable. When.... Mark Wonder makes an album (any time now Mr. Wonder), for example, you know what to expect because his history and his present has taught us what he does. 

And sometimes you can just... kinda... sometimes you can LOOK AT SOMETHING and have a pretty good idea where it's going. Let's say... oh, I don't know... let's say BEENIE MAN, just to name someone, was going to release an album in 2026. Most likely you'd have a pretty good idea as to how it would sound, regardless of the producer. Beenie is someone who has long entered the 'crossover' category, so whatever he does, you'd expect it to at least have some more international flavours to it, namely Hip-Hop & R&B (and maybe a little Pop as well). There'd be some big name crossover guests and some sounds that would well appeal to a wider audience. That's what he did at his peak and he's still doing it to this very day in regards to his album releases (I've been listening to a lot of "Undisputed" lately) (probably better than it was given credit for being). You'd also expect there to be an attempt to appeal to some of his more traditional heads (like You & Me) and doing that by incorporating more traditional Dancehall and Reggae music and maybe even bringing in a few names from that spectrum as well; maybe even with a few very familiar riddims. I'd also think that he'd look to make a big statement in the Dancehall. Something proclaiming himself as KING (remember that). 

SHOCKINGLY (not really), that turns out to be a decent description of the latest creation of the Dancehall beacon, "Eminence". Though it seems as if we've gotten used to Beenie taking a long time between full releases, it was just three years ago when he delivered the Grammy nominated "Sim Simma"; while It was a decade ago now that the album ahead of it, "Unstoppable", dropped. I'm going to place "Sim Simma", "Unstoppable" and now "Eminence" in the same little group as they almost seem to come off as Beenie almost enjoying a 'victory lap', of sorts. The albums haven't been crazily popular (as far as I know) or amazing in quality but they've generated a considerable amount of buzz and have done well in terms of attention. Also, it most certainly doesn't appear that Beenie Man is ready for retirement anytime soon as he's continued to put forth a strong effort at such a progressed and downright legendary stage of his career. "Eminence" finds the 'Who Am I' star linking with Billboard King Records and one of our personal old favourites, Kemar 'Flava' McGregor. Once upon a time, in the very early days of this blog, McGregor would have been THE producer of choice. The man sat on a mountain and is still to be respected so, even now, the idea of BKR making an album with Beenie Man, on paper, was pretty inviting. At some point along the way I got a look at the tracklist of "Eminence" and I got even more convinced that what I was thinking that it might be was going to turn out to be the case. I am no fan or expert of Hip-Hop at all but there's a certain quality that comes with these type of 'broader' releases and that's numerous combinations. There're a lot of people featured on "Eminence" not named Beenie Man and there are a few occasions that you run into songs that you presume will receive some run in more international circles... as expected. While I don't think that "Eminence" will necessarily get that type of outward PUSH, again, Beenie is someone who has attained a level of respect amongst international fans and I would expect quite a few of them to be interested in "Eminence". When/If they do get here, however, will they like what they hear??? 

Probably not ALL of it but some of it. Beenie Man does something similar to the aforementioned Pressure Busspipe and Chronixx with their most recent sets as "Eminence" arrives just a couple of days ahead of the completion of his fifty-third rotation of the sun. To start things off, he picks up nice singer, Rènata (who has her own album, her first, "Self Expressions", which just launched a few weeks ago) and they head to Miami and link up with Hip-Hopper, Rick Ross (I actually think Flava McGregor, himself, is also calling Miami home these days as well) for '305/876'. This tune reminds of an old R&B song whose title escapes me now (and I could just be wrong about that) and I have to say that it grew on me just a bit. Beenie drops a few wordy pearls ["Wi neva stop til wi hit di bullseye. Di baddest riddim play by Robbie & Sly"] and Rènata, with her somewhat unusual voice, definitely helps to light things up. I still don't LOVE the opener but it's probably better than I would have thought after my first spinthrough. Rick Rock returns later on, along with Rotimi, on the kind of meh 'Hat Tip'. This one is spiritual and it does have a BIG sound to it but 'Hat Tip' is a very average song and slightly behind the opener. For the album's second tune, Beenie pulls in good friend and long time collaborator, American R&B songstress Mya for, 'Don't Rush'. I don't know how many times these two have worked together and I don't feel like looking it up but SURELY their most memorable track would be the classic remix for 'Girls Dem Sugar'. 'Don't Rush' is absolutely nowhere near that level and.... I don't particularly enjoy it at all, REALLY. BY FAR the coolest thing about this one is that it seems to utilize a version of the same track that originally underpinned a song called 'That's The Way Love Goes' by Janet Jackson (who Beenie's also worked with in the past). That's it. That is THE best thing that I can say about this song but "Eminence" would have been more eminent had it been left on the cutting room floor. They could have kept 'Do It' as well, in my opinion. This song features American rapper, Lola Brooke, a name that is completely new to me anddddd, it also sounds kinda familiar, like some old song with a name that I can't quite put my finger on. This may just be my least favourite tune on "Eminence" altogether. Brooke seems to be a fairly straightforward rapper and talented enough (coming from someone who's never been a fan of the genre, admittedly) which isn't my thing but 'Do It' seems to... be offkey at times. The vocals, especially at the chorus, don't mesh really well with the music in my opinion and it just does not do a single thing for me. 

I may not know very much (anything) about Lola Brooke but the next name to join Beenie Man here is well familiar as is the song on which she joins as the spectacular Etana lends her ridiculous talents to 'Guide Over Us'. The first thing I thought when I saw these two together was probably about what a unique combination they made for. Though Etana has definitely branched out in recent times, Beenie Man + Etana still comes off as a little strange, doesn't it??  Maybe it's just me. Anyway. Their tune together is anything but "strange" and, instead, is fairly terrestrial (the video, on the other hand, is another story. You look at that video and try to make it make sense with the actual song... GOOD LUCK!. There is way too much ass in it to have some kind of correlation. The song, itself, is decent though surely nothing special but the very fact that these two worked together is an attractive point for "Eminence" - a pairing of genuine Reggae & Dancehall royalty. 

The big names continue to join Beenie Man for this album. Without a doubt, one of the finest such moments comes during the delightful 'Make Out' which pulls in R&B veteran vocalist, Ashanti and rapper, T.I. In the case of the latter, I'm pretty sure that the very first time I ever even heard TI's name was on a song he did with Beenie, maybe twenty years ago now by the name of 'I'm Serious'; so the two have a history together and Ashanti is no stranger to the spectrum at least, having mined gold alongside Machel Montano a few years ago on 'The Road'. 'Make Out' is VERY good. It's a beautiful summer-ish sounding type of song that finds just enough of an edge to not be too... sappy. Also managing just fine is 'For You', which is sort of a remake of the classic 'Anything For You' and, just as was the case on the original, this cut features several different names. Joining Beenie, amongst others are Snoop Dogg and Ele (who does EXCELLENT with his small contribution). There're almost TEN people on this track by my count and it isn't even four minutes long so yes, it does come off as a bit rapid but, again, it's a fun time and almost everyone manages to score well with the biggest credits going to the aforementioned Ele as well as Pamputtae. Reggae vet, Stevie Face, lends his gorgeous vocals to 'If I Follow My Heart' which isn't a total loss, I suppose, but it also isn't very good. Where 'Make Out' avoids the trap of being entirely too damn mushy; 'If I Follow My Heart' most certainly does not. It falls right into the hole. 

When the friends take a step back and leave Beenie Man on his own, "Eminence" shines its brightest... for the most part... arguably. Not included in that statement AT ALL is the wholly awful 'She's A Good Girl'. 

