Okay so, we have a couple of ANVILS this week and the first up is from someone who many would already deem a legend, the great Dezarie (who is, apparently, going by Dezarie Phoenix these days), who has struck with her first video clip EVER for the song 'Hold On'. The songs ranks as one of the biggest winners from her 2025 set, "Guardian". I actually remember a couple of other VI standouts, Vaughn Benjamin & Ras Batch, going fairly deep into their careers as well before doing a music video, so perhaps this comes as no surprise. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding its creation, the visual side of 'Hold On', unsurprisingly, matches the beauty of its audio. It's an amazing song with an amazing video from a very powerful human being.
'We Are One' by Arkaingelle & Fyahstone [Saj Moor Dub]
Next in is another big winner, courtesy a pair of old favourites of ours. The next [regular] review you'll read on these pages (there's an irregular one coming ahead of that) features work by Guyanese chanter, Arkaingelle who, as I have mentioned in the past, once made one of the greatest songs I have ever heard in my entire life (I'll remind you of that in the review). Now, Arkaingelle links up with a producer that we're well familiar with from out of Morocco by the name of Saj Moor Dub. You may recall his work on a label by the name of West Coast Studios, specifically (PROBABLY), with Ras Attitude. Back in 2014, WCS would set out the LOVELY Kif Kaf Riddim which would include offerings from the likes of Attitude, Perfect Giddimani and even Ras Indio. Also on the Kif Kaf was a tune called 'Rastaman Ah Chant' ["Kill dem wid di love, light shine so bright. Nyabinghi, no time fi no rewrite"].... from Arkaingelle, so this isn't the first time artist and producer have worked together and it doesn't sound like it from the level of musical chemistry we hear on 'We Are One'. Also present is gifted Trini veteran Fyahstone, with whom you are probably most likely to be familiar via his fairly recent work with Lion's Flow Productions, however (small world), about a decade ago, Fyahstone and the Arkaingelle made a song together by the name of 'Lion Can't Cool' so, again, to the surprise of absolutely no one given how well they sound together, the two vocalists on 'We Are One' also have some history with one another. Hopefully all three have some future together as well as 'We Are One' is excellent.
"We are all children of The Most High
Put away your sadness, don't cry
So stand up tall, be wise and use your third eye
Rastafari go before I"
The song is a unity piece and I do these things and attempt to place meaning into words but, delightfully, that is done for us here. Watch the video to the end and you will see the lovely message at its end. Hopefully there is much more activity from Saj Moor Dub as the maestro has relocated to California and placing himself amongst all of the seemingly never-ending Reggae activity in the area.
'Fling It Up' featuring Davido by Machel Montano [Monk Music]
Didn't take very long to get into the visuals for Machel Montano's 'Fling It Up' (which are exactly what you would expect them to be) before I... suddenly had no problem with it, despite it seeming quite random.The tune is probably coming up on completing its first year in existence and here's a video! Why? Who cares! The actual song, which features Davido, is CANDY, it is GORGEOUS Groovy Soca with a little KICK to it (check the surge about two minutes in) and from, arguably, still the biggest single name in the genre and on his own Monk Music label.
'Ginger' by Sean Paul [Dutty Rock Production]
Dancehall superstar, Sean Paul, may have a legit hit on his hands courtesy of his new tune, 'Ginger', which is outstanding and very OPEN as is Paul's tendency (at his absolute best, he's capable of making songs which fit entirely in Dancehall but are as accessible as anything that you will hear). 'Ginger' isn't quite there but I do expect it do some real damage. The video? The video for 'Ginger' is Ai'd to the gills and make no mistake about it: This video is creepy as hell.
'We Da Do It' by Boyzie [Wetty Beatz]
And lastly this week is a tune that is, easily, amongst the finest that I've heard from Soca in all of 2025, the delightfully over-chaotic 'We Da Do It' by Grenadian supernova, Boyzie. I've said it many times before, Boyzie is one of the 'best kept secrets' in all of Soca and that isn't true from the standpoint of actual fans of the genre but if you're more on the casual side, it's fairly likely, in my opinion, that you probably don't know who he is at all. Be that the case, now is a PERFECT time to become acquainted as he drops one of his finest efforts in years with 'We Da Do It'. Great workout song.
{Note: I don't know which label actually released this song. I know WB was involved, so I gave them the credit. Thank you and have a nice day}
"The Jamaican Situation" by Protoje [In.Digg.Nation]
First up this week is a loooooong overdue visit to the stomping grounds of our old friend, Protoje, who is back with a brand new EP project, "The Jamaican Situation". Protoje has been rolling out singles from since very early on in the year and they've now been brought together for a the very fun full set. It's always interesting listening to how Protoje works because it's ALWAYS a very natural thing. Maybe you love every single tune, maybe you don't, but you always get the feeling from the man that he has found EXACTLY what he was supposed to be doing with his life (they sound NOTHING alike, but it's similar to what I think of Damian Marley). Standouts here such as '30 Million', 'Where We Come From' (with Jahshii and IzyBeats) and the MASSIVE '80's Wild' showcase that talent at a typically high degree. And I owe Protoje a review! Hopefully can get that out before the end of the year.
'Carry It' by Bunji Garlin [Bad Beagle]
There've already been a number of really solid Soca tunes kicking up for the 2025 season and probably my early favourite, unsurprisingly, comes from the steadily FLAMING Bunji Garlin with 'Carry It'. The man has been on an absolute roll in recent seasons (which is saying a lot in his case, because he's been great for decades at this point) (Garlin's cousin, Patrice Roberts, is also doing very good so far) and it is continuing with a track looking back and at the 'good ole days' of Carnival as, arguably, Soca's Bodyguard continues to defend and UPLIFT the music and the culture like no other. TEARS! DAMN!
The Dutty Showtime Riddim [Dutty Rock Productions/Madhouse Records]
The great Sean Paul and co. from Dutty Rock Productions are back at it with their latest creation, the Dutty Showtime Riddim. An ode to a more vintage era sound, the Dutty Showtime is a fresh take on the late 90's STATUE of a riddim from the great Dave Kelly, the Showtime Riddim (best known for.... Baby Cham's 'Gallang Yah Gal', 'Eagle and Di Hawk' by Bounty Killer, Spragga Benz with 'Wi Nuh Like', and a few others as well), which is now reborn and placed in the capable hands of modern artists. Paul, himself, takes a pair of attempts on his track, the second of which being a VERY strong combination alongside Ward 21 (Sean Paul/Ward 21 on the same tune is NUTS!) with other standouts including Buju Banton, Tarrus Riley and Chi Ching Ching, whose 'Loud' is a sleeper hit of a song in my opinion. Still, all of those talented lights are competing for the second best track on the riddim as Busy Signal ABSOLUTELY BURNS IT TO ASH [!] with his effort, 'All Dem Try'.
'Match' by Jah9 [VP Records]
It's been entirely too damn long since last we crossed paths with the brilliant in every conceivable and inconceivable way Jah9 and she has well caught my attention with her latest single release, 'Match'. We're going to call this tune... ROMANTIC? Maybe SENSUAL?? Call it what you will (it's also kinda dirty, but in an expectedly very subtle and mature way.... like I wan to... It doesn't sound like a bad time the way she puts it) (Let's just say it like that), but 'Match' is more typically CLEVER wording and structuring by one of Reggae's reigning sagest of wizards.
