Album: Forever Be A Rastafari
Artiste: Nattie Rebel (aka Mark O'Connor)
Rating:1/2
NATTIE REBEL is a virtually unknown artiste on the local scene. If his new CD Forever Be A Rastafari is anything to go by he might just remain that way.
There are 13 tracks on the album and none stand out as a potential hit, in fact none stand out as having any quality at all.
From the beginning of the album with "Home Alone", to the end with "Hero" Nattie Rebel seems to be singing the same song over and over.
It seems that this artiste is trying to live out his Gregory Isaacs wannabe fantasy. He is unpretentious in trying to sound like the veteran crooner, but the imitation falls way below standard. His voice does not transcend well above the instruments and instead he sounds like he is singing from the background instead of the lead.
MAMMOTH MISTAKE
Nattie Rebel wrote all the songs on his album, another mammoth mistake. If his singing prowess is questionable, his writing talent is blatantly bad. Nattie Rebel seems to have given very little thought to the lyrics of his songs. If he did think about it he spent far too little time in contemplation. The sentiments expressed, especially in the love songs, are shallow and cliched.
"I love, I love, I love this girl more than diamonds, and more than pearls,
I love this girl more than anything in this whole wide world," sings Nattie Rebel on Sweet Rosemarie.
Most of the songs' lyrics are taken from either more popular songs or sentiments echoed for ages. On Bring It on Home to Me he sings, "Oh Cherry, Oh Cherry my baby, You know your're driving me crazy". On You Were Gone, "Things we used to do we do those things no more, Places we used to go..." You finish it.
There is not much to say for the title track. Read the title and you would have already memorized part of the song. The nonsensical Hypocrite is a waste of time and space, but then this album is a waste. But no, there are uses for CDs like these that would pain you to listen to. I'm sure there are some chairs out there that need propping up.
TRACK LISTING:
1. Home All Alone
2. Sweet Rose Marie
3. You Knew all Along
4. Bring it on Home to Me
5. You knew all Along
6. You Were Gone
7. Forever Be A Rastafari
8. If You Want Me
9. Cautious
10. Hypocrite
11. Rebel One
12. All The Year
13. Hero