"Girl you born pon a pum pum farm!"

And that's all that needs to be said about that one. There's also the AIGHT 'Bands' with its big sound. 'Bands' actually has a place on this album because it is somewhat related to my favourite song here, that it follows. THAT tune is also kind of bragging about the levels that Beenie has attained (and nothing wrong with that. You did the work - enjoy it!) but it's almost vacant at times and I'll go into this more in a minute but there's a nice distinction to be made between similar songs and why one sticks out and another does not. Substantially better than both the songs that I just told you about but still a distance from GREAT would be the closer of "Eminence" 'Heavenly Father'. It's pretty much what you'd expect (sound familiar??), with Beenie offering up a prayer to close out on. Though largely unremarkable (a year from now, you will not remember it being on "Eminence"), it isn't fully devoid of any quality at all; it does have its moments, just not a lot of them. A step up from that (you see where this is going) would probably be 'Friends For Life' which finds Beenie touching up a classic riddim whose name I always forget. 'Friends For Life' actually has a bit of substance to it and one (or two) which I've been high on for years now. Appreciate people while they're in your life and make them know it because, "Nobody never promised tomorrow". I think more could have been done with this song but, to its credit, 'Friends For Life' does crawl out of its shell more and more as it progresses; ultimately with Beenie Man seemingly set out more to make a point than to make a song. 'Kingsteppa' actually made me smile and it was around here that I started to catch on what was happening DIRECTLY with "Eminence" (and not surprised by it at all). This one is an ode to Ini Kamoze's legendary 'Here Comes The Hotsteppa' and that vibe did something to my brain! It got me all nostalgia'd out (and my Wife too) and it's not going to change lives (none of this stuff is) but WHO CARES! 'Kingsteppa' is a damn good time! More good, fun stuff comes through on 'Marijuana in the Kouchie'. 

"And mi nah smoke cigarette cah mi nah waan mess up mi lung

Mi fit like a Honda cause e very morning mi run

To how mi love Mary Jane it cause problems with mi and mi hun

And mi nah memba and ah hum, mi just ah hummmm"

Across another classic riddim, 'Di Doctor' absolutely glows and 'Marijuana in the Kouchie' represents one of the all too infrequent times where it appears that he is genuinely having a great time (again, more on that in just a second). The results stand up for it as, EASILY, it ranks as one of the biggest highlights from "Eminence". Even better is the damn infectious 'Doll'. The vibe on this one is just perfect for what it is and also showing up is the wordplay. Songs like this don't tend to leave much of an impact but there is a difference with 'Doll'. It's a fairly straightforward but ALL SORTS OF FUN gal tune and it scratches an itch that "Eminence" definitely needed taken care of. THE most eminent moment of "Eminence" is the song that I alluded to when I said, "I'd also think that he'd look to make a big statement in the Dancehall. Something proclaiming himself as KING (remember that)". This the HAMMER of this album. It doesn't really have a set course but Beenie does provide what I believe is the punchline of "Eminence":

"Mi nah go nowhere"

As a testament to his longevity (and around for SO long at such a high level. He now has peers in Dancehall (or whatever that shit they make these days is) that were not on the planet when he started making hits and he's older than their parents) and efficiency, he tears into 'Immortal' unlike anything else present ["Over two-thousand hit song. 'Sim Simma' and 'Romie', unuh choose one"] and, again, provides us with a most needed thrill in the process. BOOM!

Two things I want to touch one about the balance of this release. When Beenie Man is, in my opinion, at his absolute best - yes, he's impressive lyrically and he makes a really catchy and flaring brand of Dancehall but it's also ENTERTAINING. He doesn't take himself very seriously at all (he's the ever iconoclast to Bounty Killer's rough and gruff style) and it's a BEAUTIFUL quality that comes through in his music when he's really on his game... just ask Romie... and his big fat sister Naomi. You don't find a lot of that during "Eminence", unfortunately. A song like 'She's A Good Girl', for example (and it's the final time I mention it, I promise), is playful and it's dirty as hell but it isn't really fun to listen to outside of it being awful. The approach actually sounds a little RIGID and formulaic and it isn't alone in that. Also worth mentioning is the preponderance of familiar sounds. All of the old riddims and melodies that come through seems like the intent was even more so focused on capturing that international ear. As a more hardened head I don't have much of a problem with that particular aspect --and it works better in some instances than in others-- but, along with the various names involved, it's another piece of evidence as to exactly what was the thought behind "Eminence". 

Overall, I don't want to seem like I'm being too hard on this one because it's not far, at all, from what I presumed it would be when I saw the tracklist in terms of quality. I wasn't expecting "Eminence" to be some fantastic, best of the year type of album and it most certainly is not; it's right in the middle. Some of it is (one of it) is truly bad, some of it borders on the spectacular and MOST of it is somewhere in between. That's something else that sort of gives me that inclination that it best stands as a "victory lap" type of set and... hell, he's earned it. While you will neither find Beenie Man at his best or anywhere near it on "Eminence", consistently, but what you will find, in spots, is the handiwork of an undeniable, bona fide legend and one who is, OBVIOUSLY, at a point in his career (and has been for years) where he is well aware of his stature, and he should be.... but you knew all of that already. 

Rated: 2.65/5

Billboard King Records

2026

Bounce Back?: A review of the Recoup Riddim

Come again. As I'm sure I've said in the past, one of the worst things about getting older, specifically as a music fan, is having to powerlessly accept and/or just deal with just how much things have changed. When I was younger I steadfastly wanted to ensure that I wouldn't become some spiteful old creep walking around talking about, "back in my day...", essentially pissing on current music and artists which is why I tend to just refrain from talking about such things except when I'm impressed (biggup Eesah) and keep the negativity in my head. Looking at how Reggae is these days, there're several things which I definitely do miss and not the least of which is my beloved DANCEHALL. The saying is that 'you don't know what you've got till it's gone' and that is SO true and applicable in this instance because I don't know that I would have ever been capable of processing just how precious something that I considered to be so BASIC was. Who knew that we'd all wake up one day and 'DANCEHALL' would not be Dancehall anymore??? How the hell did that happen? Where was I?? What is referred to as Dancehall these days is basically Caribbean Hip-Hop and it's something that we all have to manage. I do foresee a return to that candy-like two-drop sound (that's what I call it. Roots is the one-drop. Dancehall is two-drop) at some point, but I may or may not be around to actually experience it and that makes me sad! The days of a producer making a riddim (of actual Dancehall music) and spreading it around have become increasingly rare over the past half decade or so (I remember Red Rat having something to say about it a couple of years ago). Expanding on that sentiment, one of the products of that older sound is the once downright overly-prevalent riddim album. In the not too distant past, Reggae album shelves were dominated by albums (by people named Marley) featuring multiple artists going on the same riddim which were seemingly released multiple times over by albums starring a single vocalist. Some of these were very big deals as well as both genre leading labels, VP Records and Greensleeves, once released such sets as part of their running series, Riddim Driven and Greensleeves Rhythm Album, which were very popular in their day; with the former even birthing a still active (as far as I know) clothing line of the same name. Personally, I reviewed quite a few of these things (once upon a time, some idiot I know even went as far as to catalogue both series). They were FUN in their day and now, looking back, I miss them both... a lot.