"Phantom War" by Lutan Fyah [Greensleeves Records - 2006]
I'll show you exactly why "Phantom War" is our 'vintage' drop these days probably in the next week or so (it's actually already finished, just wanted to do this one first) -- although you may be able to figure it out -- but out of all the older material from Lutan Fyah that I've been listening to, it's where I normally lay my roots. Going on twenty years old, I still consider it to be his single greatest album and, these days, you could even make the argument that it's done nothing but get stronger. Literally SOAKED with big tunes; from 'Wipe Those Tears' to 'Rasta Still Deh Bout', from 'Bits & Pieces' to the title track and from 'Blood Stain' ["BLOOD STAIN DEH PON YAH SHOULDERS"] to 'Screaming For The Poor': "Phantom War" was Lutan Fyah at his gritty, hard-working best.
Divergence. Time waits for no one and were I ever of the thought that I was in any way special and an exception, each and every day it becomes more and more apparent - my anciency. Sure, it takes a bit longer to get out of bed in the morning (the internal conversation I have with myself is hilarious at times as I attempt to convince myself to do something as simple as STANDING UP) but you expected that to happen; what does come as a larger surprise, however, is that your taste on certain things 'change'. Well, they don't actually change it's more like everything else changes around them and they kind of stay the same so, at least in some cases, what you remember as being 'right' or 'standard' (whatever the hell that means), becomes dated or "old school" (....which is simply a more genteel way of saying... dated). Obviously one of the most consistent ways in which you are forced to encounter this old drift that you go through is in various forms of entertainment such as.... oh I don't know.... let's just say music for today! I've been writing about music for a very long time and I've been around long enough to have experienced more than one generational shift. There were and still are sounds that I pick up on and when I hear them I will give them a certain designation so that my reader will know that what they should expect to hear is an echo from an older generation of making music. It's always been like that and if I'm still writing in another twenty years, It will STILL be like that. HOWEVER, in my unawareness and naivete I don't know that I ever envisioned what was coming for me as particular PRIME sounds that I once just cavalierly wrote about and perhaps took for granted have gone missing to a large degree. Like wha... DANCEHALL! My beloved infectious BOUNCE (Roots Reggae has that charming one-drop. Dancehall has (HAD) that two-drop and you know exactly what I'm talking about) that was and remains CANDY to my damn ears has seemingly been banished to a land very, very far away and if anyone can find it, please let me know. I'd like to go and live there before the end of my days. I could give you certain examples (literally EVERYTHING) but I don't want to and it's more fun today to give you a very perplexing 'anti-example' because what we take a look at today is something from someone who has reached a level in [actual] Dancehall music which has been virtually untouched by all but a supremely gifted select few. Had you told me that the year would be 2023 and the great Sizzla Kalonji -- still my favourite artist of all time -- would be at his norm in steadily releasing albums still but they would be largely devoid of actual Reggae music, I wouldn't have cared because I wouldn't have believed you. Had you told me that the same year would see a release from the Dancehall's longtime reigning monarch which would be extraordinarily light on [actual] Dancehall music, I may've believed you and it probably wouldn't have bothered me that much because I would have expected its followup to be forthcoming soon.
Well folks, that ain't the case. It's been SEVEN years since the legendary Beenie Man dropped a full new studio album (2016's okay "Unstoppable") and I think it had been another seven years prior to that one. I don't feel like doing the math, but we're at a point where the artist has done just two or three albums or so across the better part of the last two decades. So the moments when he does, at least for me, are VERY big deals and I'll go into it more in just a second. Furthermore, of course Beenie's name will always be connected to that of one Bounty Killer and I don't even want to begin to get into the depressing history of Bounty's new album releases, so when either of these two PILLARING artists of the genre give us the opportunity to celebrate them, that is exactly what we should do and do so in full bloom..... but damn I wish they made it a bit more familiar.
Beenie Man now brings forth his own long announced and eagerly anticipated latest creation, "Simma". If you're like me, the very first time you heard just the album's name it got you very excited because it reminded you of an older era (it reminded you of 'Who Am I') and the thought popped in your head that it may be a set with a focal point looking 'back' to that time, musically. Any hopes of that were destroyed when I heard it mentioned that "Simma" would be coming with a more 'worldly' or 'international' vibe (or however they described it) but I was still sitting there thinking HOW THE HELL CAN YOU NAME AN ALBUM SIMMA AND HAVE IT NOT BE A DANCEHALL ALBUM! I know that's ridiculous and maybe it's just me, but that was my thought process. "Simma" comes through Beenie's own MD Music Group, a first but not an unexpected one. Previously, his non major work came courtesy (in some way) via VP Records. Even "Undisputed" was a project distributed through VPAL but, at least as far as I can tell, the label has had nothing to do with this one (although I'd actually be a little surprised if I'm NOT wrong about that one, eventually) and it's all been left to Moses Davis and company. If you recall, there was also a 357 Records, which did "Undisputed" which was also Beenie's but has, at least presumably, made way for MDMG. Of course, Beenie is afforded some of the finest maestros in the game and production on the new record comes from some of the genre's greatest creators including the likes of Tony Kelly, Suku, Walshie Fire and others, including even Jeremy Harding. Along with that, something we'll detail out in just a second is the TRULY RIDICULOUS number of featured vocalists "Simma" features. By my surely incorrect count, five of its tracks feature Beenie and only Beenie, alone; that leaves FIFTEEN which find some form of accompanying artist joining Beenie Man on the tune. It's not something that I love and it is a practice which, for some reason, I most closely associate with Hip-Hop but, as I said, apparently they didn't have me's in mind when putting "Simma" together. Also not unexpected and GREAT to see has been the anticipation for this one ahead of its release date. I don't know who started it and I don't care enough to look it up, but you're doing a disservice to "Simma" and Beenie Man's enduring popularity if you do not mention the 'Simma Challenge' which found people walking up to and calling others and simply saying "Sim simma" to see if they could finish the timeless lyric -- "who got di keys to my bimma" -- and, as far as I can tell, the success rate was extremely high with only, predictably, much younger people failing the challenge (nothing wrong with that). That was lovely to see and I also saw that news of the challenge had reached Beenie Man and he was very excited about it and hoped to see it continue and it has. It's been very nice to see this album receive this level of attention ahead of its due date because it also speaks to the level of lasting fame and the reputation of the critically acclaimed Davis. That reputation has been earned, however, and all of the work which has gone into building it is done - it speaks nothing to the quality of what comes after it and this is the portion of the review where I come up with some cool way to say I'm about to talk about the actual music and here is me spending the next ninety minutes or so talking about the twenty songs which comprise "Simma".
