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is often said, that Luciano's voice is very
similar to that of the crown prince of
Reggae, Dennis Brown. And indeed, the
similarity is there in a pretty obvious way.
But to leave it at that, is to do injustice
to Luciano.
The brother is a very conscious Rastaman,
his works are original and without
mentioning the similarity with Dennis Brown,
there's too much reasons to check out
Luciano in themselves.
So let's get into that, shall we?
Great Controversy is just one out of many
albums to choose from. Luciano has released
an impressive number of albums ever since he
started singing. The MessenJah, as he is
often called is obviously on a mission from
JAH.
Most of his lyrics deal with conscious
lyrics: peace and love instead of tribal
wars, chanting down Babylon instead of
joining with her in iniquity, praising Jah
instead of praising money and bling-bling.
The music of his art is contemporary
Roots. One Drop style, Steppers, heavy drum
and basslines form the strong foundation in
his heartical music. Every now and then, a
slice of Dub enters the mix and from the top
to the very last drop, Luciano will keep
your attention because of his powerful
voice and conscious lyrics.
Original?
Fe real!
Take the cover of the Peter Tosh track
"Legalize it", that you can find
on this album. A Great Controversy indeed,
at least in some circles.
Luciano makes an updated version of the
tune, with a reference to Clinton's remark
that he "didn't inhale it" when
asked if he ever smoked herb. The MessenJah
also incorporates his own hooks and melodies
in it, showing that this is not a cover
track but a big-up to Peter Tosh.
Yes, he has a voice similar to that of
Dennis Brown. But when you listen better,
you will hear that Luciano has developed his
own style of singing in ways much different
to that of Dennis Brown.
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