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Album-Reviews 2012
Steve Newland - The Lost Tracks
Busy Signal - Reggae Music Again
The Rootz Underground movement and their charismatic lead singer Stephen Newland need no more introduction. Mainly through their explosive live performances shown all over the planet, few people have yet to be converted. With The Lost Tracks, Stephen Newland, using the sobriquet “The Lightning”, now presents a solo album with tunes drawn from the last 14 years longer than Rootz Underground has been performing together. Featuring nine tracks plus intro and outro, The Lost Tracks will hit any Rootz Underground fan immediately, as the album‘s sound is not too far away from what we are used to by them. And some of the tunes featured here have already been released in Rootz Underground versions. These include Marching On, 20 Centuries, Hammer and In My Hut. Two versions of Hammer appear on The Lost Tracks: a drum-heavy one called Docsman Style, and a trance-like, heavy dub version. Speaking about dub: this album proves both Newland‘s love for it and its unique power. The first full-length track here, 40 Days And 40 Nights, paves the way: powerful riddims rather sparsely orchestrated, but certainly not short on effects - the more traditional ones, that is. Luckily, Stephen‘s raspy-soft, deeply spiritual and almost otherworldly voice always remains in the foreground, dominating the music. In tunes like 20 Centuries/Conflict it reaches the peak of its power. This voice can do without competition. Still, the featuring of Connie Bell in the largely acoustic In My Hut adds variety, mandatory for an albumlength recording. Same with High & Windy Day, Rootz Underground‘s tune on the Reggaeville Riddim, the Oneness Records‘ remake of The Paragons‘s classic from which Newland adapts the title. Guyanese singer Timeka Marshall responds him, inviting the listener to head off into an utopian paradise named Reggaeville. The Lost Tracks invites you to dive a bit into the history of Rootz Underground. It is clearly a must for fans. What remains unclear, however, is why Newland released it as solo works - that close is its sound to that by Valentin Zill of his group.
“This album will shock many people who are used to me just as a deejay, but it shows my growth, versatility and the recognition of reggae as the origin of Dancehall music.”, explains Busy Signal regarding his recent record. Entitled Reggae Music Again fans can already sense to expect something completely new from their beloved deejay who has been known for hardcore Dancehall anthems such as Step Out. It might be a risk for an artist to come up with such a different style but luckily Busy and his longtime friend and producer Shane Brown, son of legendary engineer Errol Brown, took on the challenge. Real, conscious music, something that people can listen and relate to, is what Busy declares as the Positive Music that he wants to do, as the intro starts to play before the first drum roll kicks in on Run Weh, a social commentary on issues such as skin bleaching. The solid upbeat production is criss and clean yet warm and musically rich thanks to Shane Brown‘s experience. By the speeches of Jamaican freedom fighter Marcus Garvey inspired, the song Modern Day Slavery switches the vibe to the dub side of the genre with echoed e-guitar and delayed keyboard chords. Busy Signal‘s tight rhymes are perfectly emphasized by the hypnotic drum beat. Ladies‘ tunes such as Royal Night are pure bliss for the female fans, while a deep, massive beat crawls through Kingston Town drawing a moody musical portrait of the darker sides of Jamaica‘s capital. Longtime fans fearing to miss out on Busy‘s wicked deejay style don‘t have to worry as Fire Ball presents his sharp-spitted lyrics on a melodic brass instrumental showing that dancehall style can indeed be combined with reggae and even dub. Additionally to the full-length album, VP Records also presents a vinyl edition, entitled Reggae Music Dubb‘n Again including extended dub mixes of six songs, mixed by Shane and Errol Brown. by Munchy
[Riverstone Records - June 2012]
[VP Records - May 2012]