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!