News from Cocoa Tea...

Been wondering for a while now whatever happened to "Cocoa Tea", his "Obama" album isn't exactly new anymore. As i was surfing around i found this article on "The Gleamer" where he reveals he got a new album coming, hopefully we will not have to wait till next year as he hints.

He's also droping a few lines on the current state of Reggae and it's future.

"....However, the overall project 'Whe De Reggae Deh?' speaks to something that he says people are asking about when he does performances outside Jamaica. "Everywhere I go in the world, people ask me where the reggae gone from in Jamaica. People are saying we are trying to export hip hop, rather than import hip hop and export reggae," Cocoa Tea said.

He said the queries have come across Europe, England, the USA and Canada, as well as Japan. "People used to the type of reggae that we sing. It is music that can inspire a people and a nation," Cocoa Tea said. That is in contrast to a lot of music being produced in Jamaica now, which Cocoa Tea said "is about dancing and the riddim."

Read the whole piece here:

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110523/ent/ent1.html

New Lee Perry documentary

There already is a documentary about Lee Perry consisting mostly of him talking bout stuff in front of the camera, without any history, archival videos or anything. Now there's a more complete movie around who seem to tell the complete story of "The Uppsetter" and im very excited about it.

Hopefully there will be a DVD out soon, this is one movie i have to get. While waiting, go and check out the website at:

http://www.theuppsettermovie.com

Earl Zero - Market place

 We read a lot about how the rootsreggae stars of the 70 ies are dying of one by one and it is sad that we are loosing a whole generation of artists much appreciated. It's enlightening and much needed to hear about players from way back when that is still doing good. Earl Zero may not be the most prolific of all the acts from "the golden era of reggae" but he sure is the real deal and seem to be doing great both health and career wise. Last years "And god said to man" was a great throwback to the 70ies sound with live instrumentation and high quality work all the way and now we got "Market place" who promises the same organic, high quality vibes as the previous album.

It both is and isn't at the same time, we get tons of live instrumentation and high quality vibes but the feel and sound they went for is completely different. The first song is "Get up", an energetic track with a heavy "rockers" vibe to it, i kinda get a Bob Marley feel when listening to it, like as if he was still alive today and did a song trying to cross over to the masses. I don't say this in an negative way, even though it's very far from what i usually listens to it's not bad, if you like songs that's 50% rock and 50% reggae this is a great track with all it's wailing guitars, piano etc.. Second song "Black mans time" sounds way more "Reggae" than the first song with a distinct back-beat and typical conscious lyrics fusing black pride with a  RastafarI message. This is easily the most rootsy song on the album and one of my favorites on here.

Pretty good also is track 4, "Back up in the woods" where he looks back at how things where in Kingston back in the day. It has a slight back-beat but also a strong rock vibe to it. The lyrics are very interesting and very much ads to the songs quality.  There's a coupla dubs on here as well such as "Lion dubs again" which i guess is okay if u are into dub music. Im no huge fan of dub and cant decide whether it's better or worse than a lot of other dubs. Last song before the 2 finishing dub tracks is "I love you little darling", Earl might sing about doing things "in a roots man stylee'" but the song feels very funky with a heavy bass presence an plenty of assorted sound effects.

Being a good reviewer (I try to be) you have to be able to  look beyond your own taste sometimes and determine if an album is of high quality regardless of what you think of it. That's what i did here, being honest im not all that crazy about this album. It's too much rock and influences from other genres to really get me going, sure the reggae's still there and this ain't no sell out a'la Ini Kamoze 's "Lyrical gangsta" but im too much of an purist to really appreciate this album. Still, denying that it's a high quality product from start to finish  would be unfair. It's nice to see old veterans still doing good and still being relevant so in a weird, indirect kind of way i still dig this album. Have a good listen to it before you decide to buy it though, it will alienate a lot of listeners (but then again, it's on Ernie B's top seller list so maybe not).

Another practice cd-cover....

While writing new reviews i decided to upload another of my "practice" cd-covers here. Artists and labels who sees this, im available and inexpensive.