And OCCASIONALLY we get to go home. Coincidentally, as Riddim Driven as a functioning entity was coming to an end, one of its most frequent contributors was a producer by the name of Kemar 'Flava' McGregor and, if you enjoyed Roots Reggae music during the late 2000's/2010's or so, Flava's is a name with which you should be well familiar. The once mighty producer of No Doubt Records was responsible for supplying the genre at the with some of its largest releases from the likes of Richie Spice, Nesbeth ["Mi boardhouse bun dung inna gang war wah day. Now mi nah have nowhere fi stayyyyyy!"], Ginjah, Etana  (more on her later) and others. He also released some of the biggest riddims, several of which featured prominently as apart of the aforementioned Riddim Driven series and if there is never another edition of the series (and I would be surprised if there were), Flava McGregor and No Doubt Records will be known as having produced the final Riddim Driven ever in the form of 2010's VICIOUSLY SWEET Classic Riddim ["We only got one, life, to live. We should make no apologies"] [BOOM!]. He'd also produce full albums for many including Anthony B, Sizzla Kalonji, Turbulence (personal favourite of mine, "Join Us"), Natty King and was just... EASILY one of my absolute favourite producers going during his day. When No Doubt Records was on top, they were consistently spectacular.... but nothing lasts forever.

There would come a point where I would legitimately come to DISLIKE what McGregor was up to or at least someone using his music. At the start of the digital/streaming age a few years back, SOMEONE would end up flooding the market with release after re-release after re-release of.... the same shit everyone had already heard. It seemed as if a couple of weeks or so wouldn't go by without SOMETHING being released on that front with a new cover and, as for McGregor himself, he seemed to be spending more time making news for goings on inside courtrooms than what he was doing in the studio and it made me sad! I had given up on Flava McGregor and and No Doubt Records and had no reason to return.... at least not until very recently. As I said, though the days of that giant Dancehall riddim (and subsequent album) just destroying absolutely everything in sight may be a thing of the past (for now) OCCASIONALLY there can be exceptions, or at least ATTEMPTS at exceptions. The case could be made that the single greatest producer that the Dancehall has ever seen has been the great, enigmatic and downright reclusive Dave Kelly. For the better part of four decades the brother of the great Tony "CD" Kelly (also still going strong and one of the greatest Reggae maestros EVER) has been responsible for what has to be considered some of the most colourful and ingenious tracks in Dancehall history, largely for his Madhouse Records imprint (my own favourite would be.... maybe The Return Riddim?) and, were you to go traversing through Kelly's amazing vault, eventually you'd stop around 2000 or so and land on the Bounce Riddim. The Bounce, done for X-Tra Large Productions, didn't necessarily carry the biggest of hits, but it was BRILLIANT! These days it is likely best known for a pair of Baby Cham tunes, the unforgiving 'Man A Man' and 'Babylon Bwoy', but stellar efforts also came from the great Spragga Benz, Beenie Man and, ESPECIALLY, General Degree who scored a nice sized hit with his 'Ooh Yeahee'. Now [!], had you told me at any time during the last decade or so that we would get to a point where Flava McGregor would be remaking an old Dave Kelly riddim, I would have laughed my entire ass off at you and I would owe you an apology because, lo and behold, here is the Recoup Riddim from McGregor, it's a remake of the Bounce and it is, in fact, 2024. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??! It defies all logic and common sense, but I am here for it! Why is this happening? I don't know and I probably don't care. CLEARLY, McGregor was a giant fan of the track and thought to himself that, if he had the chance, he'd love to do a remake and it's worked out. The Recoup Riddim comes through a channel simply called Kemar McGregor (that's the literal name of the label it's on) and it is a relatively unchanged remake of the original, nearly quarter of a century old Bounce Riddim.... but how good is it, REALLY??

...meh. As far as the vocal artists appearing on the Recoup, it is a very healthy mixture of heavy-hitters and kind of next tier names, with up and comers. Generally speaking, to my experience, that is EXACTLY what you want to see on a big and well populated riddim. What happens when that does occur is that you, as a listener, are more likely to  gravitate towards something that they'll enjoy from someone that they are familiar with and (perhaps most importantly) you may come away with a new name to look forward to hearing in the future. Taking the first shot at the Recoup Riddim is, arguably, the heaviest of of the heavy hitters as Buju Banton blesses the track with his 'Slogan'. You take a moment and realize the magnitude of what happens here: This is Buju Banton on a classic Dave Kelly riddim that he never voiced. That is a really big fucking deal and what results is, clearly, the single best moment you'll find on the Recoup Riddim, although I'd stop just short of calling it a bona fide "GREAT" tune (although it is close). 'Slogan' is fun -- hear that chorus -- but it isn't necessarily vintage Buju. 'Fun but not vintage' would also be an appropriate description of the second tune here, 'Vibrating' which features the great Beenie Man alongside Denyque. This track has a very cool R&B vibe to it when Denyque comes on with those sterling vocals, making a most compelling blend with Beenie's consistently fairly aggressive delivery. It's at this point during the album for the Recoup Riddim where strange shit begins to happen and none are more downright bizarre than 'Mirror' by the aforementioned Etana. Let's get the review stuff out of the way first: 'Mirror' is bad. It's probably the first time I've ever said that about a piece from the August Town certified veteran (and may end up being the last time), but IT IS A BAD SONG. It's full of worn, tired and dirty Dancehall cliches and someone of Etana's abilities could probably roll out of bed and top what you'll hear on 'Mirror' with the slightest of effort in my opinion. On the other side of that is the fact that the tune is somewhat 'controversial' as the vocalist does go on the more sexual side of things, but I'm fine with that aspect. Many (like almost all of them at some point or another) of Etana's famous male peers have done similar things (including August Town's most famous resident) and we've gotten used to it through the years, so I'm not going to judge her harshly AT ALL for the direction here... but it is trash. I-Octane throws even more petrol on the dumpster fire with his effort on the Recoup 'Love Punanny'. To put it context: 'Love Punanny' is considerably better than 'Mirror' but it is still a few hours' drive away from being decent (and, it should also be said that Octane & Etana have dropped 'Ganja For You', a tune far more befitting of both of their monstrous gifts, also for Flava) (wouldn't be surprised if that's a single for McGregor's next track), Last year, I-Octane released a collection of songs called "Dancehall Gift" which proved to be a complete curse, it was terrible, but demonstrated the direction he's been working towards more often these days. If that is your type of thing then 'Love Punanny' will work for you because it's better than the vast majority of tunes featured there. So when you need someone to right the ship, who do you call after a couple of less than stellar offerings??? Of course you call the Energy God (are we still referring to him as that?? Ele's probably almost fifty years old and he has a comic-strip villain nickname) and Elephant Man doesn't disappoint (and when I saw his name on board, I had full confidence that he would shine on the Recoup) with 'Nuh Shaky' and he does while outlining the fact that he cut no corners and he earned his way to the top, legitimately

The bigger names return later on, while the middle portion of the Recoup Riddim album is, for the most part, carried by second tier names with up and comers and... it does not feature much [anything] in the way of memorable material at all. The biggest winner of the lot probably goes to 'Seh Dem Bad' which comes courtesy of wide voiced vet, Singer J (Singer J has a VERY unique voice if you REALLY listen to him). 'Seh Dem Bad', to be completely fair, is quite strong and very interesting as it features a route taken on the Recoup that no one had gone prior to it.

