The reggae
releases just keep on coming and the quality seems to be getting better and
better. With even more great albums
promised for the coming months, here is our pick of the current crop.
Richie
Campbell – In The 876 (Chet Records)
CD / DL
7.5/10
Out Now
Not even a
decidedly dodgy album sleeve can hide that this is a very good album. Portuguese reggae man Richie Campbell (real name
Ricardo
Ventura da Costa) has assembled a great album of surprisingly good reggae, lover’s
rock and dancehall which may appear with some of the best reggae releases of
the year.
Already a huge
hit in his homeland (the album reached number one in Portugal’s iTunes Chart
within two hours of release), the album named after telephone dialing code for
Jamaica, is now attracting attention in the UK.
Recorded in both
Kingston and Lisbon, the album features such reggae luminaries as Agent
Sasco/Assassin, Toian and Sara Tavares and is both easy on the ear and very accomplished. Some nice dub touches here and there add
further interest to the album although there are forays into pop or modern
R&B with the likes of Rise From We Fall which don’t quite sit with the
other tracks, and to be frank are very average.
Stand out tracks
I Feel Amazing and Feels Like are uplifting with not only with good reggae
beats but also very memorable hooks.
The Richie Campbell website is here: richiecampbell.com.
He can be followed on Twitter as @richiecampbell and liked on Facebook here.
Zion Dirty Sound –
Celebrity Fever/Reworks and Dubs (Dubophonic)
DL
8.5/10
Out Now
Two years
after the release of their album Fils d’Abraham, Zion Dirty Sounds return with
a cracking EP containing nine versions of the track Celebrity Fever which
originally appeared on the album. The
premise is simple, send the track to different artists from around the World
and ask them to put their own take on it.
The
resulting collection is a quite brilliant mix of dubbed out versions with the
faintest hint of a hook that continues throughout. The concept does lend itself to the
possibility of boredom, but the end result is quite the opposite as the likes
of Jasmin Tutum (Germany) also introduce us to the almost forgotten genre of
dub poetry.
Afro D from
Russia contributes his version under the title of Teach Dem Fi Survive which
contains more dub than reggae and has a brilliant bass underpinning the whole
effort. The USA is represents by Master
See who’s completely stripped back
rhythm is one of the many highlights before Haji Mike from Cyprus gives
us a Mark Stewart esque poem (Pain Pain Gain Gain) political dub which is
nothing short of superb.
The Dubophonic website is here: dubophonic.comThey can be followed on Twitter as @Dubophonic and liked on Facebook here. More Zion Dirty Sound can be heard on
Soundcloud here: soundcloud.com/ziondirtysound
Rhythmites –
Integration (Bristol Archive Records)
CD / DL
8.5/10
18 September
2015
Originally
released in 1989, Integration has been given an affectionate remix to bring the
tunes up-to-date and now sound as though they were recorded yesterday in
probably one of the year’s finest roots reggae releases.
Lyrics of
the Worlds troubles and peace/war are as relevant now as they were over
twenty-five years ago and racks like Pain And Suffering with its dub bridge
halfway through are quite stunning. A
sumptuous bass lovingly underpins a classic reggae beat with lazy drums and
clear vocals.
Remixed by sound
engineer Ben Findley each and every track is classic Rhythmites who were always
known for their exemplary live performances and didgeridoo which makes an
appearance on the superb No Guns with its almost rock guitars.
Aside form
the original eight track listing are two new dub versions of Heed No Dream and
A True which perfectly compliment the line-up.
Affectionately presented in an authentic style they provide a pleasing
end to a timeless album.
The Rhythmites website is here: rhythmites.co.uk.
and they can be liked on Facebook here.
No comments:
Post a Comment