UWE BANTON

Jah Roots

(p) 2006-nov-24

CD:

Tracklisting:

 
01 Don't Cry  
02 I Know  
03 Keep On Tryin'  
04 The More They Fight Us  
05 Who Is  
06 Kommt, Seht, Hört (ft Ganjaman)  
07 JAH Roots  
08 Deh Pon Your Guard  
09 11th September  
10 JAH Is Here  
11 Pressure  
12 Hail The Man (ft Black Dillinger)  
13 Rastaman Rise  
14 Fussin' & Fighting  
15 Love Light  
16 It's About Time  
17 Interlude  
16 The Goal  
MKZWO, MKZWO 012-2 CD

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



Although the name Uwe Banton may not ring many bells outside of German borders, the man has been on the scene for more than twenty years. He started out as a soundsystem chanter as early as 1984 and he was writing his own lyrics and music soon after. It was not until 1992 that he took a more professional approach with the formation of the band One Vibe. This collective however did not last long and some members set up the band Movements, debuting on stage in 1994. Despite Movements' constantly shifting crew they released their debut album in 1996.

In 2000 Uwe Banton and Movements singer Jah Meek were included in a tour that introduced them to a broader public and after another Movements album in 2003 Uwe Banton thought the time had come for a first solo-outing. His take on the popular 'Too Long' riddim, 'Jah Roots' (originally released as a b-side) became one of the more popular songs on the riddim and it paved the way for more. Uwe Banton recorded more tunes and most if not all of his 45's have been included in his debut album.

Uwe Banton's voice sounds a bit like a slightly intenser version of Maxi Priest's, you can hear his smile through his singing. It does not have great range but it is intense and it can carry most of the tunes on the album.

My favourite tunes include 'Don't Cry', 'The More They Fight Us', the stepping 'Pressure', 'Fussin' & Fighting', 'The Goal' and the highlight of the album, the combination with Ganjaman, the killer floorfiller 'Kommt, Seht, Hört', which is by the way the only German language song. Jah Roots boasts some really murder tunes but the album is slightly out of balance. Some of the tunes don't seem to fit and so maybe the album should have done with a little less.

By far most of the riddims on Jah Roots sound as cris as we have come to expect of a German production in the last few years. It seems that in Germany one can simply pick any band and/or producer and the sound will come out just fine. This of course is not true but when you can include reggae household names like the Sharp Axe Band, House Of Riddim, Feueralarm band, Culcha Candela, Stonerock, Pow Pow and Ganjaman in your production you are not exactly asking for trouble.

(Teacha Dan, July 2007)