I intentionally kept alluding to something from very early on here next to something that I stated clearly. On one hand, as I said, the sound of "Simma" is extremely varied and 'worldly'. It's not what I was looking forward to and, for me, that's unfortunate. HOWEVER, with that being said, just listening through the record - Beenie Man is in a pretty good form. He has not lost a step at all lyrically or in his delivery despite recently hitting half a century in age. I should also mention that, at twenty tracks and seventy minutes in length, obviously "Simma" is entirely too damn long regardless of how good it is, but I can honestly say that "boring" is not something I associate with it despite the album's obesity. The first CHUNK of Beenie Man's brand new album, "Simma", is our title track which has to be one of the most disappointing from my point of view, although the actual song is pretty good and one of the finest on the record named for it. I thought, at the very least, 'Simma' would be this magical old school Dancehall and it wasn't, of course. What it is, instead is a very smooth, kind of R&Bish/Poppish type of vibe and it isn't a bad tune at all. I may even go in fact to say that it is one of the finest songs on the album altogether, but you know where my head was on this one. I may've had similar hopes on the second tune, 'King', briefly, but when I saw who was on board on that one, such feelings quickly disintegrated. The very first combination here features contributions from English trio, Ms. Banks (who I do know), Backroad Gee and Teeway (neither of whom I'm familiar with). This is a VERY heavy and aggressive Hip-Hop tune and, for the most part, I don't like it at all. HOWEVER, as I alluded to, what you will find throughout "Simma" are demonstrations of Beenie Man being at the height of his powers and the first blast of that comes roaring through on 'King'.
"I am the man with the plan
Hit song long time before Wu Tang Clan
Long before Red Man & Method Man
Inside di studio mi ah set di gameplan
Smoke weed like Cheech & Chong
Lyrics inna mi brain and book inna mi hand
Days pon toppa days mi ah write hit song
So di whole world give mi a brand dat
[I'M DI KING!]
Mi a di man
Longtime mi ready fi every woman
Gyal dem ah bawl for di wickedest slam
Dem waan di strong, no weaker man
Properly sexed and di money be done
Dem gal yah nah waan no Christian
CLOSE YOUR EYES AND CLASP YOUR HANDS
YAH GIRLFRIEND GONE WID BEENIE MAN"
It comes off with force (virtually everything in the tune does), but effortlessly at the same time. He could have done this well on his way to sleep or the first thing in the morning and it is gorgeous. The next track up had me far more interested in the accompanying voices as 'Sharpshooter' brings in Nigerian artist Patoranking, the talented Giggs and the always compelling Busy Signal (who is one of my favourite artists these days and has been for the better part of the past decade or so, despite the fact that we do not talk about his work very much). 'Sharpshooter' is fun and it fits somewhere more firmly in the spectrum of Dancehall than its two predecessors. It also features some solid wordplay as you would imagine with such a lineup of lyricists. Rounding out the first batch of songs from "Simma" is a pair of impressive pieces (for different reasons) which feature our star all alone (and only two such tunes can be found in the album's final fifteen offerings). The first, 'Chop Suey', was rather strange the first few times I heard it (and it stil is, yep) because it almost sounds like two different songs going at once because the chorus changes so much. I do enjoy the odd vibes of this one though and as it goes on, particularly during its latter stages, Beenie absolutely shines. The second of these, 'Up Deh', hits for another reason. The sound here isn't anything special (I'd probably call it another one as Hip-Hop; although being more on the lighter side than 'King', easily) and even lyrically it isn't ranking amongst the best of "Simma", but I've convinced myself that 'Up Deh' featured very little in the way of preparation on the part of Beenie Man and he just vibed his way through it and even if the man, himself, told me differently, that's what I'm sticking with! In that regards, 'Up Deh' (for what it is) is nearly special.
Of course you didn't think we'd get through this album (or seemingly any other one that I review) without an appearance from Stonebwoy and he joins the fun, along with a returning Backroad Gee for 'Zimm'. If I'm 'Sharpshooter' "fun" then I need to come up with a stronger adjective for 'Zimm' because I've had a lot of damn good times with this one and I'm sure I'm not the only one. 'Zimm' rests easily with the class of this project and it's probably one of the best tunes with Stonebwoy's work that I've heard to date (which is saying a lot considering how often we run into him) (incidentally, if you're interested, Stonebwoy set forth "5th Dimension", his own brand new album for 2023, back in April) (more on that in just a second). Longtime Beenie Man collaborator, American R&B songstress, Mya, makes her presence known on another tune with a title which got me excited when I first saw it, 'Docta'. The first time these two linked, several hundred years ago, was for a remix of Beenie's classic 'Girls Dem Sugar' which has gone onto be a classic in its own right. 'Docta' doesn't reach anywhere near those levels to my opinion but it was nice to hear these two vibe together again and I wouldn't be at all shocked if they ran it back at least one more time in the future. Dexta Daps (who, coincidentally, also appears on the aforementioned "5th Dimension" from Stonebwoy) lends a hand on the relatively dirty 'How Deep' (which is about exactly what you're thinking it might be about) ["When mi ask her 'how deep?' Bout nine inch long. She seh 'don't dweet'"] and.... what can I say? I don't hate this song. I like it a little largely on the strength of just how extremely BASIC it is. It isn't Dancehall at all in sound, but there's something very familiar about it that my ears grabbed on to; but I'm not going crazy with it. There are far better tunes on "Simma", but 'How Deep' has stuck with me, at least for the moment. One of the biggest guests, the oft-devastating Shenseea lights up 'Fitness Instructor', which also pulls back Ms. Banks. Pretty much everything I said about 'How Deep' applies to this one, although, from every registerable angle, 'Fitness Instructor' is considerably better. As I've said in the past, you may see and hear Shenseea and come away thinking one thing about her, but that woman is capable, at her best, of HUMILIATING the spoken word. She toys with it! It is to the degree that it comes through in almost everything i hear from her and, for her part, Ms. Banks also sits on a hill of talent which is more pronounced here than on 'King', in my opinion. When I ran through the tracklist of "Simma", my eyes gravitated toward 'Hel-eva Bumpa' moreso than in the direction of any other offering. Over the past few months my ABSOLUTE favourite two songs have been 'Hard Fete' and more recently 'Entering Greenzland' and what they share in common is that they are both works of the incomparable Bunji Garlin who once again links with Beenie Man on this song. Previously, this pack of prolific poets paired on a couple of tunes to my knowledge with the high-water mark being the remix of Bunji's 'Plenty Gyal' ["DANCE MUST HAAAAAAAAAAVE, PLENTY GYALLLLL. IT'S NOT A MALEBOX! NOT AT ALLLLLLLLLL!"]. 'Hel-eva Bumpa' isn't on that level, but it is all sorts of entertaining and it reaches a place which befits the two MONSTROUS talents starring on it atop Suku's GRRRRR riddim.
Hoodcelebrityy lends Beenie a hand as he attempts to 'Let Go' and does so in a really strong way. This one lays claim to being one of the most Dancehall (definitely of a NEO variety, but that KNOCK is infectious courtesy of a master in Tony Kelly) of any on "Simma" IN SPURTS a quality which, alone, got my attention. It is also impressive on the lyrical side and has a bit of actual substance - all of which help see 'Let Go' ranking very highly here. 'Put It On Me' grabs up Relevant and the very gifted Jahfrican but it's kind of average for me and a set whose absence would not have hurt "Simma" on any level. It's nice to listen to, but there're more pleasant spins and it doesn't really bring anything different for me. Beenie goes solo for the first time in quite awhile on another mediocre (and possibly slightly below) piece, the Seanizzle helmed 'New Money'. Another rather strange sounding track, I'm thinking in a few months I may not remember much about 'New Money' at all and, again, you knew just by looking at it that "Simma" was carrying too much weight and both 'Put It On Me' and 'New Money' are examples of that. They aren't bad and if they were just singles released on riddims no one would pay them much attention (and they may actually do better than likely getting lost on an album), but appearing here they both feel like FILLER. The proverbial ship is righted ever so slightly with a good look from co-captain Cee Gee during 'Heavy On The Grades'. The riddim on the record doesn't do anything for me and it gets lost during matters here, but the back-and-forth between Beenie Man & Cee Gee is, at times, exquisite, which highlights it, easily. You almost wish they tried to do more as 'Heavy On The Grades' is the album's shortest track... I could listen to this again. When I saw that Shaggy (who was also on "5th Dimension") was also on board "Simma" I got an idea of an easy type of vibe between two legends and.... the sun even shines on a dog's ass occasionally, because I got one right. That is precisely what 'Good Like Gold' is. You can't rightly call such a song "filler" due to the level of name value such a piece brings, but 'Good Like Gold' isn't very good and it isn't some super combination that you may have been hoping for either.
