THE SACRED BELIEF

 A few years ago VP Records dropped a batch of releases by some of my favorite heavies. I snatched up RICHIE SPICE'S Book of JOB immediately and spun it thru the week. Sadly it just didn't carve itself as deep into my memory as it should of. It still remains sorta half forgotten. 

LADY SAW'S My Way has landed in my CD player maybe a half-a-dozen times since that initial drop. I should say fall. ( I know I was feeling more optimistic in my original review.)(Wait...I review records?) Now her record from the year 1997 (aptly titled) PASSION, that one I spin like it's still fresh on the airwaves. 

Could it be that some of the Reggae Dancehall's big veterans were becoming stale? Uninspired maybe?

So with all those concerns weighing on my mind the rumour that Capleton's big disc for 2010, his long awaited I-Ternal...I should expect it to be a slight disappointment. I heard the few big teaser singles like "Acres" that preceded the initial drop date....everything sounded good but I foolishly waited till the price become more budget friendly. I mean I-Ternal didn't top any of the trusted lists. There were no reports that I-Ternal overheated stereo components and set speakers ablaze. So I waited patiently...

http://www.capletonmusic.com/ 

He goes by King Shango, The Fyahman and of course Capleton. His birth certificate reads Clifton George Bailey III but that is a degrading name from left-over colonization. Whatever you call him ...don't call I-Ternal Fire anything less than masterpiece!

I-Ternal is a different kind of fire. Quieter perhaps but no less hot. And was most definitely a top 5 drop of 2010. And another brilliant disc in a long succession of Fyah themed VP Record releases.

Nothing is ever that simple is it? Mr. Sizzla Kalonji, a professed devout Rastafarian, spews out Dutty Mouth with as much equal lust as he gives Thanks and Praise to Jah. Where as Capleton never leaves you in doubt that he loves his woman, he just does it with polite manners using tunes like "Good in her clothes!" off of MORE FIRE. He safely swerves around those dangerous curves! 
Sizzla, by virtue of his massive schedule, is bound to make a few minor mistakes! He has percentages working against him. Although it is never his skill level or his taste that betrays him. It simply that we have heard it before. Usually by him. Maybe even a multitude of times. Generic Sizzla? Say it ain't so!

Already thinking a dozen records ahead!

If ya thought that ACHIS is an over achiever check this page! 

http://thesizzlaproject.wordpress.com/

SIZZLA did commit some heartfelt sentiments to disc in order warm up the cold world of plastic coated digital recordings.

A Kalonji / VP Records joint effort.

http://www.afro-jam.com/

I guess following on the heels of his spectacular SCRIPTURES these two discs entered the world with a little less fanfare. Both are truly strong foundation statements. IN GAMBIA and THE CHANT deserve your full attention. Give it! Both these discs are an aural snapshot of his "return" to Mama Africa. 

I came across a handful of Sizzla tracks on SOUNDCLOUD before AFRO-JAM dropped THE CHANT.  Production by Kemson Macgyver Fenton's ICE REIGN RECORDS. These tunes ended up being my most played Sizzla tracks of 2012. Period. Amazing stuff from out of nowhere! Well from Harare Zimbabwe actually. Do check this link out...and do your ears a favor. 

https://soundcloud.com/user7268296

Anthony B- I don't know what to say. Is it his voice? Could be. Is it his lyrics? Not sure. So what makes Anthony B so incredible? Damn good question. Is it that in a career that officially stretches back to 1996... in all those years...that he has never dropped a bad disc! Not a single one. 
Even the always dubious Penitentiary Records and their (Anthony B probably doesn't paid one shiny penny in royalties!) GATHER and COME collection of early random tunes is a massive disc. 

Is this release a less-than-lagal affair?

It is what it is and this disc melted my car stereo. The car's stock little unit couldn't handle the truth!

He knows

http://www.anthonybmusic.net/

Anthony B's FREEDOM FIGHTER is most definitely a top drop of 2012.  A great production from the IRIE VIBRATIONS crew. 

I am planning on doing a "spotlight"write up FREEDOM FIGHTER in the near future. Or I could get lazy and wait for ACHIS to do a much more thorough job. 

Again...if I compiled this short list of favorites ten years ago...BUJU BANTON would of topped it at number one. Period. 

ANTHONY B and MARCUS GARVEY'S BLACK STAR!

I could not find the article I wrote about Anthony B's tribute to Marcus Garvey, so I rewrote it. Better the second time!


Black Star 9.9 outta 10

YAGGA YO- No denying Anthony B’s huge talent. One great release after another but he never seems to grab the limelight the same way that a Sizzla or a Buju grabs it. His success is hiding in the shadows of his Bobo contemporaries. Anthony B’s style is deceptively simple. His genius is- he says what he has to say without the fuss of flowery poetics. No fancy word play. No double entendre. Lyrics are to the point and direct. No complications. No room for misinterpretation. Very few music artists can pull that off without sounding like a blockhead and ironically Anthony B pulls it off quite poetically. His songs are tales of the everyday life of your average Joe. Well, your average Joe the Dread. Dread living in the ghetto. He takes faith, politics and every other subject you are not supposed to bring up in polite conversation and turns them into cautionary tales. Like Marcus, Anthony B is a preacher, and with each record, he serves us his sermon. So listen up you sinners! .


Marcus Garvey standing proud!

