Face T – Ready For (Poirier ‘Lean On’ Refix)
It was impossible to avoid Major Lazer & DJ Snake’s Lean On, featuring the vocals of MØ, this summer. Poirier has taken the infectious beat and done exactly what should be done to so many pop songs, and sprinkled a nice bit of dancehall DJing on top. It gives a slightly long-in-the-tooth hit a fresh new sound and lightens the weight of the very heavy original Ready For. Listening to Face T chant “Ready fi yuh” – rather than the nonsensical “Focus, fire a gun, we all need somebody to lean on” of the original Major Lazer chorus – is a solid reminder of how great a refix can be.
Popcaan – Mi Nuh Trust Friend (Weh Fren Aguh)
A straight ganja tune from the Raving King and Justus’s JA productions. There are other good tracks (many unnecessarily and gratingly Auto-Tuned) on the Life Support riddim from Mavado, Beenie Man, Mr Vegas and Sean Paul, among others, but Popcaan’s stands out as an ode to marijuana that dispenses with metaphor or innuendo.
One Army Entertainment – Happy Street Riddim
Usually there are only one or two standout tunes on a riddim, unless it’s really great, but Happy Street is one of those rare occasions where each version draws out something new. From Dexta Daps’s romantic From Mi Heart to Kabaka Pyramid’s earwormy You’re a Queen, to Lady Saw’s reliably slack Bedroom and a pile of others, the riddim is one of the biggest around. The sound and feel is reminiscent of Justus’s JA Productions: warm bass combined with memorable hooks from a wide range of artists. Plus it sounds very good on a big sound system.
Farmer Nappy – Rental
The West Indian American Day parade – held in New York on Labor Day – marks the end of carnival season and in particular the season in which you can listen to 2015’s soca offerings. It’s time to start spotting some of the early soca gems for 2016. Though the relentless repetition in Olatunji’s Bang! Bang! may take some getting used to, Farmer Nappy’s groovy soca offering Rental looks as if it might have legs.
Vybz Kartel – Everybody
Vybz Kartel is a convicted criminal, he’s in prison, and he’s not getting out any time soon. But he still is one of the most consistent dancehall artists in Jamaica and worldwide. Everybody is an anthem. It’s got everything – storytelling, historical references, positive messages, social commentary and clever asides. The video also provides a nice little panorama of Jamaica. There’s a reason why Adidja Palmer remains one of the most popular artists out there – he can still crank out the tunes.