The final quintet of tracks from "Simma" features a few more very large names aiding 'the docta' and it also features my single favourite tune altogether here. That distinction does not go to the decent giving of thanks that is 'Blessings'. It's almost comical (and dirty) what Beenie takes a moment to give praises for but to each their own ["Wi come yah so fi mek some money and f**k some p***y and dweet pon our own time. You love Fadda God and bun badmind - sing di punchline"]. I grew to enjoy 'Blessings' but it took some time and I'm thinking it will actual succeed in finding an audience, but we'll see about that. Fittingly following 'Blessings' is 'Prayer' which gives us both Charly Black and Louie Culture (always love to see the Ganga Lee on a new tune) which I LOVED. This one DEFINITELY did hve some old-school vibes circling around it and Beenie Man & Louie Culture were perfect for the moment and Black shines as well. 'Prayer' is stellar and a fine way to end things (nice contribution from the great Dean Fraser as well). 'Fun In The Sun' most certainly is not 'old-school' at all and it finds Beenie Man coming through with those who have NEXT (or NOW) in Popcaan and Dre Island. If you follow the course (this is my way of saying that i should have written them in order and I'm almost done so I don't finish going back and changing it) with this one leading onto 'Blessings' and then 'Prayer' you have a changeup trio at the very tail of "Simma" with all three bringing in some very necessary substance. 'Fun In The Sun' may just be the strongest lyrically of all three as it says to take advantage of what we have and stop bring negativity of all varieties into otherwise potentially beautiful situations.
"But if wi all work together wi can help each other
A nuh dem, alone, wi fi tell 'BLACK LIVES MATTER'
Wi no racist, mi no believe inna colour
A di hard work you perform mi admire
Every rich ghetto youth fi yo ghetto you be a pillar
YESTERDAY YOU WAS A KILLER BUT TODAY YOU IS A PILLAR"
Sean Paul not only lends his vocals to 'Supa Star' but his Dutty Rock Productions also takes production credits for the tune that also calls upon the smooth voice of Anthony Red Rose. This one mines a classic riddim and respect goes to both Beenie and Red Rose but Sean Paul threatens to steal his own show completely here courtesy of his thrilling offering. When at his best, Sean Paul has this almost robotic type of delivery (which used to draw frequent comparisons to Super Cat back in da day) that never misses a beat and I've always enjoyed and still, obviously, do to this day. I got the feeling that there was much chemistry between these three as well and while I don't think they did (seems unlikely), I would hope that all three got a chance to spend a little time around one another in recording 'Supa Star' (how crazy is it that Sean Paul is actually a little older than Beenie Man??). And I've saved the best for last to give myself time to change my mind because I thought that I might. I've never been the biggest fan of Morgan Heritage for some reason I either can't or just don't feel like explaining but at least for the three minutes and twenty-eight seconds of 'Dem Want More' they've made a fan out of me as has Tony Kelly (he didn't have to work very hard though. He never does) (Man's a genius). I'm tired of writing so what I will say is this: You listen to this song.
I've spent this review whining and complaining about the absence of something which is found in abundance on 'Dem Want More' and I never thought it would have come with lift with from the Morgans and they're right... I do want more. What a sweet, SWEET sound!
Overall, "Simma" is just too damn long. It just is but besides that, though it isn't very much of what I was hoping to hear; in an effort to just judge it by what I hear, it most certainly isn't BAD by any means. It's fun! There are so many interesting musical moments found throughout this release and, again, just based on what it is here (and ignoring what I was hoping for) lovers of many different genres and styles will find something to appreciate and, potentially, LOVE from "Simma" and you just KNOW a Grammy nomination (and potential win) is forthcoming as well. We find a certified legend in Beenie Man still in a wonderful form and showing no evidence of slowing down. Still, in my ridiculous old-agedness I can't help but think that, regrettably, when I think back to this album years from now what is likely to stick with me isn't so much what it was, but infinitely moreso what it WAS NOT..... damn I miss Dancehall.
'Rebel Time' by Sean Paul & Beres Hammond [Dutty Rock Productions]
"Rub-a-dub, it never feel like that"
First up this week is DEFINITELY a pair of legends linking up for one sweet piece of tune as Dancehall burner, Sean Paul, and the coolest man on the planet, Beres Hammond come together for 'Rebel Time'. Call this one unexpected but welcomed as these two deliver precisely what you'd expect from such a big union. 'Rebel Time' is just a vibe! There isn't a lot going on in terms of direction (although it does exist should you care about such a thing here (and you probably shouldn't)), but it is such a NICE piece and you knew it would be.
"In The Mood" by Shaggy [VP Records - 2023]
Speaking of legends, I'm also taking quite a few happy spins through "In The Mood", the latest EP set from international star, Shaggy and VP Records. Apparently (like everyone else with functioning ears), Shaggy caught the Soca bug in 2023 and he's done a project in observation of the moment. I have to say that the very first time I saw "In The Mood", just the fact that it existed made me smile. THIS IS A GOOD IDEA! It also helps that, in putting things together, Shaggy also taps reigning Soca royalty as the likes of Kes, Bunji Garlin, Patrice Roberts and even Skinny Fabulous (grrr!) all make appearances alongside the 'It Wasn't Me' singer. Still, a case could be made that the single finest moment on 'In The Mood" comes with Shaggy all alone as he mines GOLD with the syrupy sweet Groovy effort, 'I Love Her'. What a lovely song that is! If you too have personally charted a bit more Soca music this year (shit, even if you haven't), you may want to check out "In The Mood".
'High Grade' by Sizzla Kalonji [Pandemic Records & Entertainment - 2023]
Okay so, not too long ago we told you about some music from the great Sizzla Kalonji that was.... something other than stellar (new album, "Run Tingz", out now) (You don't want to hear that), so of course I've been attempting to rinse it from my mind and I've settled on this recent big tune from the artist and Pandemic Records, 'High Grade'. This one isn't rigid at all, it's very flowing and dynamic and just a very nice vibes and it shows that, although I may typically favour a version of Kalonji which is more 'traditional', that the man can touch in almost any style and make an impact with me. 'High Grade' is a boom!
"Bring it Anu" by Tamera [Ron Benjamin Music]
Something which has probably been on my radar for.... the better part of a couple of months or so that I'm just now telling you about (been busy, sorry!) is this wonderful EP courtesy of one Tamera (who used to go by Hempress Divine) and the great Ronnie Benjamin from Midnite fame, "Bring It Anu". Let me tell you something: THERE IS SOME GORGEOUS MUSIC ON THIS RELEASE. Tunes like the title track, personal favourite 'Free Your Mind Soul Body', the thumping 'Rememba' and 'Atm' absolutely soar on a set which you'll do yourself a mighty disservice if you choose to ignore it. This one I can definitely recommend to fans who have grown accustomed to.... that beautiful HEALTHY VI Reggae sound which is present throughout (and I hardly ever mention it in that way, but it stands out here so vividly).
