TAJ WEEKES & ADOWA

Deidem

(p) 2008-may-06

CD:

Tracklisting:

01 Angry Language  
02 Propaganda War  
03 Little Fire  
04 Since Cain  
05 We Stand  
06 Hollow Display  
07 Kink And Crinkle  
08 Dark Clouds  
09 Orphans Cry  
10 For Today  
11 Louisiana  
JATTA RECORDS, - no catalogue number - CD

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



Intelligent reggae with a jazzy pop streak is what would best describe Taj Weekes and Adowa's sophomore album Deidem. After their 2005 debut album Hope & Doubt made quite an impact with music lovers the world over, Deidem is the second album for Taj Weekes and his band Adowa. The title means 'all of us' and indeed the songs reverberate with meaning and messages for all.

Taj Weekes was born and raised on St. Lucia before he moved to the United States. He had already learned about Rasta from his elder brother and this provided him with a tight intellectual base. In New York the singer formed Taj Weekes & Adowa and after their debut got some powerful reviews and plenty radio airplay they built a strong fan base by extensively touring the U.S.

Weekes is a very gifted songwriter. The lyrics are very intelligent and poignant and far removed from most of his Jamaican contemporaries. Deidem contains songs about issues such as the environment, Darfur and hurricane Katrina but also tunes about more every day problems like violence, being Rasta, biased media and even love songs are not shunned. Weekes' vocabulary is extensive and he chooses his words very carefully. The lyrics provided in the booklet read like well-crafted poetry.

Like some African reggae artists Taj Weekes has a high-pitched voice that he uses in a typical gentle way. It gives his music a sort of easy listening quality that is regrettably enhanced by the flatness of the music. The songs are not boring; they have nice melodies and the tempo shifts sufficiently throughout the album, they just lack bite. Proper mixing and more elaborate melodies could have made the album a lot better. Listening often made me wonder what the songs would sound like if for example Jim Foxx had touched the mixing board. Maybe Taj Weekes made the right choice in providing his album with a poppy mix. At least his take on reggae does receive airplay and plenty of press.

(Teacha Dan, July 2008)