Outta De Vault

They Say...

Review by Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide

These tracks may have come Outta de Vault, but judging by the backings they weren't there that long, for these Horace Andy cuts all obviously postdate the roots age. In fact, these self-produced numbers apparently were recorded well into the '90s. Still, the rootsy recut of "Take It Easy," which kicks off the album, could have come from an even earlier era, just one of a number of tracks whose sympathetic arrangements and productions boast a truly timeless quality. Among them is the dancehall slapdown "Borrow Sound," the heaviest cut on the set, its brooding roots sound powered by live instruments. "Cuss Cuss" and "Skylarking" are its stellar opposites, old numbers now bristling with ragga riddims that flash with menace and rage. Much of the set swings between these two stylistic poles, while the themes themselves split between cultural concerns and matters of the heart. There's the ragga romance of "Over You," the sultry combo "When You Need Me" with a guesting Josey Wales, and a flamboyant cover of the Doors' "Light My Fire." That latter track takes ragga to its synthetic and symphonic heights, in contrast to the irrepressible "All for Love," which artfully showcases ragga's pop side. "The Greed" is just as bouncy, with an equally anthemic chorus, albeit counterpointed by sharp, socially conscious verses, while "Invader" is just as heavy-hitting both lyrically and musically -- deep roots, ragga style. "Rasta Live" and "Put Down the Gun" boast even more brooding atmospheres, with Andy illustrating just how much dread sound one can stuff into ragga-fied arrangements. "Armagedion"'s riddim, in contrast, probably began as rockers gone ragga, but was subsequently ripped to shreds and resurrected in stripped-down, militant dancehall fashion. By the end, time means nothing, as '60s songs rub shoulders with deep roots themes and contemporary arrangements, sound-system boys get smacked down, today's rude boys are lectured with lyrics new and old, and Rasta lives on eternal. And so, Outta de Vault makes nonsense of "modern" and "classic" labels, a set from yesteryear that could have been recorded yesterday or 20 years ago.