ROOTS TONIC A Lead, the title of the release from Sweden's Hi-Score Music is the combination of the names of its two rhythms.
Beginning with Junior Kelly's standout Rasta Should Be Deeper and ending with YT's disposable Real Life, the CDs first 11 songs are dedicated to the Roots Tonic riddim. Anthony B's partly humorous ('I would a mek a bridge across the sea, link up Cuba wid a road to Miami'), but mostly serious ('We woulda lock dung McDonald big up Miss Matty ... ') Rasta Fi Lead Ya is the first of nine songs on the Leader riddim, the disc ending with Angel Doolas' highly predictable love song pledge Rain or Shine.
Five of the songs on the compilation are tabbed 'previously unreleased'. I had only heard Queen Ifrica's Wipe The Tears performed live and was very happy to find it on this set.
Of the unreleased Roots Tonic tracks Chuck Fender's Higher, which declares the higher love he brings, Anthony Cruz' extremely cheesy and corny Pick-up Line ('I know you might be thinking this is a pick-up line/But I got to let you know you're looking so fine') and YT's say nothing in more words Real Life could have stayed on the hard drive.
Lady Saw's Too Abusive is another matter entirely, as she is all melody and feeling in expressing the pain of an abused woman, but drawing the line and concluding 'A better day is coming/I'm packing and running', anchored by sardonic laugh, to end.
Luciano's Ancient Memories is lyrically ho-hum, but what a voice and Tony Rebel's melodic approach is as fresh as ever on Take Care of Yourself.
The previously unreleased track on the slower but still roots reggae Leader riddim is Junior Kelly's Make Believe, and it is well worth pulling out of the vault as he dismisses the fantasy world with ('words without work whe dem get dat from/HBO and Cinemax and too much VH1').
Gentleman's melody and delivery are simply terrific on Overjoyed and he gets off some good lines in addressing the familiar subject of a man's joy with his lady.
But the ending quartet, Tony Curtis' Boyfriend, Zahair's Lose The Love, Jah Mason's Just Like That and Angel Doolas' Rain or Shine are quite ordinary, bringing Roots Tonic A Lead to an unremarkable close.
Track Listing
1. Rasta Should Be Deeper (Junior Kelly)
2. Ancient Memories (Luciano)
3. Mi Chalwa (Jah Mason)
4. Too Abusive (Lady Saw)
5. Higher (Chuck Fender)
6. From The Realms (Chuck Fender)
7. Wipe The Tears (Queen Ifrica)
8. Heading To The Top (Utan Green)
9. Take Care of Yourself (Tony Rebel)
10. Pick Up Line
(Anthony Cruz)
11. Real Life (YT)
12. Rasta Fi Lead Ya
(Anthony B)
13. Still Convinced (Lady Saw)
14. Love So Real (Sizzla)
15. Make Believe (Junior Kelly)
16. Overjoyed (Gentlemen)
17. Boyfriend (Tony Curtis)
18. Lose The Love (Zahair)
19. Just Like That (Jah Mason)
20. Rain or Shine (Angel Doolas)
- M.C.
