01. Spirit Lives (feat. Junior Reid & Inner Circle) 02. Revolutionary People 03. 96 Degrees (feat. Stephen Marley & Damian Marley) 04. Front Door (feat. Gregory Isaacs) 05. By My Side (feat. Tessane Chin) 06. Good *Hearted People (feat. Capleton) 07. Always Around (feat. Dean Frazier) 08. That's All We Have (feat. Tarrus Riley) 09. Island Girl (feat. Toots) 10. Freedom Must Be Now (feat. Mykal Rose) 11. You Made Me So Very Happy (feat. Marcia Griffiths) 12. Patriot's Cello (feat. Cat Coore) 13. Spirit Lives
Recorded at Tuff Gong, Mixing Lab & Selietion, Kingston JA. Dub Production at Sonic Jungle Recording Studio, Hollywood CA. Mastered at Lion & Fox Studio, Washington DC.
English born, internationally-rated singer Lloyd Brown has become a consistent critical favourite for his annual and increasingly biannual album releases. He could have comfortably rested on his laurels for the remainder of 2013 following February’s well-received New Veteran - released via his own production unit Riddimworks.
The same can be said of US reggae producing triumvirate,Zion I Kings, who have already put out a superb Cornel Campbell project this summer. So when Lloyd announced that he and the Kings would be making an album together – a strictly roots and culture record with none of the pop and Studio 1 inflected moves made on New Veteran – the excitement (among reggae nerds at least!) was palpable. Speculation on the sum of its parts would suggest that it be one of the events of the year.
Lloyd has been cutting cultural numbers since the 90s but Rootical, his 17th long-player is 100% dedicated to this vein. Atypically, none of his four combination partners hail from the UK. There are no daring cover versions; just original material. The songs are co-written and co-produced with Jah David Goldfine, Laurent Tippy Alfred andAndrew Moon Bain of Zion I Kings who lend bass, keyboards and guitar respectively. With one source of rhythms behind him, this is the musically restless Lloyd’s most unified effort thus far.
A clever man in an industry that frequently takes artists for fools, Brown’s lyrics often include sharp and witty broadsides against haters and wrongdoers. Rootical is no exception. On the brooding karmic What You Sow he updates his familiar paternal scolding catchphrase for the ignorant “Gwaan A Yuh Bed” to the extra loaded “Gwaan Make Yuh Bed”. Metaphors of trial by court occur more than once. Na Na Na, the sole love song in the romantic sense, deals with betrayal.
Yet the tone of the album is never angry. For each critique is balanced with a request for resilience and forgiveness. Likewise the Kings’ rhythms are not hard and unforgiving but soulful and bittersweet. Against a backdrop of Chet Samuels’ jazzy guitar and bouncy drumming by the great Style Scott, Live In Love asks us not to give up on people in general because individuals let us down. Just In Time reminds that life is too short to bear a grudge. To match the old school feel of the music Lloyd draws on timeless sayings and natural images. On Keep On Keeping On, he calls for level headedness quoting Rudyard Kipling’s poem If, reclaiming its colonial wisdom to a reggae context.
Lloyd Brown albums always keep a certain standard but usually it is possible to select a few highlight tracks. WithRootical the quality is so uniform that it is near impossible. The combination choices are particularly inspired. The title piece featuring Pressure and Keep On Keeping On, with man of many deliveries Jahdan Blakkamore (this time channelling Junior Kelly), deliberately showcase these versatile artists’ deejaying palette for maximum contrast and complement with Lloyd’s voice.
On the Cornel Campbell outing some of the dubby effects felt a little abrupt. Here every mix is pared down and peer reviewed to perfection, every note and backing vocal subtle and precise. Only the synth strings on Queen Omegaduet Together feel superfluous. This is a project where everyone involved has put in and, through your speakers, poured out, a lot of love.
Sometimes, like a boxing match between two pound-for-pound contenders whose styles fail to gel, too much expectation can lead to disappointment. Thankfully, this project delivers on its pairing’s promise. This is Lloyd Brownand Zion I Kings finest album to date – and given the competition on both sides – that is not easy to do.
Bishop Meets Manjul - Get Up And Try (Nigeria, 2008)
Bishop (born July 12, 1973) grew up in Benin City, Nigeria, where he studied mass media and broadcasting in college. In 1996 he decided to leave for Spain, but he got short of money and had to end his journey in Mali. Two years later he began performing in the hotels and "maquis" of Bamako, the dynamic capital city of Mali, to earn a living. For six years he honed his skills singing rock, jazz, soul, afro-beat and reggae standards, accompanied by the band of the Sofitel of Bamako. In 2005 he met Manjul, who was working in the studio Tiken Jah Fakoly had just founded in Mali. Hearing Bishob's voice the multi-talented French instrumentalist, composer, sound engineer and inspired producer offered to produce the single "Get Up And Try" (with lyrics from Sierra Leonean writer Ian Abioseh Johnson). From then on, Bishob felt more and more involved in and attracted to reggae and Rastafari, and continued to work with Manjul which eventually led to the release of his debut album "Get Up And Try".
Bishob, who has a great soulful vocal delivery, and Manjul deliver a refreshing, and at moments thrilling collection of tunes. While listening to the various tracks of this album it's obvious that Manjul cherishes the values of Jamaican roots reggae of the late 1970s. Even though he uses them as a strong foundation for his production work and arrangements, the musical backing -- done with real instruments -- doesn't sound outdated but is rather vibrant and fresh. Bishob's vocal talent shines throughout and all of the songs feature substantial lyrics (provided by Ian Abioseh Johnson on eight tracks). Stand outs are the title track "Get Up And Try", in which he encourages the people of the African continent, the uptempo "Chant A Song" with its wicked horns parts, the wonderful "The Roads From Ills", the ska-fueled "Hot Time In Freetown", the impressive "Culture Of Racism", and the excellent "One Love", a call for unity between Christianity and Islam.
