Issential Knowledge

What a gwaan Reggae fans!?

I wanted to give you a n installment of new music to check out as promised in the last post.  There are several albums that have recently released that I am very excited about.  As a Reggae fan I am used to getting excited by singles or new artists and rarely get the joy of three all new albums from seasoned veterans.

The first album I want to talk about is Jah Cure’s Universal Cure.  It is his first installment of new studio music since being released from prison several years ago.  We have enjoyed songs recorded while he was incarcerated but I know that I speak for all Reggae fans when I say that this album  highly anticipated.  Over the course of his career Cure has crafted some of Lovers Rock’s sweetest melodies as well as hard hitting one drop anthems.  This album is no exception.  As always there are the tracks on popular Jamaican riddims such as Sticky, Journey, Forever, Call On Me, and Green Grass but other notable cuts on the album are a heartfelt cover of Bob Marley’s “Burnin’ and Lootin,” as well as a monumental collaboration with Mavado, Junior Ried, and rapper Flo-Rida on “Hot Long Time.”  Mavado and Flo-Rida were added to this track for the album version.  Another favorite of mine is the single Mr. Jailer where Jah Cure explains to the jail keeper that he is as much of a prisoner.  He took his time but this album was definitely worth the wait.

I know that a new Sizzla album isn’t exactly a surprise since he releases no less than 3000 albums per month but this latest installment released of the legendary Greensleeves Record Label is an instant classic. Recorded with his touring band the Fire House Crew, this album brushes off recent flops (such as “Addicted”) and returns to the roots in the best way possible.  The single released several months ago was “Black Man In the White-house” where Sizzla praises President Barack Obama as an inspiration to all black people of the world.  It helps to set the tone for the positive and uplifting release from Conscious Dancehall’s biggest star.  The album is produced particularly well and experiments rather successfully with autotune pitch correction.  Personal favorite tracks of mine are “Jah Love,” “Stop It Right Now,” “Open Up The Doors,” and the token Nyabinghi chant track “Babylon Ease Off.”  This is a refreshing offering from Sizzla who has been known to take some drastic stylistic risks.  Give thanks, this will certainly stay locked in the deck for the coming months.

The reason I save this album for last is to make sure that is is fresh on your mind.  The latest releases from Sly and Robbie’s Taxi Label is the best Reggae album of the year but I might go as far as to say that it is the best pure Reggae album to be released in the last several years.  The rhythm twins are at it again and at their best as they craft smooth flowing classic sound to match to retro Bitty McLean.  After sharing this album with my parents and some older friends of mine I realized that many of these tracks are actually covers of classic soul songs which accounts for the classic vibe of the overall project.  It is also notably different musically from the hard hitting singles “Let Them Talk,” “The Real Thing,” and “Lately.”  My favorites are “Games,” “Lost Love,” “So In Love,” and “Jahovia” featuring Johnny Osbourne but honestly this is a cover to cover installment.  Seriously, press play and sit back and appreciate the craftsmanship and experience that went into making this album.  Literally thousands of songs produced and recorded by Sly and Robbie…  all leading to this.  You can check out an entire hour long concert by Bitty Mclean and the Taxi Gang on myspace.

In other news, my favorite newcomer Alborosie has been signed to Greensleeves records and will be releasing his long awaited debut album titled “Escape from Babylon.”  It’s sure to include several of his hits that have made him one of the most highly requested Deejay and producer but this Ras always seems to have a new track up his sleeve so it’s not to be missed.  Happy listening…. Give thanks.

Jah Bless   –   One Lovell