"I seh him mother call him

Tryin fi warn him

Sit him down neatly and inform him

Seh, inna badness thing - she don't want him

ONLY THING BADNESS GIVE IS A COFFIN

Di bwoy laughing, nah tek no talking"

The very next set is also well done as D'yani comes solid with '911', which takes the guidance of the previous tune and steps it forward in adding a more general social context to it. D'yani, effectively, comes up with a social commentary in a region (biggup JahSolidRock) where you probably weren't expecting to find one and, again, it won't be the best of its kind that you've EVER heard but with where you must go to locate it, '911' formidably serves its role.... and that's about it! The other three offerings in here, 'Say Yes', 'Glue' and 'Top Class' from Tifa, Honorebel and Zed Regal, respectively, range somewhere between 'nuh-uh' and ABSOLUTE RUBBISH. The worst??? Maybe 'Say Yes' and I say that probably relating it to 'Mirror' in some way or another (which probably isn't fair), but 'Mirror' is better than 'Say Yes' and we've already established that 'Mirror' is horrible. It, too, is built upon well traveled and should-have-been-buried concepts which, in my opinion, are not at all empowering of women as they are intended to be (suggesting, at least in part, that people should take pride in the.... snugness of certain parts of your anatomy....). It is a sentiment Honorebel would agree with as he makes, basically, the same damn song as Tifa but from a male perspective and, not to be outdone, Zed Regal doesn't stray far from either; although he does do far better than both with the wholly unremarkable 'Top Class'.

 Given the fact that he has had some well publicized not so nice interaction with Flava McGregor which took place in a courtroom, I was quite surprised to see Khago associated with Recoup Riddim but apparently bridges have been mended and all is at least well enough to work together. The result of this one is 'Whine Up For Me', which is another tune that I do not love, HOWEVER, 'Whine Up For Me' does have a few moments that set it apart from being a bad song, in my opinion. I've never been the hugest fan of Khago's but he is, at his best, talented and he's also one of those types of artists who've been around a lot longer than you may realize. The final vocal outing on the riddim is the 'old school' 'Scaleillan' from Turbulence. Given what Reggae has been through, you don't very often hear such tunes as this. They're very controversial (and, to be honest, their decline has been a good thing, in my opinion. There was a point, maybe fifteen years ago, where that discourse seemed to be THE single biggest and most prominent issue in the genre) and can be detrimental to the artist, as we have seen in the past. Turbulence, seemingly, doesn't give a damn and makes his point with 'Scaleillan' (although it isn't as... 'direct' as others and features a brand of condemnation which is less centralized and further reaching. You could very well make the argument that, even still, the biggest hit of Ginjah's career was a tune he did for Flava by the name of 'Never Lost My Way' ["WHEN MI SING, MI NO HAFFI RICH! A NO MONEY MAN AH LOOK AFTER THIS!"] (arguing against you would require some serious thought), so neither the presence of the golden voiced singer nor the quality of his effort on the Recoup Riddim, 'Judgement', came as any surprise at all. 'Judgement' soars and does so in a most interesting way with a theme that is part warning & part uplifting. Also have to mention the PASSION coming from Ginjah on this one, a feature of his music is absolutely saturated in when the Hanover native is at hist best. 'Finally' (literally have three more songs to talk about and I'm saying shit like "finally") (bad habit. My apologies) check 'Nuh Leany Leany' from Ghandi which I was so happy was included because it sorta/kinda makes up for some of the more filthy material you'll hear throughout the Recoup Riddim. 'Nuh Leany Leany' has elements to it that are definitely on the slack side ["STRAIGHT! Nuh leany leany. Tight pussy gal dem alone can pree mi Dem ah rub mi down like di bottle of di genie"], but it's also inventive and not.... tired as hell. The skill is present and, I most certainly am no prude and can appreciate such a piece when it is well done. 'Nuh Leany Leany' is fun (minus that small section where he does that annoying run-on thing with the delivery) (You'll know what I mean). Also included is a clean version of the Recoup Riddim, so you can try it for yourself at home. When I used to review riddim albums, nearly ad nauseam, this was a feature I always tried to highlight because the riddim, TECHNICALLY, is the actual star with projects like these and it deserves a chance to shine - all of these years and not much has changed. I still do appreciate them, greatly.

Overa.... WAIT! It took me so fucking long to write this review (I'm old), that Flava went ahead and released a Deluxe Version of the album which carries a couple of extra tunes, both come from The Doctor, Beenie Man, 'Yaadie' and 'Spend It'. The latter is useless. It sounds like a freestyle and you need not pay it any attention at all. I get the feeling that Beenie was just so damn happy to have another go at the Bounce, that he just stayed in the studio, doing whatever came to his mind and just got it all out.... but whatever "it" was, was CLEARLY emptied before the beginning of 'Spend It'. 'Yaadie', on the other hand, is FANTASTIC. It's better than 'Slogan', as Beenie sets fire to all those with hideously misguided attractions (not too dissimilar from his go on the Bounce Riddim, 'Troublemaker') and he spares no targets and leaves no stones unturned!

"Number one: No rest in peace fi Michael Jackson

My songs caan sing no Frankie Paul song

From di family playlist - R Kelly banned

How some big man waan fi play Peter Pan?!"

Overall (I mean it this time), no the Recoup Riddim, as an album, isn't very good. It seems as if several of the artists heard that beautiful old school riddim and decided to serve up some of the most basic... dirty Dancehall that they could muster and it really does manage to weigh things down which is unfortunate. However, when it does actually work, what results is just a HINT of that deplorably presumably gone.... sweet, sweet era of music. Unsurprisingly, it is genre of the veterans such as Beenie, Buju and Ele who arguably shine the brightest (with a big respect to Ginjah as well), and it would have been damn interesting had such a project been loaded with the likes (with the biggest name missing being that other B). However, while I'm not likely to look back at the Recoup Riddim completely kindly, Flava McGregor does deserve credit for pulling together an ambitious project and on which, at least in spurts, gives fun vibes from when everything felt like home.

Rated: 2.5/5

Flava McGregor

2024

Completely Random Thoughts #57: COMPLETELY!

I was going to save this one for the next What I'm Listening To, which should be tomorrow or Monday or whenever but I decided to make this one even randomer and attach it here. AGAIN [!] (because we've done this before), along with new albums from Etana and Sara Lugo THE piece which has gotten most of my attention is actually an album from a decade ago, the opus of German star, Gentleman, "Confidence" (I almost always refer to this one as 'Superior' for some reason, but the actual name of it is "Confidence" and for some reason I was surprised to remember). A pair of songs in 'Superior' and 'Intoxication' virtually guarantees that this one will likely never fall too far away from my players but these days it's been damn comfortable in the rotation on the strength of another few songs. Most notably has definitely been the wicked combination with Ras Shiloh, 'Blessing Of Jah'.

"My eyes behold the blessings of Jah

I've told the message of Jah!"

"Right now you better know, whoi -

That love it a di order

No badmind can cross over we border

WICKEDNESS SO NARROW, RIGHTEOUSNESS MUCH BROADER

So tell me what you really rather"

WHAT! The Bobby Digital steered track has wonderfully snuck up on me and is one of my favourite and most listened to these days. Similar is a handful of other songs from "Confidence" which, for some reason or another have really just taken me over recently. Songs like 'Weary No More', DEFINITELY 'Strange Things', 'All That You Had' ["If you did prepare for those rainy days, you wouldn't be swept away by the storm"], 'Be Yourself' with Cocoa Tea ["Cause their identity's coming from the nozzle of dem gun. But I and I identity is coming from the Nyahbinghi drum"] and even others. "Confidence" was TREMENDOUS and sitting here just going through my head, it probably is somewhere in the top ten best albums I've ever heard. So, if for some truly ridiculous reason, you never picked it up, do so now! RIGHT NOW! Don't even finish reading this, it's about to get silly anyway. 

What else??? 

