Fifteen years into his career, dancehall kingpin Andrae Sutherland, AKA Popcaan, feels on top of the world. On his fifth album, Great Is He, he expresses gratitude for his rise with plenty of classic dancehall braggadocio – and who could blame him? From international collaborations with Gorillaz, Jamie xx and Pusha T, to selling out Wembley SSE arena in 2018, his distinctive singjaying has left an indelible mark on the culture.
Opening track Defeat the Struggle is a touching ode to ambition and upward mobility: “Ghetto yutes that have a dream,” he sings, “don’t ever let it go.” Then we’re thrown into the steel drums of Freshness, on which he boasts about “millions make one week”. The chorus of “Prada mi Prada, Gucci mi Gucci” is powerfully catchy, and across the album there are vividly evocative references to luxury goods that conjure imagery of fierce drip. His mentor, Vybz Kartel, showed off his Clarks; Popcaan shows off “fresh Louis V, fresh Nike Air”.
But this rags-to-riches narrative quickly feels hackneyed, and the album itself proves bloated. Though Popcaan’s vocals are consistently slick, you reach New Benz and wonder what purpose such a track serves the album beyond letting us know about the “New Benz, new yard”. The origin story spun on St Thomas Native feels leaden rather than inspiring. And by the time penultimate track Past Life, and the “crackers and water” diet it speaks of, comes around, the message loses impact. Closing track Great Is He, with its gospel backing vocals and praise of the “most high”, is equally dull, and feels like falling asleep at midnight mass. Luxury and gratitude are fine motifs, but without enough sonic distinction between tracks it gets boring fast.
