BROTHER MARCUS & THE IRIE CONNECTION

Presenting

(p) 2004-oct-04

CD:

Tracklisting:

 
01 Oh Jah Jah  
02 Conquering Lion  
03 Gimme Gimme Gimme  
04 Racial Discrimination  
05 Jah Road  
06 Too Much Murder  
07 Spend A Little Time With Me  
08 Real Man  
09 Patricia  
10 One Down  
ALLES IRIE? / AI?-001 CD

Brother Marcus' self produced album published and distributed by Walboomers Records. Only available on cd which comes in a slipcase.

REVIEW IN ENGLISH:
SOURCE: ROOTS MUSIC Reggae & Dancehall
AUTHOR: Teacha Dan



Multi-instrumentalist Brother Marcus has a little home studio in Almere, the Netherlands and he has been concocting reggae tunes since the late 1980's. He was one of the founding members of the Irie Connection when he started the band as a keyboard player and backing vocalist together with three others. Now he is the Irie Connection's soul survivor and he is the one who got to release a very professional album ..., with international distribution. The album I speak of is Presenting and it was released in October of 2004.

On the cd you will find ten big tunes. Apart from four already existing riddims including two by Dub Syndicate, Marcus wrote most of the music together with his former Irie Connection bass player Tony Nieuwenburg. The lyrics are mostly penned by Brother Marcus and he also played most of the instruments. The result is this surprisingly good and well crafted album.

I usually get very weary when people come up to me and proclaim that this and that Dutch band or artists released something really worthwhile. Most of the times the mixing will be bad, the bass player unsteady and/or the drummie simply does not play reggae. Sometimes there are surprises, little gems in between huge stacks. Last time I was really pleasantly surprised was with the release of Shains own production and this time around it is Marcus' turn.

OK, yes there are some rock guitars with overdrives and yes the overall tempo is a tad bit high. The Irie Connection really got an original style down though. The riddim section (mostly Rico de Langen and Tony Nieuwenburg) is tight and they play genuine reggae while Brother Marcus puts in most of the extras and delivers his well written lyrics with flavour. The mixing is consistent with both their style and the way reggae should sound with all emphasis on the drum and bass. Murda!

Both the album and the Irie Connection live shows do not sound genuinely Jamaican, except for the riddim section, the mixing and for the man Marcus himself. For live shows Marcus has accumulated an amazingly fresh and tight bunch of musicians including the bassie (Toot) and keyboard player (Eelco) of another Dutch outfit Higher Ground. A true West Indian sound is something the band does not aim for. There sure is that connection but they just want to play and enjoy their own found European reggae incarnation, and spread some good vibes and the message at the same time.

Brother Marcus has a very gifted voice. The man can chant like an angel and dj like mad. Some tunes sound like singer/dj combination tunes and yet it is all the same guy. It is clear that Marcus got part of his reggae education on soundsystems as his talent brings on the feel of the eighties dancehall scene. It reflects the nasality of Eek-A-Mouse and the volume and intensity of Barrington Levy and yet it is very much his own. He sings in English with a Jamaican accent and sometimes adds a little patois. He chants about Jah and Jesus, he does love tunes and he is socially aware, religious and conscious.

Among my favourite tunes are without a doubt the heavy pumping 'Jah Road', the conscious 'Too Much Murder', the typical sound song 'Real Man' and the sweet uplifting party starting tune Marcus wrote for his wife 'Patricia'. The latter has some killer tabla percussion hooks in it and sways seriously. Brother Marcus breathes music and right now if the man is not working for income he is probably toying with a tune, always trying new hooks and riddims. Presenting is a very good album for a silly amount of euros.

(Teacha Dan)