"Don't let the poor and the needy be devoured

The chastisement of poverty is in imminence yah

Inna di whole world, mi mean look at di bigga picture -

AN ELEVEN FOOT, SIX HUNDRED POUND TIGER

Him get fed up all of a sudden, what dem ah pet him mouth fuh?

Inna an instant, HE REMEMBER HIS TRUE NATURE

Not to mention black mamba -

And King Cobra"

That's what else! BOOM! 

Speaking of Midnite, am I the only one who didn't notice what happened with the cover of 'their' last album and its singles??? Ahead of the album, "Stand The Test" , being released, there were three singles, 'Ina Culcha', 'Stand The Test' and 'Upfull Day'.

Then when the full album did reach, the cover looked like this.

Did anyone else NOT notice that the covers for the singles were portions of the album cover??? WHAT! Yes, I feel really stupid (an unfortunately all too familiar emotion for me) (especially lately, I've done some really DUMB stuff recently!) and it isn't the only case. Someone else which really puts my intelligence into question is 'Jah9'. Besides writing amazing songs, she also shares (basically), a name with outstanding Bahamian singing chanter, Jah Nyne… which is a connection that I have failed to make for years. 'Jah9' reportedly has a video loaded and ready to reach for one of the most clever love songs that I've ever heard in my entire life, 'Avocado' from her soon to be classic debut album, "New Name". As for 'Jah Nyne'… anytime with a new album Jah Nyne. 

Jah9

Jah Nyne

Something else - which you may not have noticed is the seemingly never-ending and very odd re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-releasing of Flava McGregor's catalogue, digitally. If you haven't been attention to it, it almost seems as if every few weeks or so, ALL of his old material gets redone for the digital medium. They get new covers and are compiled in new ways and are sold to the masses. WHAT! I don't know who is doing it but the last time I heard anything about that, McGregor is very protective of his material (and he should be, he's made some amazing music over the past decade or so). Recently getting the re-release treatment has been Natty King who has had so much of his work with McGregor released via digital singles (and all of them have the same cover, apparently). 

Yet still forthcoming, in a week or so, is an EP from the singer, "Roots Songs". Similar collections from Sizzla Kalonji, Chezidek and who knows who else are also in the offering as well. In Natty King's case, I always pay attention to his output as, in my opinion, the singer is likely to go down as one of THE most underrated and overlooked talents of his generation and with great reason. But I do hope that I'm wrong and, before his prime years are completed, he gets his due respect. Incidentally, while I don't know if these recent mixes of his music are legit, I have no doubt about "Trodding", which is the fantastic album Natty King did with Flava McGregor on Tad's Records a few years back which is still relatively easy to find both on CD and digitally (… and it also features virtually ALL of the music on the EP and the singles), so check it out.

"Trodding" [2009]

'In-House': A Review of The Dance Drop Riddim by Various Artists

Given the fact that I still find myself not only encountering new labels on at least a bi-weekly basis, but encountering labels that already have a history behind them; I would say that the state of Reggae entrepreneurship is relatively healthy these days, at least in terms of activity. Sure, some of these labels will be looooong gone come this time next year, but the very fact that someone actually spent the money and went through the processes , and who knows how long that took, is very interesting and a boost to the genre in my opinion (and even if they don’t stick around someone will replace them). It is, however, the ‘responsibility’ of the biggest and the best names in the business of Reggae music to, at least in some respects, advance the general state of the music. Of course, this is done and accomplished by various means: Be it busting a new artist or taking an established artist to the mainstream world - or even just doing something different with a production and exposing it to ears and fans who typically wouldn’t hear them - this is what, ostensibly, the powers that be in Reggae music are charged with doing and whether they realize it or not, I think it’s pretty clear that, on many levels, they’ve been successful - in advancing our music (which is obvious if there’re that many new labels and there are). Another way is apparently the route taken by Kemar ‘Flava’ McGregor, which has gotten so interesting as of late, that I’ve been thinking of ways to write more and more about it (and lo and behold his latest release pops up at the perfect time). McGregor IS the best Roots Reggae producer in the world at this point, I’ve said it before and I’m almost certainly going to find a way to say it again in this review. Simply going through his catalog and that of his label, No Doubt Records, is a very very interesting task and that’s even besides actually just listening to the music itself (more on that in a second). If you’ve been paying attention over the past month or two, Flava has taken more and more to his website, FlavaMcGregor.com as the avenue to release his material and on the various digital sites as well. About a month ago, the label seemingly ERUPTED with a never ending string of compilations, instrumental albums (which was just a WONDERFUL idea in my opinion) and EP’s from its vault - It was almost like Flava was trying to make up for lost time. Now that is one thing. But what I said would be the KEY in showing whether or not this was THE new step for his music was if the powerhouse producer would take something NEW and push it in the same fashion.

Well he did. Perhaps the first sign of Flava’s commitment to going digital should’ve come a few months ago when Flava pushed an album which flooded my email with messages of ’where can I get that album’ - Ginjah’s ”Never Lost My Way” - a release which, seemingly, could’ve generated quite a bit of attention from other labels and was exclusively available on the website until very recently. Now, Flava and No Doubt Records have gone a most interesting step further by releasing their ‘latest’ riddim strictly digitally at this point, the Dance Drop Riddim. I’ve thankfully learned over the past couple of pieces from Flava just how popular these compositions are, even in album form (there clearly aren’t as many riddim albums these days as there used to be, but No Doubt has NEVER had any trouble getting them out in recent times) and because the Dance Drop comes with a bit of a ‘built-in’ popularity, I’m imagining that this one may be one of the label’s most popular to date. Okay so, you absolutely know this riddim, it is somewhere within your memory and should you happen to make it through the very first track on the album and not recall where you know it from, definitely track two will take care of that. If you travel back in time with me to a few years back when Flava was doing a TON of production work for a label by the name of Bogalusa (which I’m pretty sure was German), you’ll remember a number of albums being released on the label in the span of three years or so. There were albums from Anthony B, Luciano, Turbulence and, of course, Sizzla Kalonji and in retrospect they were fairly decent altogether. They certainly weren’t the greatest (although at least one of them may’ve been, see Turbulence’s ”Join Us” album) (I don’t care what you say, I still absolutely LOVE that thing), but in the digital era where picking and choosing is King (and Queen), they should become more valuable to the more casual of Reggae fan. And should you consider the task of going back and picking through all of those albums, I’d direct your attention (after ”Join Us”) to an album by the name of ”Speak Of Jah” from 2004 by Sizzla. The album was pretty good, had some nice tunes, and was also highlighted by the fact that the label apparently forgot to put the album’s name on the cover so what you got instead was a STICKER stuck onto the album as if to say ‘oops’. The highlight of this album was a tune which would go on to become a pretty nice sized hit by Sizzla and one which, even now more than six years later, still resonates with fans such as myself. The riddim backing this tune has turned out to be the Drop Dance and while you may catch yourself thinking that all Flava did was to dig up an old ass riddim from his collections and have it almost instantly filled because he made album after album from artist after artist, that isn’t the case. Instead, he’s managed to do what he usually does with his WICKED compositions - He’s lined up some of the biggest, best and most fascinating talents to voice the piece. My own interest with this project went up INSTANTLY when I saw the artist roster and . . . As if there were any questions, Flava McGregor’s first riddim foray on completely his own terms proves to be a full on winner by its end.

