Tracks :
1 - To Jah Only (Praying For The World), 2 - In This Life, 3 - Pomps And Pride, 4 - Micro Chip, 5 - Faith, 6 - Woman Of The Rising Sun (featuring Chachi), 7 - Lionheart, 8 - Rough Road, 9 - Mother Nature, 10 - Encouragement, 11 - Straighten Out By Tomorrow, 12 - Mystery Babylon, 13 - African Woman.
Sound Samples :
In This Life
Micro Chip
Rough Road
|
Release Info :
Unlike many other Jamaican artists Prezident Brown isn't a high prolific artist. Rather than flooding the reggae market with lots of singles he takes time to concentrate on bringing "roots with quality". His long awaited new album - a Kariang production - is released three years after he delivered "Prezident Selections" and the Bobby "Digital Dixon produced "Original Blue Print". Regarding Prezident Brown's efforts on his fifth album since he made his recording debut in 1986 the waiting for was well worth.
With "To Jah Only (Praying For The World)" he delivers a varied and strong contemporary roots album filled with many excellent tunes, no filler to be found. The appealing "live" played riddims - laid by fine musicians such as Benjy Myaz, Ian "Beezy" Coleman, Ernest Ranglin, Barry O'Hare, Devon Bradshaw, Michael Miller, Donald Dennis, Paul Crosdale, Chico Chin and Tony Green - fit Prezident Brown's chanting style very well. The production is solid with the instruments and backing vocals balancing up nicely. From the impressive nyabinghi flavoured title track "To Jah Only (Praying For The World)" through "African Woman" - in which he praises women - Prezident Brown keeps you involved with his striking conscious and uplifting lyrics (among them some of his most personal to date), which are fortunately included in the sleeve booklet.
Besides the aforementioned tunes our personal favourites include "Pomp And Pride", the uplifting "Faith", the autobiographical "Rough Road", the superlative chant "Mystery Babylon" and the combination song "Woman Of The Rising Sun" - largely incorporating the same English lyrics as utilized in "African Woman" - with sister Chanchi delivering her part of the lyrics in Amharic. We're sure every roots fan gets the picture.
Album review by Teacher & Mr. T : All Rights Reserved. © 2000 Reggae Vibes Productions NL
Additional Review :
Conscious dancehall dj Prezident Brown took the high road when the low seemed the only path and his latest CD, "To Jah Only (Praying For The World") is set to be celebrated with outstanding cuts like previous singles "Rough Road" (on which the influence of Tony Rebel is apparent - Brown even cops a melody from Jackie Del Shannon, which has worked well in the past for Tony Rebel), "Mystery Babylon" and "African Woman". There are also new and unusual works including "Faith", on which the dj shows he can sing, "Micro Chip" where he takes on this oh-so-modern world, "Woman Of The Rising Sun", his tribute to Japanese of the feminine gender and - while there is time - "Straighten Out By Tomorrow". Although some may wish a dj of this magnitude would "get into step with the times", this is one Prezident who isn't afraid to lead.
Album review by Chuck Foster, published in The Beat Vol. 18 #4, 1999.
|