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

Greetings Reggae massive,
I have a lot of cool things to tell you about as the summer concert season rolls closer. This is the busy time of year in the Reggae world and there are no less than 20 live performances in northern California this month including Collie Buddz, Capleton, Jr. Reid, Mad Professor and many more. This is the good life. For all my Californians you can keep up on all the up on all the upcoming shows at ireggae.com. In other concert news, Reggae Rising has finally began to populate their website and releasing their lineup which is already looking impressive with confirmed artists Gentleman, Queen Ifrika, Tony Rebel, Aswad, Marcia Griffiths and others. They have also made quite a statement by dropping their ticket price to just $99 for a limited time. This is a welcome financial relief to all of the dedicated Reggae fans who have been excluded from this celebration as the price been steadily increasing over the past few years and was almost $200 last year. Much respect to People’s Productions. Also make sure to check out their videos from last year.

On this site I have talked at length about the profound influence that Reggae has had on the world of Hip Hop and Pop in general but something that I have yet to talk about is Dub. Dub is the foundation of Reggae and has led its own journey through music being the basis for much of the electronic music that is produced today. Dub’s tempo was doubled which created Drum n Bass which lead way to House and Techno. You can learn all about it and its pioneers in the new feature film “Dub Echos,” which looks to be one of the coolest reggae documentaries of all time. Seriously, this is not to be missed. Check out the trailer below. If that isn’t enough Dub, Rhapsody’s newest channel “Dub Wise” programmed by your truly will soon be available for free on Rhapsody.com. I’m really excited about this and will definitely let you know as soon as it is available. 

Last but not least let me put you up on a few tracks as always. First off let me flash you back with a rediscovery of one of Reggae’s many one hit wonders. Ever heard of VC? No I didn’t think so, but I bet you remember this cut from some party in the last decade. Track by the name of “By His Deeds.” I’m not sure what happened to you VC but you will never be forgotten because this is an anthem. Big Up. The next track on our always trusted YouTube playlist is a remix of Athea and Donna’s Dancehall classic “Uptown Top Rankin,” by our favorite Reggae crossover artist Estelle. This is a crazy track featured on Joni Rewind’s album. It’s great to see her sticking to her roots. We salute you.

Alborosie is at it again… At any given time there are at least 2 or 3 new Alborosie tracks floating around the digital world. Bredren, if you’re reading this, much respect but give us a chance to support you by releasing these tracks officially. We want to let you know how much we love you and want you to continue to produce and resurrect the original rub a dub style. And PLEASE COME ON TOUR TO THE U.S.!! My favorite new tracks that I featured below are Promise, Rainy Day, Always, and Angel. Got to keep up with this hard working Ras. I also included a couple riddims you’re bound to hear at the club this summer. We got Jah Cure and Cherine Anderson on the Indiscretions Riddim and Turbulence, Mykal Rose, new comer Mitch on the Collie Monster Riddim.

Enjoy and Jah Bless – One Lovell

Greetings and Blessings,

Winter is over and the sun is out which can only mean good things for Reggae fans. It is time to enjoy the season’s major releases that will carry us through the summer.  Speaking of the summer, I want to start off by giving quick update on Sierra Nevada World Music Festival which has added several more artists to their already impressive lineup.  The newest editions are Bushman and the legendary rhythm twins Sly & Robbie who will join the already confirmed Michael Rose, Gregory Isaacs, Etana, Easy Star Allstars, Michigan & Smiley, Tarrus Riley, Anthony B, The Heptones and many more.  They must have felt overshadowed by Reggae Rising last year who put together one of the more impressive american reggae festivals in recent memory.  But even though SNWMF is making quite a statement by nabbing Sly & Robbie who have headlined RR the last two years, Reggae Rising has finally begun to revamp their website and it looks like their line up will begin to manifest shortly, so stay tuned for that.

The song that is guaranteed to be in hot rotation as the summer gets under way is John Legend’s single, “Can’t Be My Lover,” which features two blazing verses from Dancehall legend Buju Banton.  This song was supposed to be included as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of Legend’s latest release, “Evolver,” but for some reason never made the cut.  I’m not sure why, but this track has grown to be a very popular tune for a track that isn’t even legally for sale anywhere.  Amazon.com was carrying a single but after looking for it again, it has a note that explains that it had been “discontinued by the manufacturer.”  Got to love the music business… making sure the people get what they want.  Well, that’s what we have imeem and YouTube for.  Give thanks.