Has it been that long? This riddim turns out actually to be the first from Flava and company since the label pushed the Classic Riddim (still one of my favourites from 2010), which I remember writing about for United Reggae wayyyyyyyyy back in January. While that excellent piece centered on the fact that it sounded like . . . Well it sounded like a classic riddim, this piece, however, has a very interesting sound. Probably the highlight is the occasional electric guitar sound, but for the most part, this thing is so brilliantly minimal that at times you get songs which go for extended stretches sounding a cappella and when the riddim does strike in, you also get this very FULL sound, so while I still favour a few other riddims in Flava’s bag, this has to be regarded as one of his most colourful and interesting. “This”, of course, is the newly expanded and ‘renovated’ Drop Dance Riddim from Kemar ‘Flava’ McGregor and No Doubt Records and “this” gets going in a most interesting and unexpected of ways, Reggae superstar veteran Wayne Wonder (becoming a surprising staple on No Doubt productions), who comes in seeking a ‘Piece A Da Pie’. A few dozen listens deep into this tune and I’m relatively sure that I’ve heard it SOMEWHERE before (still not quite sure where however), but that aside, Mr. Wonder is only going to help the quality of anything he’s on. His tune here is one just inspiring the masses to get a ‘piece’ - There’s something for you in the world, most likely, help yourself to it! And then there’s the BOOM!

“SOME HOW
Jah Jah just keep on, blessing dis place!
And SOME HOW
Rastafari just keep on showing us his love and his grace!”

The aforementioned alluded to tune from Sizzla Kalonji, now curiously renamed ‘Blessing Us’ [bka ‘Somehow’], is up next. This song is the best moment to be found on the whole of the Dance Drop Riddim, just as it was on the ”Speak Of Jah” album, as Sizzla delivers one MAMMOTH piece of praising tune which, quality aside, is definitely going to be the signature track from the riddim and is probably why Flava thought that he might be successful in passing it around more so many years later. He was right. Charged with maintaining such high vibes, fortunately, is the most fitting name here to take on such a task, Anthony B, who demands ‘Change’. Not only is the tune one of the riddim’s most impressive altogether, lyrically it is also amongst the very best and it also carries the same type of giving thanks vibes from the tune immediately preceding it. Speaking on the words, it just may be one of the best recent tunes that I’ve heard from Anthony B in regards to the lyrics, but at this point you’re not surprised by the veteran.

Speaking of veterans, Flava taps quite a few, expected and unexpected to voice the Dance Drop Riddim. Right in the middle of the album there is a very strong stretch of four established names, all of whom just so happened to have recorded full blown albums for Flava over the years (and I don’t think I‘ve heard any of these tunes except the final one). First is Chezidek with ‘Extradite’. The funny voiced singer (from out of ST. ANN!) has been absolutely flaming in 2010 and it well extends to his BIG and DAZZLING selection on the Dance Drop Riddim. The antiviolence piece ‘What A Heat’ from Luciano comes second in the lot and it may even be better than the tune preceding it. I almost never have these moments anymore, but when I first heard the tune (with my face well away from the screen) I was pretty sure that it was Bushman doing the singing (has Bushman EVER done a No Doubt riddim???) (Hmmm). It’s the kind of tangible type of vibes that Bushman does and not so much on the spiritual, so it got me from sound and lyrics, but regardless of who does the singing (and it is Luciano), this is another big song on the riddim. Then Lutan Fyah tells all about the very flawed and fucked up nature of ’The System’, a social commentary. The Fyah would probably have a DIFFICULT time going wrong on such a tune and he’s not going wrong at all here - Easily one of the best tunes to be found on the album and that is saying something. Finally, Turbulence brings forth a tune which appeared on his own Flava produced album back in 2005, ”Triumphantly”, 'Gun [Crazy]'. This was one of a few similarly vibed tunes that I remember him doing at the time which expressed his complete and utter DISGUST in many men who seemingly obsessed and carried on about the gun SO MUCH that it seemed as if they ‘preferred’ it over their own woman. . . Yeah. It was a nice song and sentiment back then and not having heard it in some time, it definitely brought back its quality levels this time around. While not in this same stretch, I also almost have to mention Chuck Fenda, who comes with, 'Money', a tune from his most recent studio album, ”Fulfillment”, which was also helmed by Flava. I remember having to ‘tinker’ with this tune a bit to REALLY get into it, but when I did it was very impressive and not too far on from first dealing with it (just a year or so), I’m not hearing any depletion and I’m well looking forward to hearing Fenda on a few future No Doubt riddims as well. And also there’s probably the MOST tenured veteran on the Dance Drop Riddim, Everton Blender who wants to know ‘Did You Pray’ this morning (and if you didn’t he probably wants to know why not). I can’t actually recall the Blender doing a No Doubt riddim at anytime in the past, so if this is a first it is a very impressive first. Despite the tune’s title it is another social commentary and a nice one at that. We can only hope that when the Blender tried to exit the booth after singing this song, Flava locked him in and DEMANDED an entire album’s worth of vibes.

As for some of the younger/newer/not so constantly familiar, three in particular impressed me. The first was Honourable, whose ‘Never Give Up’ made me get up to see who it actually was SMASHING the Dance Drop Riddim in half because I didn’t recognize the vocals. This is a strong effort from Honourable (love the very straight forward delivery) as he goes all Freddie McGregor (winner-style) on the people and hopefully he comes back again. Later on, the biggest Dutchie artist in the world, Statian Ziggi Recado, comes back to No Doubt following his tune on the Ghetto Riddim, telling us all about ‘Street Life’. Despite the fact that it (literally) takes the tune awhile to get going (Ziggi doesn’t say a damn thing for about ten seconds at the beginning of this song) and when it does, it STILL isn’t Ziggi at his best, there is a certain very plain quality about this tune which just struck me for some reason - It almost sounds like he’s thinking of the next word as he’s recording the tune. And also there’s another artist who’s been scalding as of late, VI superstar Pressure Busspipe, with one of the riddim’s finest moments, ’World Is In Trouble’.

“Work for what you want and envious people no like it
Tell me ‘bout vision and all now dem no site it
Di works of King Selassie bigga than your satellite dish
All now dem caan tek Rasta loving and kindness”

I don’t know if I wasn’t paying attention before (I WAS), but the man has been on an absolute tear lyrically in 2010 (actually since last year, from his album, ”Coming Back To You”) and he’s taking no shortcuts or wrong turns on the Dance Drop.

Khago is also on the riddim with ’Talk’. The song is pretty good, but I have to say that Khago is an artist who, because of his unusual delivery, typically does better with the more animated of backings, at least to my opinion. There’s Nikesha Lindo with ‘Gotta Let You Go’. Had Lady Lindo not been here I was definitely going to say that the riddim could’ve used a bit of a feminine touch and while not in the most impressive of manners (the tune is basically an R&B song), she does satisfy that. And the final vocal act here is Sadiki who almost seems to be having TOO MUCH fun with his new position as the ‘Night Boss’. This one is still growing on me (I think it might be one of those songs which are unintentionally funny to some degree) and following his own recent album, ”Lifeline”, Sadiki has also been on a roll as of late. Finally and thankfully there is a clean version of the real star of the show, the Drop Dance Riddim. Producers if your riddims are not garbage, give us a clean version of them - EVERYTIME. Listening to this one you can hear the ‘spaces’ in it - It literally stops a few times and you go back and hear artists like Kalonji and Anthony B making the most of those seconds with big and proper lyrics.

Overall, for Flava’s first attempt at taking one of his riddims exclusively digital, I’d say that the Dance Drop is a rousing success. While it isn’t his best release (that is, of course, the Triumphant, until further notice), it does prove to form one of his better albums to date and I can think of a couple of No Doubt Riddim albums which aren’t as good as this one, but whose riddim may be and that, in both cases, is saying a lot. I am very curious as to what the goal here is. I’ve read quite a bit on Flava’s takes on certain aspects of the business of Reggae music and his unhappiness with them, so maybe he is planning on turning No Doubt Records into an even bigger unit and if he is . . . That would be EXTREMELY interesting to see how it goes. Still, McGregor is a producer and as evident by the Dance Drop Riddim, regardless of his business aspirations, he hasn’t forgotten that as he pushes the latest release from the best Roots Reggae producer in the world. Period.

