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Back For The First Time by Perfect
Back For The First Time by Perfect
Perfect goes back to the roots - and it's no bad thing.
Sampler
Two years have passed since the last album by Bamboo St Ann's Greg Rose, also known as Perfect. The flamboyantly dressed Bobo Ashanti deejay-singer has been a big believer in the results yielded by roots-oriented Jamaican artists working with European producers and is one of the most explosive live performers on the continental festival scene. His second "concept" album, 'Born Dead With Life' with Austria's IrieVibrations, was hands down the finest longplayer of 2008 - and while neither of the follow-ups have been quite as extraordinary as that felt at the time, he maintained a good standard with the hip-hop roots of 'French Connection' with Kingston based Frenchman Sherkhan. 
Now he has unveiled this intriguingly-titled set with respected US production house, Lustre Kings, who were behind Jahdan Blakkamoore's 'Babylon Nightmare', arguably the best concept album of last year.
The Kings' glossy lavishly-produced rhythms are not a million miles away from those of IrieVibrations and the overall feel of the two albums is distinct but not dissimilar. Horns and militant drumbeats abound. Angry missives like the anti-politician piece Fakers and Slave Driver (which manages to pay tribute to Prince Lincoln in its lyrics, Bob and Bunny Wailer in its Bellyful/Armagideon-like rhythm, and Peter Tosh in its dedication) cohabit with uplifting cultural material such as "picture of Selassie" song HIM Smile and the stoical reality chant Eye Wata. The latter is delivered in a style reminiscent of Buju Banton - the subject of dread slow single Hold On Buju, which speaks for many in stating "guilty or not guilty, the whole world miss Mark Myrie".
There's also some romance in Cece Peniston do-over Naturally and, of course, the obligatory herb tune in Never Gonna Stop. On the uncharacteristically dancehall title track Perfect even invokes Jahdan saying "Babylon you're MY nightmare" - while matching Jahdan's gift for mimicry with an impersonation of the Congos' Cedric Myton at the start of the melodica daubed Doom's Day. The only genuine guest appearance comes from former Beres protégé Ginjah on marching "success against the odds" combination Mash Up Di Ting.
The promo copy arrived at quite short notice but it doesn't take many listens to detect another quality album from Perfect. Although, it might feel like he is going back to familiar territory here after the musically diverse 'French Connection', it's hard to quibble when he does it so well.
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Read comments (1)
| Posted by beve sinclair on 07.19.2011 | |
| Good reading once again... This one seems to fast becoming my favourite. | |
Comments actually desactivated due to too much spams
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