Tuesday
May202008
BobMarleyMagazine.com Review of DEIDEM
BOBMARLEYMAGAZINE.COM
Album review by: Ian Camacho
After the breakthrough of his debut album HOPE & DOUBT, Taj Weekes was no longer the best kept secret on the indie reggae scene. How could he be when the effort was lauded by critics and fans alike as perhaps the first step reggae had taken since the artistic atrophy of Steel Pulse?
With his sophomore release ‘DE I DEM’, Weekes draws from his sonic cauldron a music that is as revolutionary as it is evolutionary. His gift for melody and lyrics and the rhythmic propulsion so evident in his first release is here heightened to a new level. He is the rare artist who manages to ask the big questions to an infectious and soulful downbeat, with sounds that move the feet and lyrics that jolt the mind.
This time out, with the stylized use of horns and innovative use of backing vocals, Taj has added to the mix and broadened his aural palette. The play of horns, whether somber and majestic as on Angry Language or Propaganda War (a chant-down of the first order) or lilting and fleet as with Little Fire, add gravity and punch to the blend. The layered backing vocals counter with subtle contrasts (We Stand and the catchy-as–they-come Hollow Display are brought to mind) that seem to offer up infinite melodic possibilities. Then there is the fluid guitar work of Adoni Xavier, which drips sumptuously throughout, except where it turns rangy and edgy as on the aforementioned We Stand.
The closing track Louisiana, which recalls the Katrina tragedy, serves as a stark coda. A sparse arrangement accompanies Weekes slightly estranged vocals, lending a rare power to the piece. While working on this latest offering, Taj Weekes was no doubt confronted with a near impossible task: improve on the artistic success of his first album. As he continues his bold experiment of marrying the traditional with all that is new and exploratory, it is clear, that with ‘DE I DEM,’ he has achieved a victory.
This time out, with the stylized use of horns and innovative use of backing vocals, Taj has added to the mix and broadened his aural palette. The play of horns, whether somber and majestic as on Angry Language or Propaganda War (a chant-down of the first order) or lilting and fleet as with Little Fire, add gravity and punch to the blend. The layered backing vocals counter with subtle contrasts (We Stand and the catchy-as–they-come Hollow Display are brought to mind) that seem to offer up infinite melodic possibilities. Then there is the fluid guitar work of Adoni Xavier, which drips sumptuously throughout, except where it turns rangy and edgy as on the aforementioned We Stand.
The closing track Louisiana, which recalls the Katrina tragedy, serves as a stark coda. A sparse arrangement accompanies Weekes slightly estranged vocals, lending a rare power to the piece. While working on this latest offering, Taj Weekes was no doubt confronted with a near impossible task: improve on the artistic success of his first album. As he continues his bold experiment of marrying the traditional with all that is new and exploratory, it is clear, that with ‘DE I DEM,’ he has achieved a victory.
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