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Reggae Music, a basic track is called a
Riddim. Riddims are basically made out of a
bassline and an occasional theme (played by
a keyboard or horn section for example). And
riddims can be used several times as well!
And so it can happen, that you hear
several singers voicing over the very same
riddim, the very same recording even.
Freedom and Struggle is a perfect example
of what can come out of this Riddim Culture.
The music is predominantly created by JAH
Servant, an online artist who recently moved
from Canada to Trinidad. Some of the riddims
have been used on other releases, like the
Unity Riddim Session (also reviewed
in the Dubroom).
Nice basslines, a remarkable clean
production, beautifull horn plays, this is
music which should not be underestimated.
The DUB Mixing could be a little bit more
"dirty", though. A little bit more
coureage, please!
Coureage you can't miss when you listen
to the words, though. The lyrics are sung by
Mike Roots, also known for his conscious
Reggae Radio Show. After releasing a track
called "Gospel Fire' a few years ago,
this is actually the first full-length
recording by the brother and it's quite
impressive.
Authentically, Roots presents his genuine
faith and consciousness. In one track, he
even confesses that he prefers the Red Gold
and Green over the Red White and Blue, for
example. And that's just one example of the
uplifting lyrics!
Mike Roots' disarming voice must be heard
a couple of times, before the beauty is
revealed. A lot of beauty!
He has some pretty nice melodic twists:
in "Two Roads", for example, he
actually raises his voice an octave higher
without going wrong!
His slight American accent doesn't seem
to bother him, which it shouldn't. He has
every right to sing his heartical
meditations over Reggae Music. Unlike many
other American based Reggae Musicians, he
actually sings about some thing without
trying to "sound Jamaican".
And with that, Mike Roots shows, that he
knows the secret of Reggae Music! It's music
which can only be created by people who are
REAL, not fake. You can try to sound and
look what you may feel is
"Jamaican", but with that you will
never be able to actually produce some
Conscious Reggae.
By simply being real in his love for
Yesus Kristos/Jesus Christ, and by simply
being real in his love for Reggae Music,
Mike Roots has shown he knows the way to
produce some good Reggae Music.
Where others are looking for the
"secret key" in complicated
concepts and Hi-Tech studio's, Mike Roots
surely doesn't need such artificial things.
Unlike some others who we simply won't
review, Mike Roots doesn't need to create
himself an audience which doesn't know a
thing about Reggae before he can be
considered as a genuine Reggae Artist.
Get This Album Now!
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