"Glory" by Akae Beka [Zion High Productions]
I have long developed a certain level of excitement and anticipation when it comes the music of one Vaughn Benjamin over the years which is unlike the feeling I get when looking forward to the works of anyone else. This is a vibe which is very much of the rare type of feeling that you used to get (or maybe still get) as a student who is actually eager to go to class on a certain day. Whatever the subject is, you're looking forward to learning more (I actually recall that happening far more at university than prior to that, when you had no control over what you learned and from whom) and you are also so very much looking forward to the METHOD of teaching. Will he be ever so slightly more direct? Will he meet you halfway or will Benjamin ultimately leave it up to the student ENTIRELY.
Another question you tend to have is who will he bring with him in order to get the message across. A group of his greatest and most fruitful of associates can be found within Zion High Productions and the Zion I Kings who... we've covered extensively over the years in regards to working alongside Akae Beka and many other extremely talented artists (I was about to go into that more and then I realized that I've probably done that DOZENS of times by now) (and did it not too long ago in a still forthcoming review, actually), so when I saw that the link had been once again behind yet another project, I got EVEN MORE excited to hear it and then when we talk about the actual artists involved - that took "Glory" to an even greater stage 'I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY need to hear this'. Well, I've heard it and if you have about half an hour or so, I'd like to tell you about what I think of "Glory", the latest release of the legendary Akae Beka.
'Aqueduct' featuring Micah Shemaiah & 'Aqueduct Dub'
Each of the four vocal selections on "Glory" features Vaughn Benjamin working alongside another vocalist and the first of the quartet is the very gifted Jamaican chanter Micah Shemaiah who (has an album of his own this year, "Jamaica Jamaica") displays his ample abilities all over the GORGEOUS 'Aqueduct'. I have had SO MUCH fun with 'Aqueduct' and it actually helped me take this write-up in the direction that I chose to in the end because what I took from the opener is that it is about the CONVEYANCE OF KNOWLEDGE and how important it is to give something to someone in a way that they can comprehend it and be able to have more of a chance to actually apply it and retain it after the lesson. When I arrived at that 'conclusion' (and I use that word only because it sounds like where it would fit in, but it is most certainly NOT a "conclusion". If you ask me what I think of 'Aqueduct' a year from now (or in twenty minutes) my "conclusion" may've shifted), I got this wonderfully loose image of knowledge transferring seamlessly from place to place and never actually settling at one final destination - like an aqueduct.
"OVERSTANDING COME, INNA DEGREES DIFFERENT FOR SOME"
Musically speaking, 'Aqueduct' comes through on one of those ZIK riddims that you listen to and enjoy, casually, but when you REALLY dig into them, you hear such a wide array of sounds and mechanisms that don't stand out unless you spend that extra time working with them. Unsurprisingly, it makes for a lovely dub and one which can lay a large claim to being the single best "Glory" has to offer altogether.
'Glory' featuring Kabaka Pyramid & 'Glory Dub'
Our title track here features Akae Beka alongside the genius and current holder of the Best Reggae Album Grammy, Kabaka Pyramid and the two deliver a lesson which is downright HUMBLING! This song is a potato chip - you CANNOT listen to it just once. No chance! Along with the message being delivered, 'Glory' is delightful to HEAR. Benjamin will never be the most melodic of chanters (you will find dozens of tunes by him which will have you wondering if he can even hear the riddim at all), but he is in a fine form on that front on this tune (coincidentally, if you'd like to hear another good example of a more musically aware Vaughn Benjamin, check a tune called 'Daughtaz And Sunz' from the "Livicated" album, another ZHP set) (I wouldn't be too surprised if those tunes were recorded around the same time, actually) and when the vocals are removed, 'Glory Dub' continues to SHINE! Something which does really stand out on the original track that is wonderfully interspersed (that actually is a word) (...unlike "subjectry" which I made up and LOVE to use) is a horn (and later a saxophone, I believe) and it's little things like that which really make for a LUSH sound on these type of tracks. 'Glory Dub' is BEAUTIFUL!
HOWEVER, it's just pretty damn impossible to ignore and not be impressed when someone erupts like THIS:
"Luminous beings in dis yah physical manifestation
All working together, participating inna creation
Guided by The King, the highest idea of initiation
Balancing di material and esoteric in the equation
STEPPING OUT OF ATLANTIS, WHO CREAT DI THE FIRST CIVILIZATION?
IT WAS A BLACK AFRIKAN INNA ITHIOPIAN MOUTAINOUS REGION
Stretching forth from Kemet to the Indus-Kush Valley through
THE EVIDENCE OF THE CULTURAL CONNECTION BEAR DI RELATION"
I mean... what... what do you do with THAT! That Kabaka Pyramid - he's a wise one.
'Son' featuring Mykal Rose & 'Son Dub'
I was pleasantly surprised to see the venerable Mykal Rose join Akae Beka for 'Son' and I don't know why exactly; it just didn't seem like a likely combination to come at any point, but after listening to it - I am damn happy whoever chose to attempt to bring these two together actually made it happen. 'Son' features such a powerful and almost addictive simplicity that I found myself listening to it not just because I enjoyed it or because I was trying to root out its meaning, but also because I just found it so comforting. For his part, Rose (who has been gifted with one of the most distinct voices that we've had in Reggae music) also thrives in the straight-forwardness of the moment and what you have hear is a nearly divine piece of music for the senses. LISTENING TO 'SON' MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD! That is a trait which well extends to 'Son Dub' as well as, although the its beginnings have more of a flare (I think that's a flute at the head of the tune), it settles into this ultra COOL vibe which dominates throughout its duration (you listen to it at ~2:10 or so, 'Son Dub' is in the STARS! It is so nice!).
'Still Small Voice' featuring Reemah & 'Still Small Voice Dub'
.....and then.... and then there's this.... thing. Were you to actually ask me WHO I would most love to hear make a song with Vaughn Benjamin, I'd come up with quite a few names. I'd name people like Luciano, Determine might be somewhere on that list and maybe even a wildcard like an Aidonia (because, why not!) (CAPLETON would also be there as well). Somewhere near the very top of my list would also be the brilliant Reemah and LOOK WHAT THIS IS! The downright SHATTERING 'Still Small Voice' brings together two of the greatest lyrical minds modern Reggae music has ever produced AND THEY DO NOT DISAPPOINT! I'm still working on this one (and that process will only end when I do), but where I am is that 'Still Small Voice' is about conscience.
"A still small voice, with principle speaking
OF WHY LOVE IS NEEDED
WHY LOVE IS NEEDED"
It's about that present tiny thought that we all have in the back of our heads that (hopefully) helps to steer us in the right direction when we have those moments of doubt. It is far too often overlooked (it comes with being flawed, which is what we all are), but IT IS THERE! Reemah puts 'Still Small Voice' to the sword and absolutely destroys everything everywhere with her contributions and, I have to say, virtually each and every time I hear her work at her absolute best, I have this feeling that we are listening to someone TRULY powerful and special. Musically, 'Still Small Voice' is interesting because it is so complex, to the point where you notice it even behind the vocals. The dub seems to be more streamlined at times, which is more of what you would have thought it would be and the mix ultimately does work.... as you knew it would for a dub of, easily, one of the best tunes of 2023.
You don't need a closing paragraph, don't act like you do! It's Akae Beka, it's Zion High it's the ZIK. That's all you need to know (.... along with all that other stuff I just wrote up there^) (that stuff is important as well). "Glory" is available now.