The Jah Rise Riddim [Machete Records - 2023]
Also on deck these days is a big new riddim courtesy of Machete Records (every time I see the word 'machete' in any relation to Reggae music I immediately think about the WICKED Steve Machete), the GORGEOUS Jah Rise Riddim. With the first half of the year nearing about six weeks from its end, I have to say that the Jah Rise ranks fairly high in terms of the best compositions that I've come across in 2023 thus far. For such a beautiful creation, the vocal talent is top notch as well with several big names taking their turns on Machete's gem. Yaadcore is the least known of the lot, but he turns in a stellar set with 'Concrete Jungle' and is joined by the likes of Sizzla Kalonji, Ginjah, Lutan Fyah, Richie Spice and the reclusive Warrior King who probably provides the Jah Rise with its single finest moment, 'I-Niversal Light', which is damn near STUNNING! BOOM! Not that there are a lot, there aren't; but literally every tune on this riddim is at least very, very good, without exception.
"Standing Ground" by Akae Beka [Fifth Son Records - 2008]
Lastly (not really because I have to go back and write up Tamera's piece), I've also been listening to quite a bit of Akae Beka (as usual) and these days I'm well focused on the GEM that was the double disced set, "Standing Ground" from Fifth Son Records back in 2008 (I've also been on quite a bit of "Momentum" as well ["DON'T ACT LIKE THE DIAMETER IF YOU'S THE RADIUS"]. The double attraction to this release has always been the same and, all of these years later it remains the same though even further buttressed with HUGE tunes such as the intoxicating title track, 'Chant Out', 'King of Kings', 'King Ting', 'Medi', 'Spruce' ["He's the holder of the principle to do right"], 'Adon-I', 'Splendence' and so many others. What got your (or at least mine) attention initially, however, was certainly the fact that "Standing Ground" was a double set (and I think it remains alone in that fact at least as far a studio album from the Akae Beka/Midnite catalogue) and packed with so much wonderful work (over an hour and half of it) and there was also the little matter of it carrying.... simply one of the greatst songs I have ever heard from anyone, the INCOMPARABLE 'Ever Was So'. Like much of the output of the legendary Vaughn Benjamin, "Standing Ground" has recently seen a re-release, this time reflecting and respecting Benjamin's shift to "Akae Beka". Absolutely not to be missed.
Okay so, we look up and the calendar tells us that it is that wonderful time of year again when people like you and me take a look at the news and attempt to make entirely inaccurate predictions about what is coming as, recently, the nominees for the 2023 and 65th Grammy Awards were announced and today we, do what we always do and take a look at the nominees for Best Reggae Album and, again, make predictions which have NO chance of coming true.
Last year, there was a bit of controversy as US band, SOJA, beat out five different Jamaican acts to take the award and many fans (and others) had a problem with them winning. This year, no such thing is even possible as all five nominees are Jamaican based artists. The list also includes three former winners (one of whom has won twice) and a previous nominee as well. I will say that I was somewhat surprised not to see Shenseea given a nod for her debut "ALPHA". I'm also thinking that it's somewhat surprising not to see Horace Andy get a mention for the extremely well received "Midnight Rocker" collaboration with Adrian Sherwood. But,, as for those who DID get the call - let's do it!
"The Kalling" by Kabaka Pyramid [Ghetto Youths International & Bebble Rock Music]
I'm sure it's happened, but it is very rare that the album which I feel is the best of the year is even observed amongst the nominees, much less actually wins the Grammy. Because of that, I was VERY happy to see my current favourite (and likely winner, unless someone does something TRULY stunning in the next six or seven weeks), Kabaka Pyramid's "The Kalling" listed here and, though I feel he has the least chance of winning, getting his name into the mix can be a very good thing going forward. For as talented as the Pyramid is, however, he will struggle mightily to eclipse what he set forth on "The Kalling" which was, in retrospect, probably one of the single greatest displays of a tangible SKILL that Reggae has seen in a very long time..... at LEAST.
"Gifted" by Koffee [Promised Land Recordings]
Meet Koffee. The rapturously delightful artist who took home this award in 2020 with "Rapture" will likely have EVERY SINGLE ALBUM SHE EVER MAKES, EVER, be nominated for a Grammy. Though she's still just twenty-two years old and to say such a thing is truly ridiculous - it is the complete truth and you know it. She made the absolute best of her opportunity to demonstrate that with her EXCELLENT 2022 project, the aptly named "Gifted" which, as it stands (unless I am REALLY forgetting someone) is the second best album that I've heard this year. Koffee is the only woman and the youngest person to have ever taken home the Reggae Grammy and she's really just a breath of proverbial fresh air. Diversity can be such a powerful thing, particularly here as she's become a household name in the genre and one whose style and persona has no bloodline. Truly one of a kind.
"Scorcha" by Sean Paul [Island Records]
When Sean Paul makes an album, it gets nominated for a Grammy: It's just the way of the world. 2023 will find the 2004 winner celebrating not only his SEVENTH honour from the Grammy's, but his second consecutive following "Live N Livin' from this year. "Scorcha" was not quite as potent as its most immediate predecessor, but it would go fairly well received and it's absence from this list would have been a much larger shock than its inclusion. "Scorcha" was fun and, thought it did have more worldly ambitions, somewhere in its midst, fans could piece together a relatively decent Dancehall effort. Looking back now, it may've been just a touch stronger than we gave it credit for being and Sean Paul has, wonderfully, grown to become someone who always seems to have the best interest of the music at heart and "Scorcha" was certainly no exception.
"Third Time's The Charm" by Protoje
In 2019, Protoje's "A Matter Of Time" would be nominated (and lose out to the next entry I'm going to tell you about) and that is a GOOD sign this time around in my opinion. It means that whoever is in charge of voting for these things are likely familiar with his work and, of course, it also helps that the extremely gifted artist has seen a general raise in profile across the last half decade or so, which is saying a lot because I could say the same of the previous five years as well. Also, history suggests that, at least when it comes to Reggae, the winners in this category are artists who were previously nominated more often than not. While I didn't LOVE "Third Time's The Charm", I was well in the minority in that opinion and even I would have to admit that it was quite good. It carried a tune in 'Incient Stepping' which has become one of my favourite songs from anyone this year and, though this year remains a question, I am DAMN confident that, be it in 2023 or beyond, Protoje will win the Best Reggae Album Grammy at some point in his career - no question about it.
"Com Fly Wid Mi" by Shaggy [Mr. Luva Luva Inc]
In terms of sheer firepower, it's harder to get more arsenal than "Com Fly Wid Mi" which is an album featuring two time Best Reggae Album Grammy Award winner, Shaggy, singing Reggaefied versions of legendary singer, Frank Sinatra, with another legend, Sting, serving as producer (coincidentally, it was Sting, himself, linking with Shaggy on "44/876" which took this prize in 2019). Simply because of those circumstances, you shouldn't be at all surprised if "Com Fy Wid Mi" were to win this time around as well. As for the actual music, while it was clearly geared towards a certain type of crowd of which I am not a member, the album was not without its moments as the opener, 'That's Life', 'Witchcraft' and definitely 'Luck Be A Lady' all registered as significant highlights in my opinion with a sound somewhere right between Reggae and Big Band (....should have called Sara Lugo, Sting).
