IBA

Matsahyel

(p) 2010-jan-12

CD:

Tracklisting:

01 Blessed Life  
02 Haile I  
03 Matsahyel  
04 Herbal Ride  
05 Free  
06 Mission  
07 Consciousness  
08 Love For Mankind  
09 On My Mind  
10 Jah People  
11 It No Easy  
12 Gun Ting  
13 Warn Dem  
14 Warrior  
180304000408 CD

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



Directly after listening to the first few notes of Matsahyel it struck me that the sound was not what I expected. The instrumentation is lighter and the arrangement and mix much more open than on Iba's previous outing, the Many Lives (Mt Nebo Records, 2006) album that is still in very regular rotation on my music player and which received the highest possible marks in our review. The open musical approach remains throughout the album and it could have been a welcome change. No one can be completely serious all the while, sometimes you just have to celebrate life to the fullness!

The album kicks off with 'Blessed Life', a celebratory tune that gives us the message of love and then goes on to 'Haile I' to give thanks to the most high. The third song is the title track 'Matsahyel', an account of Iba's travels into Israel. Matsahyel is a Hebrew name bestowed upon him by local elders and it means "He has found Jah". This particular song is almost a glorification of Israel, surprisingly without any criticism while especially issues like the Middle East are what I think Iba could have said something meaningful about.

The prevailing statement of the album is to spread love, but there are some really fine reality songs as well. The beautiful 'Gun Ting' is about the millions of guns out on the streets and is a really serious song and one of the most rewarding songs on the album. I do not know why but somehow all the more serious stuff seems to have been saved for last and this makes Matsahyel a lot less poignant than it's predecessor.

Iba is blessed with one of the most beautiful voices in the business and he writes really beautiful lyrics. It is extra painful then that some of the most promising songs, those with really tantalizing melodies are nearly killed by off key backing vocals like in e.g. 'Mission', 'It No Easy' and 'Warrior'. The backing vocalists provide some good work on the other tunes but it seems they just cannot follow the more challenging melodies. This is the real blemish on Matsahyel and the reason it did not get four stars.

(Teacha Dan, May 2010)