Volcano revisited

Seem as if rite now is a good time for Reggae books, this one is brand new and seem very exciting with plenty of fancy photos and interesting interviews. This book is on it's way to me so expect an review as soon as iv'e got it and read it. Until then, here's the info from the publisher/author:

Tero Kaski – Pekka Vuorinen:
Volcano Revisited
Kingston Dancehall Scene 1983
Eronen, 2011 (company based in Finland)
208 pages, 4/4 colours
169 x 211 mm, 460 grams
ISBN 978-952-92-8643-0
R.r.p. 24 € / 33 $ / 20 £

" In September 1983 Kingston dancehall scene was full of energy and excitement.
New sound system Volcano was giving tough competition to established sounds like
Gemini, Lee’s Unlimited, Black Scorpio, Killamanjaro and others. Producer and
sound system owner Junjo Lawes had brand new equipment, best dubplates and a
talented crew led by deejay Burro Banton and selector Danny Dread with prominent
artists like Josey Wales, Charlie Chaplin, Barrington Levy and Tony Tuff. Night
after night Volcano Hi-Power was playing in and around Kingston for a loyal and
enthusiastic following.

The backbone of dancehall music is created inside the studios. At Channel One
where we meet Horace Andy, Johnny Clarke, Al Campbell and many others; at Harry
J we discuss with ‘the original Scientist’ Sylvan Morris and producer Roy
Cousins, and interview Prince Far I for the last time, a few days later he was
brutally murdered. King Tubby tells about his future plans - which were only
partly fulfilled. We meet Studio One veterans Devon Russell, Pablove Black and
Bagga Walker, and Jackie Mittoo reflects the past and future of Jamaican music
in a rare interview. And Brent Dowe smiles when Rivers Of Babylon comes to mind,
and gets us assured that dancehall is not a new thing but the very essence of
Jamaican music.

In 1983 Jamaican dancehall culture was rapidly changing: modern dancehall
music was born with Volcano. Volcano dancehall tape selection gives accurate
evidence of how many prominent artists passed through the Volcano stable in
1983.

Forward!"

Sugar Minott book

Let me revise the info, this book by Beth Lesser is already out and available to buy, it's 212 pages and contains photos (dunno how good the reproduction of them are) if youre outside of the UK it's £ 10.50  and that includes shipping. U order from Small Axe and they do accept paypal.

It seem as if this book is already out of print, at least for the moment (new copies is said to arrive shortly) but i will try my best to get me a copy and review it here. This is a book im very eager to get.

Irie Up so far......

 I've been reading "Irie Up" ever since it's first issue and have kept on buying every new magazine coming. I did an thorough review some time ago and as this is being written 8 issues have been produced. Perhaps it's time to take a look at the journey so far and asses what's good, what's bad, what needs to be changed and what's not. One thing needs to be stated and very clear before anyone continues reading, everything is written in good faith and im grateful that there's at least 1 English spoken magazine dedicated to our beloved genre and will keep on buying every new mag. as long as they are distributed in the country where i live.

In the review of the first issue i said it kinda lacked a structure, this have been worked on and the way the content is presented makes more sense now. It could be tightened up even more but it's not anything urgent. I mentioned that i was wanting a review section and there is one now. It's great that they review both vinyl and cd's (along with digital releases) but i wish they would cover a wider section of the market. Rite now it's mostly the small, local underground acts tht is featured, forget releases from VP, Greensleves or any of the bigger guys like Anthony B etc....

As far as articles go, what is covered? Just like the first issue they have continued to have a strong focus on the soundsystem scene and the promoters. There is interviews and features with artists and groups as well but nowhere near as many as i would like to see. To generalize it seem as if we are more likely to have a feature on a flyer distributor in (let's say) Bulgaria or a concert promoter in Cologne than an artist. I would love to see a more balanced magazine, keep the stuff that's in there but ad more artist coverage. When and if that is being done, feature all sub-genres. I wanna read about new and old acts, roots as well as dancehall/ragga and established artists as well as those who is barely starting out.

When it comes to the look of the magazine i have absolutely no complaints, it's gorgeous and professional looking whit nice color photos throughout the pages. Whit that being said, if there is a choice between producing a fancy magazine or a thick one with plenty content i would rather go for the later. If you could ad 20-30 pages by printing on paper of a lower quality and mix color pages with black and white ones i would rather go for that. Still, what you got going is flawless.
The passion from the first issue is still there and i comend you for not loosing interest or getting lazy, every issue oozes with love for Reggae. Seem as if plenty of folks are getting fed up with the scene nowadays and looses themselfes in nostalgia trips over how good it used to be way back when.

When talking paper magazines i guess the web presence is less important but their re-vamped website is looking a whole lota better than their old one (which was still good) but i would love a web-forum and perhaps a consignment shop selling material from all the obscure acts one reads about in the magazine. There is no convenient way of obtaining anything with all the local act's being mentioned. Also, a web directory would be great but not essential. Well, i guess that's it from me, i hope this wasn't to long and incomprehensible. I love the magazine, y'all are doing an important job and is filling a big void.