AND THE WINNER IS................
"Gifted" by Koffee
When I first SAW it (meaning before I'd heard it), I was of the mind that "Gifted' was going to win the Grammy (a month and a half before it released, I congratulated Koffee on her win). Of course, I did not know what the competition would look like at the time, (I probably at least knew Sean Paul would be doing something at the time) and though I'm not as confident today as I was then, I'm still giving Koffee the nod. The sleeper pick would go to Protoje. As I said, I see him winning it at some point and maybe 2023 is the year....
Of course with me saying it like that, that means that your likely winner of the 2023 Grammy Award for The Best Reggae Album is Kabaka Pyramid. WHO KNOWS! Find out on the 5th of February, 2023.
Timed. Does anyone else feel really, really old going through this shit? Once upon a time, which doesn't seem very long ago at all, things were much simpler. Everyone fit into or nearly into a certain category and we rarely ever had to make changes to the schematics: The Dancehall was very easy to keep track of. At the head, of course, there was Beenie Man and Bounty Killer (and, when he felt like it, Buju Banton) and then there was... virtually everyone else. The vast majority of artists would have fit into a never-endingly rotating 'chase pack' (not really chasing, but I like that term), usually starring the likes of Ele, Spragga Benz, undisputed Queen of the Dancehall, Lady Saw, Mr Vegas and whoever had a big tune at the moment. This was ahead of the era including the likes of Aidonia and Busy Signal and, when they arrived, they'd settle down nicely into that group as well. We also had a solid group of elders who were sparingly active such as Shabba Ranks, Super Cat and Mad Cobra, making respectable contributions when they did reach with new material and you could say the same about them this very day also. You also had this downright BRUTALLY fascinating group of outliers who either didn't fit into either of those groups at all or at least not with enough consistency for me to fully count them amongst some of their more straight-forward peers (probably the first time anyone has ever referred to Elephant Man as "more straight-forward" than anyone else, ever) (biggup Elephant Man: An artist whose 'show' sometimes makes people forget just how talented he can be). The most notorious of these wonderful 'non-comformists' was definitely Vybz Kartel who would position himself as the likely heir to the throne once Beenie and Bounty abdicated (and some would claim the man was in the process of overthrowing them at his peak) (....others might say he still is in that process), all the while (at least initially) demonstrating himself to be amongst the most lyrically proficient stars the Dancehall had ever given birth to. There was Merciless whose powers seem to fade and return frequently and largely on the strength of who he could get to fight with him. There was the phantom of the Dancehall, Baby Cham - a hilariously gifted DJ who fits perfectly into absolutely no category at all, due in major part to his reticence to voice for anyone not named Dave Kelly in his prime (and I do often wonder what may've became of Cham had he, like many others, jumped on dozens and dozens of riddims back in 'da day) (maybe it would have been better for him, but maybe not because he's had a fantastic career). Today we're going to take a look at someone who has spent the most recent, long ass, portion of his course on a giant island all by his lonesome.
There're probably grandmothers and great-grandmothers in Beijing who could hum the melody of 'Gimme Di Light' if you played it for them. In terms of pure popularity, one could well make the case that Sean Paul is THE MOST WELL KNOWN AUTHENTIC DANCEHALL ARTIST EVER. Maybe not the most beloved or most successful (although he probably is in that case), but just as far as how many people have ever known who they were, he is either number one or very close and, not to go back and cover his story too much, but his rise to prominence was a very unlikely one..... kinda. When I first began listening to the Kingston native, Sean Paul was someone who had been clearly influenced by the great and aforementioned Super Cat (a comparison he more than welcomed if I recall correctly) and that was a lot of what you heard about him initially. On top of that (and more on this in just a second), he had a very open and light vibes to his music. He was halfway between the Don Dada and the Doctor, not the Warlord. When Sean Paul did attract international attention, in retrospect, it probably shouldn't have been the biggest of surprises, given his style. It was bound to happen (for someone) and, as I said, Paul's brand of Dancehall music wasn't violent or heavy and, though he did have his moments, it typically wasn't very sexually explicit - the radio edit of a Sean Paul song wasn't very different from the original mix most times. The surprise, now, should have been that he managed to STICK internationally and have as much lasting success as he did and still enjoys to this day, but I even have an idea about why he's managed to do that.
2021
It comes down to a little thing called SKILL and having actual talent. I've named several really gifted Dancehall artists and, not to get into specifics, but Sean Paul h as as much NATURAL ability -- in terms of deejaying, the delivery of his lyrics -- than.... many of them, really (not ALL of them). He had this way about him in the way that he rolled his words - it always seemed SO detailed and CRISP. Everything was so immaculately detailed at his pinnacle. It is a gift you could see plastered all over his debut album, 2000's "Stage One". That album was amongst the very best Dancehall albums of the modern era in my opinion. There isn't a single album of its day that I would say is SIGNIFICANTLY better than "Stage One". Yes, it was entirely too damn long and some of the skits (not all of them) were ridiculous, but tunes like 'Infiltrate', 'Next Generation', 'Faded' ["Dem deh gal no rated. You ah live comfortable, but dem life frustrated"], 'Next Generation' ["If every day a man dead, the next man lose him head. Dem find di next baby dead inna di bed then wah go happen to wi next ghetto youth man. Wah go happen to wi next generation"], 'Mek It Go So Den', 'Check It Deeply', 'No Bligh' and my personal favourite, 'Deport Dem' are bona fide, unquestionable CLASSICS for me. That album was fantastic. Its followup from a couple of years on, 'Dutty Rock', was probably better than we gave it credit for being, but it was at the eye of his burgeoning popularity and then there was "The Trinity" which, at least in my opinion, was damn near excellent. After "The Trinity" in 2005, I kind of lost touch, although that's news to me now that I think of it, because I do certainly remember albums such as "Tomahawk Technique", "Imperial Blaze" and "Full Frequency" EXISTING -- I know they were made -- but I couldn't tell you a damn thing about any of them off the top of my head. I'd have to look at the tracklists to say anything at all on either of them in regards to the music they contained and, even after looking them up, I find myself wondering exactly what the hell I am looking at and when did all of this happen. Where was I??? Why didn't anyone tell me??? Thankfully, last year Paul gave me an opportunity to become reacquainted in the form of his seventh studio album (oddly, every album he's done to date with the exception of his debut and opus has been nominated for a Grammy and "Dutty Rock" won it) (his new one will also be nominated, but you knew that already), "Live N Livin". It took me a minute but when I did finally dive into "Live N Livin", I was damn happy with what I heard. That album was delightfully MESSY (had a song on that album called 'Danger Zone' which was just FILTHY)! It was cluttered and I mean that in the best possible way because when you trimmed away it (not too much though. Want to save some of the fat), what remained was a very strong Dancehall album and I'm still planning on slapping a review on that album at some point this year. "Live N Livin" was the finest Sean Paul album that I'd heard in the sixteen years since "The Trinity" and it ain't even close! That kind of brought me into a broader scope when it came to not only his music, but Sean Paul, in general. In January of next year, Sean Paul will be FIFTY years old. Again I ask you, WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?? He's older than Beenie Man and Buju Banton. We've entered a place where he has this very interesting perspective on Dancehall, being an elder statesman who has, literally, seen it ALL. Given his achievements on the international scale, he's been to places NO ONE else has in the music and, in the not too distant past, Sean Paul also spent a considerable amount of time on his grind as the star of Jeremy Harding's 2 Hard Productions! [WHAT!] He has seen it all and he has BEEN it all as well. So given both his most unique perspective and his history, I'm extremely curious, particularly after "Live N Livin" as to exactly how the hell a Sean Paul album in 2022 might sound. Let's see about that.
