yardie's reggae collection
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DAMIAN MARLEY WELCOME TO JAMROCK * * * /
After a couple of attempts to get some quality on a full lenght album, all of which are frankly pretty disappointing, Damian gets the target with this super acclaimed set. This is a very... smart set. It looks in three directions at the same time: some Roots (modern, conscious... whatever you want to call it), some Dancehall and some nostalgic touch too. The Grammy Awards voted this as Best Reggae Album but I do not trust Babylon that easily (you trust the Academy Award's Oscar ?). This do not mean that the album is not good. It is not good if taken as an effort to reach a real artistic product. This because there are some pearls, some really very overstimated and overrated tracks and some smart songs. Let's start with the latter which are quite good: "Welcome To Jamrock" on the masterpiece riddim "World A Music" from Ini Kamoze (about which I personally heared what David Rodigan thinks of: one of the best riddims of the 80's!), "Pimpa's Paradise" on "Pimper's Paradise" from his father Bob's "Uprising" set and "Move" based on Bob's "Exodus". This looking back to Bob's songs is a clever move... ah? cho!. The overstimated are: "The Masters Has Come Back", "All Night", "For The Babies" and "In 2 Deep". The true marvellous pearls are: "There For You" and "Road To Zion". The remaining tracks are unimpressive. Check for the pearls and for the alsolutely perfect move reached with the Ini Kamoze suggestion. Artistically speaking the set works around Ini plus the pearls. Three perfect songs. Thanks Ini, thanks Damian.
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2005 - Island - studio - discs: 1