Search - Peter Spence :: Strength

Take Your Time With This One. . .

Achis | Kingston, JA/Philipsburg, SxM | 06/24/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"(4.5stars)

You can disagree with me if you like, however, in my opinion reggae music is BY FAR the coolest musical genre in the entire world. If you happen to be looking for the type of vibe that you can just put your feet up to and relax, maybe with a special someone, then you can check R&B if feel it so, but for me its reggae music all day and all night (to be perfectly fair, its like that for me anyway). And while many times that fact can become quite difficult to see through all of the gun-boasting and gal-toasting dancehall style jump-up tracks, just a little bit of effort for a listener, even in this time, can lead to a whole heap of VERY interesting artists and sounds on the more relaxed and cool side of the vibes. Traditionally, there have been the likes of Cocoa Tea who makes a brand of reggae which, although distinctly reggae music, often lends itself to fans of various musical forms due to the ULTRA laid back nature of the artist's vibes at his absolute best; and OF COURSE, the coolest man in the world, Beres Hammond. Over the years as Hammond's legacy has grown throughout reggae music (as a producer, a label head and a scout of talent as he has brought forth some very talented youths), he has become the single most recognizable name (and face) of the lover's rock style. There have also been very popular names over the years such as Sanchez and Wayne Wonder (both of whom incorporate a more traditional R&B style of vibes in there music, ESPECIALLY Sanchez), Tony Curtis (and as an extension, the group LUST) and wicked young singers Da'Ville and Alaine (who has had a fine combination with Hammond, Love Sounds, for Taxi Gang and what may be one of the coolest reggae songs of ALL time), both of whom show potential to one day bring not only themselves to greater prominence, but the entire genre of Lover's Rock reggae back to the forefront as well. In this case, I must mention the legendary singer Freddie McGregor, who definitely incorporated some VERY COOL vibes into his vibes over the years (and continues to) and has largely done so in a more modern style (even `back in the day' McGregor had a bit more of a progressive style to his vibes). Whether it was the cool brand of lover's music or the roots on which he largely established his name, McGregor has made himself one of the most respected singers in reggae history. Whether it McGregor, Hammond, Sanchez, Wayne Wonder, Cocoa Tea or one of the other names that I mentioned, definitely the cool cool aspect of reggae music has not lost its way at all, its still out there and seemingly on it's way back.



Obviously, its first stop back has been the UK where the virtually assembly production line of cool vibes and cool reggae singers continues to run as it has been for well over thirty years. In Jamaica, we haven't actually had a great bit of access to the names such as Lloyd Brown and Peter Hunnigale over the years (although some of the work that native artists such as Earl 16, Alton Ellis and others over the years has made it back and achieved a nice piece of popularity. The exception has been Bitty Mclean and somewhat Lloyd Brown, both of whom (especially Brown recently) opened me up to the WEALTH of vibes going on over in the UK, and if you are a reggae fan and haven't been paying attention, definitely link up some of the big UK singers and you'll feel like someone dropped you back in 1975 Jamaica. Although probably not as popular as Brown, Mclean or Peter Hunnigale, one of the singers who has really struck a chord with me has definitely been the wicked wicked Birmingham based Peter Spence. Oddly enough, the first thing I noticed about Spence, even before his music, was the fact that he was a well known veteran artist who had apparently been around for quite awhile (over twenty), but didn't have too much material on the shelves when compared to Brown, Hunnigale and Mclean (especially Brown and Mclean). HOWEVER, what he did have out was probably some of the most well done, polished and just all around well crafted vibes I've heard from the UK scene and I definitely had to take a closer look. Taking a closer look of course meant seeking out an album or two and the first one I came about was his most recent (at the time) the very nice Emotionally Charged from just 2007 for Cousins Records. I cannot sing the praises of Cousins enough (and if you read my reviews you know I do it A LOT), but the label, besides pushing out some of the best roots albums in the game these days, has also filled a void left by JetStar which was (at its peak) a BIG international reggae label based in the UK which focused much of its attentions on developing and releasing local UK talent. Emotionally Charged really lightened me up to Spence's style which was very much so in fitting with the vibes I had heard already from the UK. Even though it wasn't exactly his best work (as I've come to see the man is capable of MUCH more than the still `strong' Emotionally Charged album), I was still very interested in what else was there and I went back and found even more solid material. Thus, I was glad to see that in the not too distant future he would be releasing his second effort for Cousins (who seem to have their artists on an annual schedule, which is a good thing as Brown is already reportedly working on his follow-up to his 2007 WICKED Silver album for the label as well) and through his own Sidewalk Entertainment, Strength. STRENGTH is one of the best reggae albums I've heard altogether in the first half of 2008 and the second have would have to WELL STRONG full of releases to force it outside of my top ten at the end of the year I'm sure. What Peter Spence shows on Strength is a style which harkens back to that of Freddie McGregor (at least in my opinion) quite a bit, as besides the COOL COOL material which lines the album, he also adds a very nice rootical spice in the vibes resulting in one seriously `strong' album for reggae fans (and all fans for that matter) seeking something a bit more relaxed in their vibes.



