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ALBUM-REVIEWS 2011
Alborosie - 2 Times Revolution
Various Artists - Sweet Baby Riddim
A curious record is Alborosie’s 2 Times Revolution. It is a hodgepodge of information, covering a lot of musical territory and spanning many topics in its lyrics. It is the embodiment of Alborosie, himself, really, as it embraces the influences and inspirations he is absorbed from his days in his native Italy to his current home base in Jamaica. The curiosity comes from the feeling that each song seems to emanate from a different period in the last 35 years of reggae music and wondering if it will succeed as a complete thought once it is over. There are hints of reggaeton, lovers rock, roots rock, ‘80s synth-lite, ‘90s rap-infused dub, and turn of the century toasting. It is a travelogue through the history of Jamaican sounds coming from an Italian expat with a cover that features dreads flowing over a guitar shaped like an automatic weapon. Yet, despite cuts like Tax War or La Revolucion, 2 Times Revolution isn’t heavy-handed, verbose, or preachy with his intent. There is always room for fun. Always room for love and support. In fact, What if Jamaica plays like a wish from an impassioned citizen, hoping for better days for the struggling island nation. There are no missteps, necessarily, but on You Make Me Feel Good featuring Etana, it sounds like Alborosie is guesting on his own track. Maybe this is his generosity, giving her the spotlight she so ably shines in or maybe that’s just Etana’s talent to take over a song. Either way, it is another moment to ponder on an album full of them.
The Sweet Baby Riddim compilation is the epitome of the age of mp3. With each of the contributing artists providing the vocal over the cool, breezy rhythm track, what you essentially have is a chance to cherrypick from varying takes on the song. Listening to it as an album, though the individual performances shine, the listener may find himself feeling the vibe is stronger on some than others. There seems to be a deeper connection to the rhythm on three; Sizzla’s opening African Chant, Ray Darwin’s Your Wish and Mishu Laika’s Calling Out for Love. In between are capable appearances by notables Luciano, Konshens & Delus, Anthony B, Perfect, and Cornadoor, and if any of those are your favorite, you’ll want to download their effort. But, as a listening experience from start to finish, the varied takes on the vocal fell into some repetition. The ones that succeeded more than others were the efforts that seem to play into the mellow mood of the track rather than run counter to it. Lyrically, the performances that spoke to more broad feelings of love or unity blended well with the easy, laid back sway of the backing track. It’s possible that one’s favorite artist appears on this compilation, and the beauty of the album is that, in this day, you can extract that song from the rest. However, the more successful use of this album is to listen to it all, then pick and choose the ones you prefer as the contrast and comparison shows just how creative people can be with the same starting point. You may be surprised.
[Greensleeves - June 2011]
by Larson Sutton
[IrieVibrations Records - June 2011]
by Larson Sutton