Rated: 4.35/5
No Doubt Records/Flava McGregor Records
2010
Digital {Available exclusively at FlavaMcGregor.com}


Flava McGregor

Flava @ Ustream

Yow. You ever check UStream? I know from longtime Don Corleon is on the site (I think he still broadcasts), playing pieces from his studio and you never know who you'll see up there and now my own favourite producer and the best in the world, Kemar 'Flava' McGregor is on as well. My Wife's brother, Bredz, calls me up yesterday while I'm out stuffing faces with the Queen and the Princess and tells me he has a new song from Etana and Luciano and plays it in some strange hollow manner, but it turns out he's just playing it through UStream. Flava, OBVIOUSLY delighted with what the tune, which he produced, is broadcasting the tune and mixing it at the same time. Song sounds gorgeous and if you go through his archives, you can actually see it being recorded, as we've shown you here. So definitely check out Flava @ Ustream.

And speaking of Flava
Getting crazy response now from Ginjah's album Never Lost My Way and we just got like 6 emails this morning from people asking where they can get it yeah. You can, of course, get it at FlavaMcGregor.com. I don't know if it's going to work out into the more traditional digital sites (iTunes, Amazon, Emusic etc.), but for right now that's the only place I know of that it's available. And if you're kind of on the edge about it, check the review, it's well worth the pick up yeah. And, like I said in the review (I THINK), I was interested in seeing the response the album would get, so from just what I've seen from writing the review, the interest is VERY high, so biggup Flava again and thanks to everybody for reading yeah.

See you Friday from my In-Laws',

BALANCE
RasAchis

"No Rookie": A Review of Never Lost My Way by Ginjah

I absolutely love the fact that we’re kind of moving into this wonderful timeframe in Reggae music where we have so many artists who I think everyone has just become accustomed to referring to as ‘young’ and ‘up and coming’ - Who really aren’t that young and up and coming anymore. They’re more ‘normal aged’ and ‘already here’ and well, now it’s time to show and prove. It’s time to see who’s going to be the proverbial flash in the pan and who’s going to the type of artist that people like me write about for years and years to come. For example, I think it’s become kind of clichéd to refer to an artist such as Dancehall ace, Assassin, as young . . . Because that’s just what we’ve been doing from ever since he first came up as a disciple of Spragga Benz. Meanwhile the man is pushing twenty-eight this year and has a BIG history dating back longer than some of his peers who are years older. Similarly is Aidonia, who’s older than I am (and I’m virtually a geriatric at this point) and while he may still be in the process of distinguishing himself, at twenty-nine years of age and as a Dancehall artist, he has most certainly entered his prime years and has had long enough to become WELL comfortable in it. In terms of Roots Reggae music (which is why we’re here), we have the ‘big three’ of ‘young’ artists in Tarrus Riley, Etana and Queen Ifrica. Both Riley and Ifrica are in their thirties and Etana, while definitely young (either almost twenty-five or just twenty seven) in the traditional sense, her music has become part of the DIRECTION of the overall landscape (I.e. when Etana has a new tune, it is most certainly a big deal) and every time you look up, her musical age progresses further and further. So, instead of looking at this WONDERFUL crop of artists in terms of general age, I think we should just observe the fact it is THEM who are the here and now and ARE (not ‘will) ultimately the faces of the world’s most beautiful music. It is in that same ideology that I approach the artist with whom we deal today, the exceptional Ginjah. The very interesting singer has a musical history going back more than a decade at this point and really, when you look at the ‘up and coming’ (here and nowing) artists in the current landscape of Roots Reggae music, out of all of them, Ginjah is definitely one of the most interesting and also one who has reached the point in his respective career where it is DEFINITELY time to show and prove.

Thankfully he’s been having no problem doing exactly just that and continues to as one of the single most impressive artists I’ve heard in quite some time. I can remember hearing of Ginjah’s name quite some ago as a member of the legendary Beres Hammond’s Harmony House label. He voiced for Hammond (and with him, they have a big tune together by the name of ‘Rise Above’), toured with him and, presumably, just learned and took in so much from the legend that such an experience alone would have almost certainly made Ginjah’s a name to watch. And - Oh yeah, he’s also VERY talented on his own. He has quite the powerful, soulful and outside of Jah Cure and Chezidek, probably the most INTERESTING voice in Reggae today in my estimation and he’s used it over the years to craft some absolute GEMS of songs. Well hopefully now he’s well tuned up and ready to put his best foot forward as Ginjah now brings forth what is hopefully his very first of many album, Never Lost My Way. Having gotten his start at the highest level of the game working with someone like Beres Hammond, one would think that as far as actually doing the work goes, Ginjah would have nowhere to go but down in terms of quality, but he’s managed to put together quite a nice working relationship with the greatest Reggae producer in the world, Kemar ‘Flava’ McGregor (who Hammond, himself, also works with), who helms the album for his own No Doubt Records and Flava McGregor Records. Incidentally, the label(s) which has been literally flourishing for quite some time now (thinking about three years really now) also recently released Revelations, an album for Gyptian and altogether, Ginjah joins a very strong cast of ‘characters’ which includes the likes of Sizzla, Luciano, Lutan Fyah, Turbulence, Chuck Fenda, Chezidek and others who’ve had albums produced by McGregor, but, at least to my knowledge, he joins only Gyptian as artists who have had the honour of having Flava produce their debut sets. The album (as you might imagine) is put together, for the most part, with various tunes from Ginjah on Flava’s RIDICULOUSLY lovely riddims, some very familiar and some not so much. I’m very interested to see the impact the album has as Ginjah’s fan base is almost totally full of hardcore heads (like you and I) and although he may not be very well known outside of those circles, within the very devoted crowd Never Lost My Way IMMEDIATELY becomes a big deal. I actually recall from last year the thought was that his debut album would come via VP Records (the news was circulating roughly around the same time as the news of Chuck Fenda’s ultimately wicked Fulfillment album which VP did release), however, I’m hoping that people like you and I will pay this album SO MUCH attention that it will become a big deal in terms of commercial success. The question before that is, however, whether or not the album is a big deal musically - And the answer is an overwhelmingly expected YES. The thing about the album, even going in, is that you KNOW what you’re getting into if you know the setup. Ginjah sings, he just does, Flava builds fantastic riddims, again, he just does - And while certainly those two factors alone aren’t enough for a success, when you dash in the fact that the two have already proven that they work EXCELLENTLY together, the results most certainly do not disappoint.

