Rising

In a dancehall marketplace that often seems to actively discourage individuality and innovation, an artist like Turbulence comes as a real breath of fresh air. He’s a DJ, but he can sing; he’s a singer, but he doesn’t settle into either a seductive croon or whiny emotiveness. Buttressed here by muscular rhythms courtesy of producer Phillip “Fattis” Burrell, Turbulence delivers a mature and stylistically varied album that fits nicely in the modern reggae mainstream while simultaneously blazing a new trail for others to follow. “Give Her Weh She Want” is a love song that effectively combines a slamming rhythm with a strangely plaintive melody; on “Friends Like These” he uses a halting, nyahbinghi-flavored backing track to warn against untrustworthy associates; “Rising” finds him in combination with DJ L.M.S. over an old-fashioned one-drop rhythm. On “I Don’t Know,” Turbulence’s intonation is a bit questionable, but it’s the only real weak point on a very fine debut. Highly recommended. – Rick Anderson