| |
Island Sounds:
Got reggae?
Radio seems to be flooded with an abundance of uninspiring hip-hop and run-of-the-mill R&B. So I thought I would switch it up and bring some attention to the reggae sound that is taking over the charts.Here is a brief rundown of some of the current hits.
We Be Burnin, Sean Paul
Sean Paul left the spotlight for a minute, but he has returned to the dancehall scene with his club sensation, "We Be Burnin."
Damn, Sean Paul loves weed, eh? He dedicates this entire song to the power of the herb. Hey, didn't he do that back in 2003 with "Gimme The Light"? Oh well.
Sample lyrics: Everyday, we be burnin' not concernin' what nobody wanna say / We be earnin' dollars turning cau we mind deh pon we pay / Some got gold and all dem diamonds all we got is Mary J / Legalize it, time you recognize it
I actually remember hearing this song a couple of months ago and not really feelin' it. Besides it sounding like his previous hit, it just didn't move me. It just seemed too familiar. Luckily for Sean Paul, it started getting serious play in the clubs and on the radio, and it has now seemed to have caught on.
Truthfully, the more that I hear it the more I like it. It's not his best song, but it is bound to get the crowd moving. My score: 7/10.
Pon De Replay, Rihanna
Yes, she's cute, she can shake her hips, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a bubblegum version of dancehall. Don't get me wrong, I do in fact like this song, but it's a little too mainstream, even for me!!
It reminds me of the "Uh-Oh" song from Lumidee a couple of summers ago. Both songs are not that deep, but memorable enough that you only have to hear it once to remember all of the words.
Sample lyrics: It goes one by one, even two by two / Everybody on the floor let me show you how we do / Let's go dip it low then you bring it up slow / Wind it up one time wind it back once more
"Pon De Replay" is patois and it means "on the replay." Rihanna is asking the DJ to play her song so that she can get her dance-on in the club.
This song is incredibly danceable! It's fun, it's light, and very enjoyable. There is a remix featuring Elephant Man that is equally good. My score: 7.5/10 for the original and the remix.
Welcome to Jamrock, Damian Marley
This is the jam! There is absolutely no other song out now that gets me going like this one. It's deep, it's gritty, it's real, and most importantly, it's unapologetic.
This ode to bleak life in Jamaica (for some) comes from one of Bob Marley's sons - Damian (a.k.a. Junior Gong), to be exact.
Sample lyrics: Welcome to Jamdown, poor people a dead at random / Political violence can done / Pure ghost and phantom, di youth dem get blind by stardom
Damian has been criticized for showing a false image of Jamaica in his song. He responded by saying that he was only writing about what he sees and knows.
Controversy aside, I love this song. It is not just the lyrics, but also the sound of the song that really brings out the mood and tone. Just by hearing the first few bars of the song, you can tell that it is gonna be a good song. But I'm sure that I speak for everyone when I say that it is all about the chorus. "Out in the streets they call it murdah!" (FYI: that line came from Ini Kamoze's 1984 hit, "World-A-Music"). That line gets a lighter in the air for sure. My score: 10/10.
This is just a short list of songs that got me sweating on the dance floor. If you know of any nice reggae songs that you would like to recommend, feel free to e-mail me at michelle AT happygrrls DOT com. ¤ Michelle