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Cornerstone by Lloyd Brown

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Cornerstone by Lloyd Brown

Cornerstone by Lloyd Brown

By Angus Taylor on Tuesday, November 30, 2010 - 1 comment

Lloyd goes eclectic again but that's no cause for concern.

Sampler

"No bother try fi put me inna no box ya…
No bother put me in a singular genre..."
...Sings Lloyd Brown on the intro to his self-released 14th album 'Cornerstone' and we know that, after the crowd-pleasing traditional reggae of previous outing 'For Your Consideration', this will be another eclectic affair like its predecessor 'Brownie Points'.

Lloyd Brown - Cornerstone The first track, featuring one Curtis Lynch of Necessary Mayhem, is a typical Brown warning to the haters (it's hard to believe a man who makes such pleasant music has haters) while the second reboots the Impressions’ Amen, just in time for Christmas. Neither is straight reggae, and on the first mix of single Hit The Ground Running, Lloyd could even be a cultural Craig David or Robbie Williams - two artists he admires.

But that's just the album's opening blast. We then travel right to the foundation, with Bob Marley inspired roots (No Thank You, a jungle-reggae-party with an army of guests comprising Matic Horns, General Levy, Top Cat, Nereus Joseph and Macka B); nostalgic rocksteady (the Duke Reid based Another Sunday); and the most classical of classical reggae (two utterly perfect covers of Joe Higgs in Come On Home and There's A Reward).

In paying homage to the greats of Jamaica's past and Britain's present (check the reggae-hip-hop fusion If Only with venerable mc Rodney P) Lloyd is telling us to open our ears and embrace good music - wherever it's from. Some of the more tradition-minded and fussy reggae fans may be thrown off guard by the sheer range of material and collaborators on display but this is another quality Lloyd Brown album - as if we expected anything less.

Tags: Lloyd Brown