"Scorcha" becomes his eighth studio set to date and it is the one I've looked forward to more than any other in quite some time (again, given his m ost recent performance). Following a long and productive relationship with VP and Atlantic Records, Sean Paul would take on "Live N Livin" by himself on his own, Dutty Rock Productions, but in this latest project, he goes with another major, this time linking with Island Records and is executively produced by Paul's brother, Jigzagula. Looking back, Sean Paul's albums tend to go in either one of two different directions. The first is that they'll be like "Stage One", "The Trinity" and "Live N Livin" (and, "Dutty Rock" to a lesser degree to be fair) and be largely Dancehall experiences. It's what he does best, in my opinion and, though it may be difficult (for others, not for me) to overlook the other things, Sean Paul, purely as a Dancehall artist, is one of the best we've seen to date in my opinion. The other way his albums tend to go is the course that we've seen him explore on "Imperial Blaze" and the likes as something either incorporating so many different styles, centering around Dancehall (or some highly enthused version of it) or just something else entirely. So where on that scale does "Scorcha" register?? To its credit, for the vast majority of its fifteen tracks spread across nearly forty-nine minutes, "Scorcha" is a Dancehall album (for the most part) (in a kinda/sorta way) (basically). It does give an obvious international lean in the form of the sheer number of collaborations it features (although that is a trait which is becoming increasingly normal in Reggae music. The image of looking at Hip-Hop albums LOADED with combinations is forever etched in my head so every time I see it, that's automatically what comes to mind) (and that isn't a bad thing, inherently, pretty much every damn song on "Live N Livin" was a combination), as well in the particular artists who're involved and the prevailing sound isn't rigidly Dancehall yet, as I said, it is a Dancehall album, primarily, in my opinion. When I figured out what to expect from "Scorcha" my expectations heightened because of its most immediate predecessor and although it doesn't approach those lofty heights, by its end, it does prove to be a very FUN and colourful display from one of the greatest to ever do it. Following our intro, 'As We Enter' (which may or may not feature Jigzagula, just like he opened "Stage One" if I recall correctly), the first full tune on "Scorcha" get things started in a direction from which the next fourteen rarely stray. 'Wine Up' features production from both Di Genius and Supa Dups which might let you know (especially when you consider the song's name) what they were going for here. 'Wine Up' is infectious, it will get something on you moving, it also has its clever moments ["This mornin, right back to evenin - give her di stormin and mek she start grin"] and it's harmless. You will encounter several like it throughout "Scorcha". Another example of that would be the album's next and title track. 'Scorcha' comes via our old friends at Chimney Records and is probably one of the best songs on the release named after it. Do something for me on this one: If you can, even if you don't give a damn, focus STRICTLY on what Sean Paul says on 'Scorcha'. If you do that, no, you won't have an epiphany. You won't hear angels and shit or suddenly realize your purpose in life, but you will gain an appreciation for just how lyrically proficient Sean Paul can be, even still.
Listening to it superficially, 'Scorcha' is still solid. It's a nice Dancehall tune, but he does little things in his wording or in his delivery, taking things to another level of quality (and the riddim on that thing, billed as the 'Hot Peppa Mix', is ridiculous! It is lovely). We get four tracks deep into "Scorcha" before coming to its first combination, 'Only Fanz'. US based vocalist, Ty Dolla $ign (whose name I've seen before, but I don't think I've ever heard him before), guests and makes a fine first impression for me. Coming in with a bit of a different vibes from the pair ahead of it, 'Only Fanz' is a nice SLIGHT change of pace and, again, features a stretch or two of damn impressive wordplay. If you enjoyed the little stroll that 'Only Fanz' took you on, then perhaps you'll LOVE what happens on 'Earthquake'. I don't even know how to describe the vibes on the Banx & Ranx licked tune. Whatever it is, it works! If you haven't moved a muscle from the start of the album (you are COMPLETELY deaf) 'Earthquake' will likely do the trick for you. Banx & Ranx have been long collaborators with Paul and they helm a number of tunes on "Scorcha" including the one I just told you about and the next one as well...... album single, 'How We Do It' featuring Guamanian singer Pia Mia, who I'd never heard of. Mia actually has a pretty nice voice and she compliments Sean Paul very well. It maybe highly unlikely that I run back into her work again, but if/when it did happen, I wouldn't expect it to be a bad thing. 'How We Do It' is.... innocuous. It has a a nice kind of R&Bish vibes to it and it's just an attractive song - making it a rather obvious selection when considering singles, I'm sure ["More women, we keep on winning. Mi tell yuh this again: Not one fuck wi giving"]. 'How We Do It' is the first of five consecutive combinations on "Scorcha" and next is definitely one of my favourites as Paul and co. tap the always very interesting Jada Kingdom for 'Bouncing'. It took a minute or two because of what I'm going to call a 'curious' sound, but 'Bouncing' did ultimately win me over. There's just something very COOL about this song and I can't quite put it into words properly. It doesn't overdo itself or wear the listener out at all. Instead, you find a very nice and colourful, but laidback groove in the middle of it and I latched onto it and I'm still a little hooked. Take that and compare it to 'Dynamite' which follows it and you have something almost entirely different. Though not downright exhaustive, 'Dynamite' which features the big voiced Australian, Sia, comes in with this giant vibes and doesn't really take a step back either. I don't love this one, although I do appreciate it musically (another Banx & Ranx production) but I see 'Dynamite' as that song, years from now, that I look back on "Scorcha" and am surprised that it was on that album (and it could be worse... you pick up "Imperial Blaze" and see). Not too dissimilar from 'Dynamite' (though considerably stronger) is 'Calling On Me', with Swedish singer Tove Lo. This song has flames, but it also lets you chill just a little, but in either situation it has a sweetness to it. It also comes with a hair of substance. There is a message here about depending on others and being a dependable person yourself and for an album un-brimming with themes (and that isn't a critique, it's Dancehall. It doesn't have to save the world), it comes in as a very welcomed moment.
By far the most attractive -- on paper -- combination on the middle of the album and you could make the case on the entire set is the easy Reggae-fied 'Light My Fire' which pulls in burgeoning superstar, the ultra talented Shenseea and longtime US Reggae head, Gwen Stefani (in terms of start power, there's one other name who can give them a run, but with both of them, yes, 'Light My Fire' is the most loaded). Shenseea returns the favour Sean Paul paid her on her own 2022 release, "ALPHA", from back in March and, just as he did for her, she provides Sean Paul with one of the finest songs on his album as well. 'Light My Fire' is DELIGHTFUL. It is such a nice piece to listen to and, given the trio, I suppose they couldn't have truly screwed this one up even if they tried to. If you listen to Reggae to pretty much any extent, you've surely ran into Stefani in one way or another and I've always appreciated that, even from her musical nascence in No Doubt, she's well made it known her affection for the genre (she has a kid named Kingston and another one middle-named Nesta) and she's tangibly demonstrated several times over the years - very few times has it sounded better than it does here. For her part, if I'm still writing about Reggae in a quarter century or so, I'll probably be writing a review very similar to this one about Shenseea. That young woman has a devastating skill with the spoken word and, even amongst two card-carrying legends, she more than holds her own. I would presume this track would receive a push at some point and if/when that happens, I'd also presume it'd be a sizable hit from "Scorcha".
