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Journey to Foreign by Clinark

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Journey to Foreign by Clinark

Journey to Foreign by Clinark

By John Fenwick on Monday, December 15, 2008 - Comment

Debut album from Bermuda/UK artist Clinark has the feel of a classic.

Sampler

This all-new album of ‘contemporary roots and culture and lovers rock’ places Clinark amongst the front ranks of contemporary reggae acts. Born in Bermuda, Clinark grew up within a strongly religious family and with a passion for Bob Marley’s music and the songs of UK band Aswad. All these influences are evident within these tracks.

As if Clinark’s own performance was not enough, he has assembled here an ‘A’ list of contributors including Gramps Morgan and Peter Heritage (of Morgan Heritage), Richie Spice, Irie Love, Maxi Priest, Luciano, Fantan Mojah, Kofi, and Troy Anthony and Brinsley Forde from Aswad. The host of collaborators adds to the range and the impact of the music: Fantan Mojah guests on Nowhere TV, while Richie Spice appears on Living in a Concrete Jungle, both songs dealing with common themes of artificial, inauthentic, existence. It is almost possible to imagine Marley himself delivering some of these songs, strong and powerful messages of resistance and liberation, particularly on Colonized (Remix) with its classic rhythm section. On the title track itself, the style takes us right back to the origins of reggae in melody and vocal harmony while the album closes with two songs of personal faith, Inspiration Remix and Lord’s Prayer Remix.

Along the way, the guest performers add light and shade to several tracks, including Luciano on Glorify and, especially, Maxi Priest on As a Man I Weep. But this should not detract from the individual contribution of Clinark to what is after all a debut album. Recorded in London, and mostly written by Clinark himself, this is quite a debut. Apparently four years in the making, it has the feel of a future classic.