Swing-A-Ling Soundsystem Volume One - Various artists

The popularity of Reggae in Sweden may have exploded in recent years compared to what it used to be and there's no lack of talent among local acts. Unf. it does not seem to be much support for local releases. This have however not stopped the albums from coming, Swedish artists have dropped titles since way back in the 70 ies when veterans like native Peps Person and immigrants like Babatunde Tony Ellis entered the scene.
This is the first of several reviews where i take a look at some Swedish releases that's dropped through the years. I start whit one of my own favorites, the compilation "Swing-a-ling Soundsystem Volume One" who dropped in 92 when i took my first stumbling steps as a fan. It features some of the biggest names of the scene at that time, some who are still active and even at least one minor hit who managed to receive Tv exposure. Whit that being said, the main thing this album did for me was to introduce me to "Daddy Boastin", the funnyman of Swedish reggae. He has remained a favorite throughout the years and nowadays he's mostly active as a part of Sweden's premier soundsystem, "Trinity".

Starting things of is "Drum & bass" by Lion/Sly, an duo (i assume) i know little about, Lion has continued with soundsystems like "Meditative Sounds" but who and where Sly is i don't know. I remember i really liked this song but im not 100% sure that it has held up all that good, it's still nice but i notice it's flaws way more now. To start of i'd say it's a fast song whit drums that feels flimsy and artificial. It owes a lot to the current, commercial club sound of the time, good? Yes but not the masterpiece i remember it to be. Right after it comes "Newspaper say so", a vintage "Daddy Boastin" cut about current events and the news medias reporting. While i love the goofy, humorous image he has nowadays it's nice to hear him on a more serious note. One can tell mr.Boastin has more intellectual capacity than what he's showcasing nowadays. Also, his kinda trademark rough voice is not present, he sounds smoother and more melodic than what he does now. Over all, this sounds good.

I skip one song (whit the artist Papa Dee, which i never liked) and we get another "Daddy Boastin" cut, "Aids warning" which is one of my favorites on here. While having serious lyrics on how you gotta protect yourself and wear condoms this is a party track with a bubbly beat and a infectious (pun intended, lol) harmonica loop. This would work just as well on the dancefloor now as it did then. After this comes "Reggae down on me" by Isust, a lighthearted crossover track who gained radio play and Tv exposure when it came. Not bad, melodic with Saxophones and real instruments but to "urban contemporary" for my taste. Isust have been active in various constellations thru the years and is still recording.



More suited for sweaty bodies on a dancefloor is "Slammin body" by Rudy, another artist i know nothing about and never heard outside of this compilation. He is doing a good job and toasts well. I wanna get out of my chair and start dancing when hearing this, the lyrics do what they where set out to but will not impress (then again, that prob. wasn't the intention). It's a short album with only 9 tracks so next up is the last song, "Heartical vibes", another track by "Lion/Sly". It's about coming to Sweden and features a few Swedish phrases which makes u go, "hmm...... was that in Swedish? ". It's a catchy, anthem like song and a great end to an good (if not perfect) album which deserves it's place in the Swedish Reggae history. Just wish i knew more bout some of the artists though......

Earl Zero - And god said to man

Way back in the early 90 ies when i started listening to Reggae i was very much all retro in my taste and almost exclusively listened to 70ies Roots-reggae and vocal trios. Somewhere along the line my focus changed and my taste became way more current. I feel that might change again and go back to a more 70 ies flavored taste. While being a new album i consider this an important turning point as it sounds just like something being released in the mid to late 70 ies and features an artist who was in his prime during that period (although this release proves he still got it).

It was released last year by the Spanish based "A-Lone Productions" who recently released the amazing "From creation" by Alpheus (who most likely will end up being the album of the year). Ernie B reggae summed things up good when they wrote "You can no longer say that "they don't make roots reggae like they used to". " This showcase album does not sound anywhere near being recorded in 2010. Im not huge on dubs but the ones on here are quite massive, tons of instrumentation and incredible production values.

There's 6  different song with dubs included so it total there is 12 tracks on here, a few new songs like the title track "And god said unto man" along with re-makes like "None shall escape the judgment" which most potential buyers should know already. All in all this is an amazing album, they obviously took their time with it and i hope folks have and are buying this album so that we can get more in the same flavor. I got absolutely no complaints!!!!

REggae Britannia

Someone posted the whole show on youtube, enjoy!!!!