Taj Weekes Press Coverage of DEIDEM

Collection of "Deidem" Reviews

2010-06-17T09:41:59Z

Billboard Magazine

Listed as one of "Six Essential Albums Heralding Roots Rock's Resurgence."

"St. Lucia-born singer/songwriter/guitarist Taj Weekes' enigmatic vocals are underscored by somber reggae beats and lyrics emphasizing an array of global calamities on this poignant release."

Houston Chronicle

DEIDEM listed as one of "Ten Great Albums by Non-Marleys" encompassing the history of reggae.

"Such a varied education is at least partially responsible for Weekes' status as the most interesting roots reggae singer to come along in a generation. There are no gimmicks in Weekes' music: no hip-hop, no party anthems, no visual shtick, crutches that have made dancehall a profitable, if shallow, permutation of reggae's history. Weekes sings in a high, brittle and otherworldly voice. But he's a songwriter first. His songs play out vibrantly with a band, but strip them down to just voice and guitar and they remain smart and melodic."

The Beat Magazine

"Yes, Taj Weekes is different. As a reggae lyricist who is unafraid of being undogmatic, he's certainly different from most of his peers, and even from the man he was in his own first album. He uses his unusual voice unusually well. His arrangements take great advantage of his fine backing vocalists and his crack team of musicians, including horn section. He writes beautiful tunes. Deidem has it all."

Bob Marley Magazine

"After the breakthrough of his debut album HOPE & DOUBT, Taj Weekes was no longer the best kept secret on the indie reggae scene… With his sophomore release DEIDEM, Weekes draws from his sonic cauldron a music that is as revolutionary as it is evolutionary."

Reggae Reviews

"After releasing perhaps the best reggae album of 2005, Taj Weekes returns with an early candidate for the best of '08 in DEIDEM… It's smart, inspirational, musically vibrant, and just plain gorgeous. No reggae fan can afford not to know Taj Weekes."

The Beat Magazine

"Taj Weekes and Adowa make for a powerful combination on Deidem (Jatta). Minor-key grooves a la early Wailers add punch to Weekes' distinctive tenor and songs like the contemplative 'Angry Language,' 'Dark Couds' and 'Propaganda War' return us to the days of poetic lyrics, social outcry and seasoned reasoning."

The Voice - UK

"SOME people make music for entertainment. Taj Weekes is more about inspiring people to think about the world around them. The St. Lucia-born reggae singer, along with his band Adowa, has made it his mission to give a voice to the oppressed, and he’s earned much praise for it from many in the reggae fraternity."

United Reggae - France

"As a reggae artist, Taj Weekes has the full package - a strange haunting voice, deep and interesting lyrics, the ability to write songs (not just sing over rhythms) and an uncompromising view of what the music should entail. If you like old school roots the way it used to be but don’t like it to sound self consciously 'retro' - this is your man."

Malagueta Music - Germany

"Taj Weekes' high voice combined with his unusually enticing melodies provide the basis for his perfectly balanced reggae. With solid keyboards, the cunning wah-wah licks of his guitar, seductive female background singers, and his complex, yet straight-forward arrangements,it becomes obvious that we are in the company of a musician who is blessed by the West-Indian gods."

Deidem - Taj Weekes and Adowa

2010-02-21T04:50:45Z

AIR CARAIBES MAGAZINE

Award du meilleur album reggae 2009

Taj naît et vit son enfance à Sainte-Lucie. La musique était omniprésente dans sa famille, où il est le plus jeune parmi 10 enfants. A 5 ans, Taj chante à l’église et à 9 ans, il forme un groupe avec son frère, jouant dans les shows locaux, les salles et les paroisses de Sainte-Lucie. Mais un peu plus tard, Taj décide de quitter son île « chérie », trop petite pour ses ambitions et vivre de sa musique, pour les Etats-Unis. Il forme son groupe Taj and Adowa et la compagnie multi-média : Jatta Entertainment. Le groupe sort un premier album, Hope & Doubt, déjà très bien accueilli par les critiques, puis Deidem qui reçoit l’Award du meilleur album reggae 2009 par l'industrie de la musique indépendante "Just Plain Folk" (JPF) à Nashville, Tennessee, aux Etats-Unis le 29 Août 2009... La musique de Taj défie les catégories, un amalgame entre le reggae « roots » avec une touche d’afro folk, de rock et de jazz… Taj Weekes est un poète qui observe le monde, avec tendresse et une lucidité particulière pour tous ceux qui souffrent. Une urgence se dévoile de ses textes, il appelle notre intellect et nos cœurs à se réveiller avant qu’il ne soit trop tard… TOCO (They Often Cry Outreach) est la Fondation créé par Taj Weekes en faveur des orphelins de l'île Saint-Lucie.

Jatta Records

REGGAE: Taj Weekes

2010-02-01T20:38:00Z

ROCHESTER CITY NEWSPAPER

Review by: Frank De Blase

Growing up on the island of St. Lucia, a young Taj Weekes was exposed to all kinds of music on the radio - music that wasn't segregated, gentrified, or defined as anything other than just good music. Church played an influence as well as his Caribbean surroundings. Weekes moved to New York City by way of Toronto and released his first album, "Hope and Doubt," in 2005. Within his music's lift and fantastic groove there is a strong social and spiritual message. In fact, you might say it dictates the urgency in Weekes' overall slant and tone as do the myriad influences of the things he heard on the radio as a child. The Lawnmowers will trim the bill as well.

