Jah Is My Navigator
~ Veröffentlichungsgruppe von Luciano
Album
Beziehungen
| Rezensionen: | https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/3jvr [Info] |
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With over 40 albums to his name, Luciano is probably the most important reggae singer since the late Garnett Silk. But recently, his releases have been a little lacklustre, easing slightly too deep into his crooner comfort zone at the expense of his rootsier side. Latest effort, Jah Is My Navigator, sees the resumption of a longstanding relationship with musical svengali and saxophonist Dean Fraser, and is his most inspired since 2004's Serious Times (where Fraser also played a pivotal role).
Fans of Fraser's recent work with Tarrus Riley and Duane Stephenson will know what to expect – soft, clean, yet crisp productions, plenty of hornsmanship, and sweet, vibrant backing vocals from his girl group the Daffodils. The real revelation here, however, is the songwriting, particularly the title track, (written by Riley) with its traditional verse-chorus-bridge structure over a weighty one-drop beat, aggressive, tumbling horns, and the most uplifting vocal and lyrical performance you are likely to hear. Arguably, Luciano makes even better use of the more familiar rhythms than Riley did for his Parables album; on Trod Out and Sweet Jamaica his mature smoky vocals fit Fraser's revamps of the Great Stone and Pass The Kutchie backings tighter than on Tarrus' One Two Order and Beware.
No two tunes here are alike. No Evil is founded on a frenzied militant drum sound and elicits some spirited harmonies from the Daffodils; Darkness is a pared down binghi-ballad that rails against the forces that work against equality; a jaunty rendition of Peter Tosh's I'm The Toughest (with Peter's more cheerful-sounding offspring Andrew) may be a little heavy on the sax for lovers of the original, but it's hard to fault the version of Jah Live – a tribute to Jamaica's other famous son.
Like Serious Times, the first few songs are the most immediate, and it may take a couple of listens to tap into the power of the rest. But make no mistake; Jah Is My Navigator is a return to form, and a good indication (to those unfamiliar with Jah Messenger) of what the fuss is about.