The album, and Ginjah’s music in general in my opinion, very much seems to be centered on the celebration of the music itself. Of course, Ginjah is a Roots artist, so what you’ll encounter are the typical socially and spiritually conscious efforts on the album, but he is in a very select group of artists in my opinion who’re able to convey a genuine LOVE for the music that they’re doing. If I am correct in my assumption then Ginjah most certainly adores the title track of his debut album Never Lost My Way for No Doubt Records, because it’s the finest tune on the album and perhaps the finest of his entire career to date. The song utilizes Flava’s TIMELESS Rub-A-Dub Riddim and it’s quickly in the process of becoming my absolute favourite tune on that beautiful riddim (perhaps unseating Fantan Mojah’s EPIC drop, ‘The Most High’). For me, this tune is all about dedication - The dedication of oneself to what you’re doing and the commitment of it as well. It is absolutely a STUNNING tune (and you simply have to take it to heart when the singer says, “when mi sing, mi no haffi rich. Ah no money man ah look after dis”). HUGE! Carrying the vibes further is a bit of a hidden weapon I’d say in ‘Time’ which features on Flava’s most recent composition, The Classic Riddim. This one was seemingly intentionally held back from the big batch of tunes on the riddim, as well as the subsequent album as well for the riddim. This tune is, ostensibly, a love song, but it definitely isn’t your stereotypical straight ahead piece and to my ears it kind of expounds on the virtues of PATIENCE, particularly within the parameters of a relationship, but by extension, life itself. It’s definitely another beautiful tune and . . . Good luck finding it somewhere else besides this album. A similar tune is ‘Solidarity’, Ginjah’s cut of Flava’s 2009 Ghetto Riddim. While I certainly have heard this tune before, it too was absent from the riddim’s album (both times it was released) and that’s unfortunate, because it is very strong. The tune is mainly an antiviolence piece, but it speaks on another, more broad, level as well - So it’s one thing to put down the gun, but it’s another to put it down and start living clean INSTEAD which is the point Ginjah seems to be making with the song and wonderfully so.

As I said, I think it’s very likely that Never Lost My Way is going to predominately draw the interest of heavy fans, however, if you’re a newer fan or just a recent deep listener of Ginjah’s the album also offers quite the ‘tour’ of some of his past work. Perhaps the biggest example of such occurrences (besides the opener, of course) is his previous MAJOR hit, ‘Music Alone’. I think it’s so interesting that arguably the two strongest tunes on the album both seem to celebrate music for the sake of the music itself. This particular vibrantly beautiful effort hails and champions the music as a healing element (because it is) and just a TOOL which brings upliftment, just like Ginjah himself. Also certain to draw a bit of special attention is the tune which immediately follows ‘Music Alone’, ‘Get Out Of My Life’. The tune rides a riddim thought certainly destroyed and left for dead by Etana’s MASSIVE tune ‘Free’, but Ginjah definitely pushes a lovely vibes for it as well. The tune isn’t a love song or a jilted lovers song (which is what you’re thinking it is), instead it’s a very powerful (and seemingly personal) social commentary, as the entity Ginjah wants out of his life isn’t some misbehaving significant other, but instead is POVERTY! This song is so well sung and although he doesn’t push h is voice as much as he does on other records, I would say that it is actually one of the better delivered sets on the entire album. And later we get two less familiar love tunes in ‘My Dear Princess’, which has a very nice jazzy type of intro before ascending into one SPARKLING tune; and then ‘One Of A Kind’, which is nearly spectacular and I don’t believe that I’ve EVER heard this song before which is a great thing and it’s one of the stronger selections you’ll find on Never Lost My Way altogether.

Still, the solid majority of the balance of the album is certain to be familiar in one way or another because of the riddim of the actual tune, but in this case, that’s definitely a good thing. *Exhibit A* definitely goes to ‘No Regrets’, which is downright devastating! I’ve never heard this tune and it rides a riddim, the acoustic version of the Drop It (I THINK), which Ginjah’s certainly familiar with (more on that in a minute), so it seems like kind of a bonus (A HUGE BONUS). Call it ‘touching’, ‘halting’, or ‘moving’, it’s all of that and easily one of the biggest tunes on the album as well (the man says “I have no regrets in life” and it’s just pausing!) (also check the probable lyrical biggup to Beres Hammond when he says, “Don’t watch the crowd, they’re always going to be loud”). Ginjah gets to take the full Drop It Riddim out for a spin when he reaches the very strong ‘Welcome To My World’. Again, this is another unconventional love song, although more straight forward than ‘Time’, you get the feeling that Ginjah isn’t merely inviting a special lady to his “world”, but he’s kind of speaking on exactly what that entails and the tune was one of my favourites on that riddim as well (after Beres’ ‘I Surrender’, of course). Check ‘Where Is It’, Ginjah’s cut of the Rock Steady Riddim also. This is a song which has grown in quality to my opinion over the past year or so since when I first heard it and it’s still growing apparently as when I first spun t on this album, it just sounded so FRESH, as if I hadn’t ever heard it or maybe just once or twice, as Ginjah literally goes out searching for the way things were supposed to be (“and anytime you see a ‘meal‘, it‘s a sawmill or a cane mill“) (BIG). ‘Day Dreamer’ is another bit of a blast from the past like ‘Music Alone’, as it comes through over the 83 Riddim (which you know as having backed Queen Ifrica’s MAMMOTH shot ‘Daddy’, amongst others). This tune is, essentially, about procrastination and stagnation. Ginjah (rightly) believes those things ultimately lead to negative acts more times than not and it’s definitely a relatable tune, even if you don’t find yourself doing negative things, perhaps it can serve as a well needed kick in the ass to get you going, as he says, “Lazy is the man who loves to sleep. How you ahgo find food fi eat?”

As Never Lost My Way winds down, we get even more strong selections such as ‘Prayer’, from the Sweet Riddim. This one was one of the very few tunes on that riddim (if I recall correctly), which didn’t make usage of the kind of ‘built in vibes’ it presented most artists with love songs. Instead, Ginjah makes a very powerful statement of praise to His Majesty and one which just may be the strongest tune lyrically on the album. And speaking of praising His Imperial Majesty, the tune ‘Jah Miracle’ [aka ‘Jah Jah Watch Over Me’] is another one doing just that, while riding the HEAVY Nyah drum driven Higher Priest Riddim. This one is definitely a bit more in the way of a traditional chant and it’s very powerful and it also helps to give a bit of colour to the album as well in my opinion. Flava also pulls out what is, in my opinion, his opus riddim, the Triumphant, for Ginjah and he lives up to the LOFTY expectations on the master class creation with a master class of his own with ‘Love Mood’. This song is just GORGEOUS and the very fact that the riddim is here is HUGE! It’s one of my favourite of all time by anyone and Ginjah’s is yet another strong addition to it. And lastly, Never Lost My Way closes up with the acoustic love song, ‘The One’. The tune is a very simple, yet fittingly very nice wrap to an album which finds Ginjah stepping up to the plate and knocking one right out of the park, with yet another tune giving love to the creation of the music itself and in a very interesting manner.

Overall, Never Lost My Way is indeed Ginjah’s time to shine and he definitely doesn’t blow it. Before this album in general and on various singles from other sources as well (especially ‘Desperate In Need’, his recent single for the crisis in Haiti), I’ve just always been impressed with the way the singer carries himself and it’s so refreshing to hear someone sing a song and at least seemingly, see them try to LIVE UP to what the song says. On top of that, as I said, the album comes across, at least to me, very much as a celebration or a display of the power of the music. It’s not very glossy, you won’t find a single combination on the album at all and while there’re certainly tunes which have different vibes (like ‘Jah Miracle’), you really don’t hear anything here which pushes the boundaries of the genre and that’s actually very refreshing in my opinion. Ginjah’s time is very much in the NOW and although, collectively, I think the assumption to call him an ‘up and comer’ will continue, but listening through Never Lost My Way I think it’s hard to make that case. The material here CLEARLY features an artist who has already entered his prime years, it’s just a matter of the rest of the world paying attention. Are you? I am. Very well done.

Rated 4.5/5

No Doubt Records/Flava McGregor Records

2010

Ginjah @ Myspace

{Note: Want this album??? Of course you do. It is currently available exclusively at Flava's website - FlavaMcGregor.com}