Taj Weekes and Adowa - Deidem

2009-05-01T17:06:56Z

BIG SHOT - GERMANY

Review in German by: Melodies of War

Crazy man, this has to be the greatest Roots album since forever. Whoever was disappointed with Damian and Stephen Marley's last albums on account of the high rap-factor and the many platitudes (whoever rhymes Zion with lion should have his ass kicked), here you'll find what you were looking for: melancholic, despairing and hopeful, first class conscious Roots Reggae with wailing organ, heavy rhythms, dreamy vocals and a message that goes beyond Mr. Selassie's all-mightiness. You won't find any religious dogmas but elevated "sufferah" and social critic lyrics. Taj is from St. Lucia and has laid down a career that stands firmly for the best Roots Reggae; church choir then first Calypso experiments at age 11, later contact with the Rastifarian scene. "Deidem" is the band's second album and it sounds damn serious and grown-up - just the way roots is supposed to sound. Hard to imagine what Taj and Adowa could do for Rock Steady. I can hardly wait for the next album. Never mind what my esteemed colleagues are crazy about and to hell with how broke you are - buy this album! Whoever doesn't like it has neither brain, heart nor soul.

Taj Weekes and Adowa - Deidem

2009-04-20T15:56:50Z

FOLK WORLD - GERMANY

Review in German by: Adolf 'gorhand' Goriup

Label: Jatta Records

Reggae singer, Taj Weekes, who grew up in St. Lucia, left his Caribbean home to pursue his career in New York. In 2005, his debut album, "Hope and Doubt" came out. With the new album, "Deidem" (All of Us), he is building upon his now solid fan base. Together with Radss Desiree (bass), Adoni Xavier (guitar), Shelton Garner (guitar, backing vocals) and several studio musicians, Weekes has recorded eleven songs that he wrote which remind one very much of Bob Marley. Beginning with the typical female backing vocals of the Wailers, to the timbre of Weekes’ voice, to the "wah wah" sound of the guitars, one could imagine that the Rasta legend had been reborn. However, Weekes is truly an talented musician and songwriter in his own right. Just like his, I assume, role model, he absolutely has something to say.

Taj Weekes and Adowa - Deidem

2009-04-20T05:26:55Z

WELTMUSIK MAGAZIN - GERMANY

Review in German by: Sonja Stranziner

Label: Jatta Records

With "Deidem," Taj Weekes and Adowa serve up traditional roots reggae, a type of music that we Europeans associate with summer, sun, good moods and vacation time. Indeed, here is reggae that seems just made for summer days. And yet, despite the lightness of Taj Weekes' music, it is also somewhat melancholy. Logical really, for with his words, the singer concerns himself intensely with social issues and problems.

Taj Weekes and Adowa - Deidem

2009-04-14T00:12:06Z

REGGAE.FR - FRANCE

Review in French by: Souljah

The second album from Taj Weekes and Adowa, after Hope & Doubt, is Deidem. The artist and group introduce their latest roots reggae production, an outstanding independent project coming from St. Lucia!

The album, composed of 11 songs, allows us to travel within the musical universe of the artist, a relaxed reggae, far from the generation of "one drop" or "new-roots." Here it is a question of melodies and songs. The texts in English represent traditional reggae themes, as in Propaganda War, Angry Language or We Stand. The voice, unique to Taj, hovers between insightful and serious on certain phrases and blends well with the sound of his group Adowa.

Taj Weekes and Adowa - Deidem

2009-04-13T23:10:00Z

ROOTS AND CULTURE - FRANCE

Review in French by: Yogi

"Du lourd," this is what I like to call "Heavy" roots. Taj Weekes, from St. Lucia, with a high voice and the usual Rasta themes, delivers an excellent second album Deidem, meaning “all of us,” a production on his own label, Jatta Records. Far from "nu-roots" and the "singjays" of the moment, Taj plunges us into the roots of reggae, with the songs of sufferers and uprising such as Angry Language. There is more than one good track on the album: Propaganda War, Dark Clouds and Little Fire. In Since Cain, Taj sings:

"Is there anyone with sense to put an end to this violence/I kill you, you kill me we got an empty country/and so the cycle goes around/it goes up and comes down/and soon your smile becomes a frown/when karma visits your town"

Taj Weekes and Adowa - Deidem

2009-04-13T03:30:22Z

JAMAFRA.COM - FRANCE

Vibes Across A Reggae World

Review in French by: Stephane - "C Dans Les Bacs"

It is a blow to the heart, this rubric, the work of Taj Weekes, an artist native to the island of St. Lucia. Unknown to the general public, he deserves the spotlight with his new album "Deidem", an opus that is very roots and conscious! The melodies are well played and the voice of Taj Weekes literally transports us. This is an artist to follow very closely.

Taj Weekes and Adowa - Deidem

2009-04-02T01:24:00Z

MONDOMIX MUSIC.COM

Taj Weekes was born and raised on the island of St. Lucia where he listened to a broad range of eclectic music. It was not until his arrival in New York that he formed the group Taj Weekes & Adowa and released their 2005 debut album "Hope & Doubt". After losing his parents within the span of one year, Taj Weekes began writing about his sorrows, but later decided to focus on more universal sorrows. Weekes' concentration on universal experience, rather than personal, is further seen by the album title, "Deidem", meaning “All of Us”. "Deidem" brings true Reggae roots back with this collection of some of the best tracks Taj Weekes has ever written.