"Baby a long time mi deh yah, come gimme wah mi desire
Beat it wid di wire, mek mi sing out like di choir
Come yah Sean, come gimme likkle light
Spark it up cah mi need likkle fyah inna mi life
What a long time mi nah get fi si yuh
Panty wetter than di wata weh inna di Rio
Take mi high up, like a mi ah meet Jesus
Come one, then two, then three up"
The remaining two collaborations, 'Pon Di Reel' and 'No Fear' are very interesting as well in their own ways. Stylo G makes an appearance on the former which is all kinds of fun. I don't particularly enjoy Stylo G's verse on the tune (it isn't bad, it's just kind of awkward) but I have liked what I've heard from him in the past (I hate to say it but he kind of reminds you of Gappy Ranks) and what he does do doesn't take away from one of the best times to be had on the whole of "Scorcha" in my opinion. Let me cut it in right here because the moment is right for it: Speaking of goodtimes, check the tune immediately following 'Pon Di Reel', a [very similar sounding to my ears] remix of previous single 'Back It Up Deh'. Were we in a different time and Sean Paul hadn't yet made his big international splash (and maybe the featuring artists didn't have as much name value as they do), I would probably listen to this album and come away thinking that the most likely Dancehall hit present was 'Back It Up Deh'. It's pretty damn excellent for what it is. Also, I want to mention the fact that despite the fact that it doesn't feature Sean Paul at his lyrically precise best (the chorus does), what does come as a freestyle in 'Back It Up Deh', is going to be comparable to the 'A game' of a few of Paul's peers - even gifted ones. Just a fine performance and if you find none greater on "Scorcha", I'm okay with that. While I'm at it, there's also the '6:30 Mix' (also sounds like the original to me, but what the hell do I know) of the TJ Records produced 'Bend You Back'. Take most of what I said about 'Back It Up Deh' and slide it over to 'Bend You Back' because nearly all of it applies. This song, however, does feature a more pinpointed Seah Paul across TJ's mesmerizing Incredible Riddim from a couple of years ago. If you're an older fan of the DJ's, 'Back It Up Deh' and 'Bend You Back' will take you back! They're both the fairly straight-forward, well done, OPEN Dancehall music that Sean Paul specialized in on his way up. Back on topic: Reggaeton artist Nicky Jam and the great Damian Marley adorn 'No Fear' and the trio bring "Scorcha" to a close in a huge way.
"A that's why mi stay so-
Cah wi escape from a place where it seem like poverty embrace you
You ah try win inna di race, when you look is a police ah chase you
And a pure gunshot dem ah spread, don't think dem ah mace you nor court-case you
Dem will waste you
These are just the facts of life-
That each man tries to maximize
And meanwhile some will fantasize-
Of who they can't be dem patronize"
I hear African vibes all over this tune and the obvious influence from Nicky Jam (who does a SIMPLY beautiful hook. There's nothing outlandish about it, but it STICKS with you) making for such a compelling and colourful piece and the best that I hear, altogether, on "Scorcha". Lastly, check an interesting pair of solo selections in 'Good Day' and 'Borrowed Time' almost surely destined to get lost in the proverbial shuffle here. Going backwards, 'Borrowed Time' is pretty odd, actually. On one hand, it isn't a grand deviation from 'Back It Up Deh', 'Bend You Back' and the likes, but you get to that chorus and shit changes! I don't know what's going there - I like some of it and I full on dislike some of it (just talking about the hook!). 'Borrowed Time' comes in as two (or three) different tunes wrapped into one and I've found myself landing all over the place in terms of how I feel about it, but like I said, I don't think it's going to get a great deal of attention in the end. 'Good Day' also has a different vibe to it... albeit it a consistently different one (whatever it is) and I ultimately came to enjoy it almost strictly based on its MOST PROFOUND punchline.
"It's a good fucking day"
It is a celebration of that day you're luck to get a few times a month or so, when you wake up and you cannot find a damn thing to complain about. You still have whatever problems you did when you went to bed the night before, but you'll deal with them tomorrow. Today you won't even spend a second thinking about them and YOU WILL NOT GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO FIND SOMETHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT AND STRESS OVER!
"Try no let dem negative forces-
Come inna yuh life and make your choices
Mi ah tell yuh, don't let those voices block yah path dem and change your courses
THEY'RE DRAINING YOUR ENERGY SOURCES
While you should be burning more ses
Forget about all of your losses
And know the strength of your love is-
Like family inna wi thanksgiving
Forward stepping and wi nah give in
Upward livin and wi ever reppin
Done with the nega- make the posi- begin
Wait likkle bit and mek di spliff kick in
Before you go gwan wid di head bussin
Di Devil is a liar so don't trust Him
Don't trust him
It's a good fucking day
Cause everything around me seems to go my way
And every move I make it real and it don't fake
AND ALL THE RULES DESIGNED TO HOLD ME BACK - I BREAK
Yeah
It's a good fucking day
Cause everything around me seem to go my way
Sunshine rays keep blazing down upon my face
And all the rules designed to hold me back: I break
Oh yeah
It's a good fucking day"
BOOM! I don't know what to call it musically so I'm not going to stress myself trying to figure it out but if he could leave you with a single message from the album, I'm sure Sean Paul would want us all to stop stressing over every little thing that we can think of. Listen to "Scorcha", turn the real world off for a little while. It will be waiting for you later.
Overall, having reviewed it in this form, I do have a greater appreciation for "Scorcha" than I did after going through it a couple of times (that happens a lot which is part of the reason I write big ass reviews like this. The more I grind something down, the more likely I am to find something to cling to) (it can also help to provide a foundation for me NOT liking something as well), but still certain things remain. If you are looking for that rare, unicorn of a Dancehall album that is both fun and philosophical, you can keep on looking. You will not find that here for the most part (incidentally, "Stage One" did have elements of that and, of course, Bounty Killer and Capleton are masters of that, if you're interested). That isn't what this album is and it isn't at the core of 99% of albums like it either. What "Scorcha" does have going for it, however, is that it is either going to point you in the direction of a much earlier sound you enjoyed from Sean Paul or it's going to fill in on what you may've missed back then. IT WILL NOT TAKE YOU ALL THE WAY THERE! There're too many other sounds involved for me to declare it a full direct descendant of his early days. It's fun, it never threatens to take itself too seriously, but it also has its moments of making an impact or two. These days I look at Sean Paul as someone in such a rare stage of their career. While we have other stars who have made international strides, they ultimately either comeback to Dancehall/Reggae COMPLETELY or they'll spend the rest of their time having flashes that will grab a bigger spotlight, all the while doing their more typical work. Sean Paul never had that. He never returned fully and pretty much everything he's done over the past two decades has received a very large amount of attention. "Scorcha" is both an example of the fact that he remains fully aware of exactly who's listening now and who was listening in the beginning and he is still attempting to please us all. Good effort.