Okay, to be honest, it has been a few decades since high school and back then I am certain there was no Black History month. If we learned anything about anybody that was not White Anglo Saxon Protestant, it was usually for his or her negative contributions to society. Case in point; take Italian Americans- as a group of people they helped add greatly to American culture but my history book only showed them only as Mafia gangsters and low-life organized crime figures. Incidentally, as an Italian American serving in the Army down in the deep South, I was considered neither a white nor a black soldier. Safe to say that the KKK would have a rope waiting for my neck. A stand up comedian joked about being thankful to having that measly one-month for “black history” because as an Asian American, they got next to nothing celebrate about their being American. That one-month of acknowledgement comes at a cost of over 400 hundred years of suffering.



The SS Yarmouth, the first ship in the fleet.

One of the names I definitely remember learning about was Marcus Garvey. His impact was so huge even the WASP historians awarded him more than a footnote. Although, they managed to leave out the huge impact his philosophy would have on Leonard Howell’s Rastafarian faith.


Leonard Howell

Black Star is heavy in message but light in mood. The Black Star of course being the ocean liner fleet to which Marcus Garvey hoped to take former slaves and their descendents back to Mother Africa. Marcus’s dream was never fully realized due to internal corruption and White America’s constant sabotage. The symbolism of a black man taking his own fate into his hands scared the bejeezus out of those White Anglo Saxon Protestants.



Sadly, I learned about these gentleman through the Bob Marley smash, Buffalo Soldiers, and not my history book. I hope my kids learn the truth in school nowadays.

YAGGA YAGGA YO!

I misplaced a double Anthony B write up somewhere on my hard drive. Till I find where I filed it, my Black Star and Higher Meditation ravings will have to wait patiently. Instead I am gonna run down Street Knowledge and test myself. Yeah yeah, I know- you have heard that promise from me before and my lack of attention span immediately broke it. Even though I only succeeded half way, I never half assed it. So here it is... Track 01 two 7 clash-Anthony B sharing the spotlight with Joseph Hill and his trio Culture. Joseph reinvigorates life back into his tune about Bibical Prophecy. It is like the year 1976 all over again. When this Street Knowledge cd stops spinning, I am still singing along with this song. In fact I could spin a dozen different CDs after it and this song will still be in heavy rotation throughout my brain.


The Late Joseph Hill

Track 02 police- a song about police being above law. No protect and serve here. Only abuse of innoncents at the hands of "peace officers." Track 03 God above everything-okay, it is human nature to want comfort and earthly possessions. So keep 'em but only if your still faithful to Jah. Track 04 revelation-Anthony B is good at delivering these spirited songs of Rasta devotion. Track 05 laws for the rich-there are laws to protect the rich and laws to persecute the poor. New laws passed against Rasta artist because they are the ghetto kids (poor) that made good (rich) and now have the power to play the rich man game on his own terms. That makes Rasta artist dangerous to the white collar way of life! I mean how do you keep the 'filthy' Rasta off your front doorstep if he's moved in next door. Track 06 first start-a short name dropping history of Rasta and his push against the established oppression. Track 07 ghettoman do that- Why face yourself in the mirror. It is easier to pass the blame onto the poor man. He is hungry. He is desperate. His place is in the ghetto so by default he is a thug. Nobody will question his guilt. Track 08 world free-Anthony B once again shares the mic. This time with Bushman-Luciano sounding Doniki. I am halfway through Street Knowledge and every song is still pulling strong. Every riddim a class ride. This center is loaded with lyrical substance not artificial fillers.



Track 09 dancing mood- This is an interesting tune in Anthony B's arsenal. This tune is a Latin tinged up beat swinger about Anthony B feeling festive. It is a nice light hearted romp to let ya catch your breath after all those songs of Rasta righteousness. Track 10 key to your heart -If only more modern RnB falling in love songs were this good. Courtney Melody ironically sings the melody. He brings to mind, Barrington Levy. That is a good thing. I like Anthony B doing lovey-dovey. It is not weak in the knees mush. Odd this far along most of his records and we would of been treated to at least one love of burnin' herb tune not love of girl tune. Track 11 wine and roses- Should I start to worry, I mean another love song. Nah, another calm in the eye of the hurricane. I am sure the storm be will rolling ashore very soon devastating everything in it's path. Track 12 change of weather-I do believe it is about imposters hiding behind the face of Rasta faith. Hypocrites. Track 13 good cop and bad cop- this song bounces around. Beat and hook heavy. Catchy and clever. Track 14 don't buss your gun- this song reminds me of Johnny Cash's late 1950's country anthem, Don't Bring Your Guns to Town. Like Cash, he knows nothing good will come from it. Clouded judgement with a quick trigger finger spells badman trouble. Usually, all for an a arguement better settled by fists. Murder is a permanent mistake corrected by life behind bars. Wasted life times two. Track 15 gun powder- a ballad of sadness aimed at the epidemic of crime that infects ghetto blood. It is not a trait inherited from mom and pop passed thru the genes but a tactic spread from upper society rats. Track 15 pass the kutchie- Ahh...there is the ganga anthem! He saved it for last. The Mighty Diamonds harmonizing on their massive hit. To think, when Musical Youth covered it way back in the 80's, business suits figured if ya change the lyrics to Pass the Dutchie, it would be safe for white suburban consumption!


The Mighty Diamonds!

Note: the VP Records version of Street Knowledge has what looks like the same tunes but flips the order. On closer inspection the tunes Stop Di War In Music and Clean Your Heart on the VP disc replace Laws for the Rich and First Start on this release. True to the Jamrock music bizz, the home version changes up some tracks from the UK or American releases. Should come with a warning label that reads-May contain so many different tunes (or mixes) that you need all versions to have the complete album!