Strength is an album largely produced and compiled by Spence together for his own label (Brown did pretty much the same for his Silver album) and, as he is also a fairly accomplished musician, that's not a bad thing. The music is top notch throughout. Getting things started here is the very nice Baby I. Baby I is a song that is probably EXACTLY what you might expect going into things here and the first note you hear absolutely just drops the pace (or at least it did for me as I was listening to a soca tune just before it began) of everything and spins into one of the most memorable lover's pieces on the entire album (which is saying a lot). The tune is just SWEET SWEET, I would even suggest that its the type of tune you need not even push play on if you happen to be involved in a situation where you have a recently ended relationship, if you are in such a position, you might be brought to tears before the end of the 4:40 (I'm happily married and it almost got me!). Next up is another song which I would have expected as well although I'm not as thrilled about its presence as Baby I; No One a remake of Alicia Keys' popular tune of the same name from just 2007 I believe. It has ALWAYS been a practice in lover's rock music and the UK scene to my knowledge to take older tunes and remake them and I definitely don't have a problem with that (we wouldn't even have a Sanchez if it wasn't accepted). I just think that a song should BREATHE a bit before its remade and even though No One is a tune which is so easily remade (the original, if I'm not mistaken, almost even had its own one-drop). The tune here isn't at all BAD, but I think it might have looked even better on an album three or four years down the line from now. That being said, all apprehension or disapproval I may have for No One is COMPLETELY erased on the tune which follows it, the SPECTACULAR Take Your Time, Strength's overall strongest tune. I don't know if the song is a remake or what, but it sounds incredibly familiar and all praise goes to Spence for creating such a master class of a tune. Take Your Time is a tune warning young people maybe falling in love for the first time, to just do that: TAKE YOUR TIME and make sure you think about and consider all things going on. On the song's punch line (at least for me) and most memorable line, Spence wonderfully warns the guys to, "Take your time to say you're sorry, maybe she'll forgive you this time again". The tune is just PERFECT! Wonderful way to close the beginning to this nearly equally wonderful album.



While the vibes on Strength never reach Take Your Time's level again for me, they remain high constantly throughout. One of the real highlights here and the album's sole combination is a very interesting tune, War a remake of Bob Marley's classic of the same name with constant Peter Spence spar, DJ Tippa Irie. To my knowledge the tune is actually a remix of Tippa's tune, whichever way it came to be, it works nicely. Vibing wonderfully over Massive B's Jah Love riddim (which you know from backing Chezidek's hit Inna di Road), a remake itself of an old Yabby You riddim. Very nice track. I'll also briefly mention the very nice story style 2 Keys, an excellent which I'll leave to be heard to be revealed, but flows ever so lovely over the wonderful Chi Chi Bud riddim. Also check the downright addictive Yours 4 Keeps, another potential tear jerker (if you just feel like crying a little Strength will UNDOUBTEDLY do the trick!) but a sweet tune nonetheless and one which I feel could do well in R&B circles despite its decidedly reggae twist. Besides Take Your Time, the real story about Strength is the way in which early in the album you have roots and rootical elements sprinkled in the vibes, but the album at its conclusion just pours on the roots and does so to a FINE degree. The title tune itself is the first harbinger of things to come and after the really unsettling intro to the tune (I was just hoping Spence wasn't about to go country on the tune) shows itself to be a solid almost reggae gospel style of tune (sounding like something out of (Lil)Hero's catalogue) complete with a nice nyah drum and everything. Still, its far from the best roots effort of the album (that comes later). Check African Princess which is a tune which kind of blends the lover's and roots together (and does so on a near R&B vibes). African Princess is one the sweetest tunes on the album, my wife absolutely LOVES the tune and yours will too! Jahovah is another strong rootical effort (which oddly enough has somewhat of an old school dancehall vibes in it) and the one tune on the album which will have you singing so closely along to it: It is a very jovial style of roots/gospel and one of the most memorable Strength has to offer. The real roots `strength' on Strength, however, definitely comes in the albums final two full tunes, Unconquerable and Jah Is Love. Unconquerable (aka King of Kings) is Spence's unexpected, yet BRILLIANT ode to His Imperial Majesty (duh! who else could be Unconquerable?). The song covers it's points absolutely lovely, but what really impresses is the tune's final full verse which begins to extend the praising of HIM to life and going into a nice detail of what HE means to the world, something which you typically only see from the real roots masters so definitely biggup Mr. Spence for Unconquerable. Jah Is Love is another such very impressive tune in a far more straight forward style (Unconquerable actually flows nicely over a classic vibed riddim). Jah Is Love is a big anthem style roots tune with the heavy one-drop and the type of tune which I always hope for from a talented reggae vocalist, regardless the style of music he sings. Definitely a big big track. The album officially ends with a hidden track, The Strength Interlude, which also has a bit of a gospel vibes and I'm not complaining about it all.



Overall, meet my sleeper pick of a reggae album for the year 2008. Strength (as the title would suggest) is STRONG throughout and besides offering you that SWEET SWEET classic vibes which only reggae can offer it also switches things up and does so extremely well. Peter Spence does what Lloyd Brown does and what (at least partially) attracted me to the vibes in the first place and does so, so clean and so polished that you might even think his basis is the roots (and for all I know, it may actually be). Strength is an album showing a talent which I think Freddie McGregor himself would be so proud of. Peter Spence is a STRONG artist for pushing vibes like Strength alone. One of the best reggae albums of 2008 period.

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