Lead With The Bass III

They Say...

Review by Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

This compilation from the always brilliant Universal Egg label is interesting in a couple of ways. For the most part, the program consists of exactly what we've come to expect from this crew: the lyrics, where there are lyrics, are strictly conscious roots-and-culture fare; the rhythms are largely in an electro-rockers vein, with militant four-beats-to-the-measure drum parts, crisp synthesizer lines, and loads of dubwise sound effects. This is what On-U Sound might have sounded like if Adrian Sherwood were ten or 15 years younger and had come of age listening to Jamaican music from the early '90s rather than from the '70s. Not everything presented in this style is essential: one version of the Vibronics instrumental "Congo Natty" would have been plenty, and the same goes for Dubdadda's strutting "Revenger Dub" -- a great tune, but why offer a dub version and a duplate version of the dub version as well? Strange. On the other hand, the Abassi All Stars and Fitta Warri tear the roof off with their wickedly powerful "Gideon Youth" (on the "Jahoviah" rhythm), which is paired with a very fine dub version, and the Ital Horns mass together to make a sweet and eerie sound on "Purification." But what's most striking about this album is one track in particular: Prince David and Moa-Anbessa team up for an excellent combination track on the horn-driven "Evil Fi Burn," and this song is worth some extra attention. Unique reggae songs are truly few and far between, and this is one of them. The sung melody is straightforward enough, but the harmony is almost medieval in its modal strangeness, and when the horns come in the arrangement turns dark and somber, in marked contrast to the bright, sweet-and-sour flavor of the melody. Prince David has a sweetly lilting tenor voice and sounds absolutely gorgeous. This song alone is nearly worth the price of the whole album. Highly recommended.