Customer Rating:  
Summary: Very Good Set
Comment: Richie Spice's new album Gideon Boot is a solid effort. Mostly solid throughout. Recommended...Jah Bless!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Strike 2???. . .
Comment: There are but a few names in all of reggae music who can literally PARALYZE the game in terms of an album release or even just a really big tune. Due to various reasons, these artists grab the lion's share of the attention and even in album-ignoring Jamaica itself the conversation becomes, `did you hear that new____ album?' These artists aren't necessarily the most popular international artists (for instance, Sean Paul's or Elephant Man's next/current releases might not have that effect) and it isn't something which is guaranteed to all of Jamaican reggae elite artists (neither Sizzla nor Luciano doesn't receive the same treatment at all, of course due largely to their hyperactive release schedule), however, there is a small group of top notch and world class artists whose album releases become THE talk of the reggae world. The prime example of such an artist over the past decade or so has definitely been Capleton. The Fireman releases his albums exclusively though VP Records, the largest Caribbean music label in the world, and, even though there are some who argue he has passed his musical prime (and I'm not one of those people), each of Capleton's last four albums or so have ruled in the reggae community, his next album will do the same thing and probably the one after that as well (he needs to hurry though, by this rate, he may very well be fifty after his next two releases). Beenie Man also holds a similar, but not quite the same, position as well. Whenever Beenie releases an album, he DEFINITELY becomes the single biggest release of whichever the moment at the time. However, Beenie Man's albums, very much unlike Capleton's which are continuously well received on the large scale, tend to (much like the man himself) polarize reggae fans. You will have those who absolutely love each and every one and those still, who will always think that the album has failed to reach its potential (thankfully, I lie somewhere directly in the middle of those people). I would also be just completely wrong and disrespectful if I didn't add Shaggy to the list who has sold more reggae based albums than anyone in history not named Bob Marley. Shaggy's albums, although being much more of a pop driven nature, have undoubtedly done a lot for reggae music and in Jamaican music shops, curiously enough, perhaps no artist is stocked (in terms of albums) more than Shaggy. You also have artists such as Lady Saw who will occasionally have similar successes and last year marked the debut of demonic dancehall singer Mavado, whose album Gangsta For Life: The Symphony of David Brooks was rather easily the most talked about reggae album in Jamaica in 2007.
I am now VERY close to adding bonafide roots reggae star Richie Spice to that list due to his own wonderful music making over the past half decade and the wonderful promotion of his team (which largely consists of VP Records). In 2008, the most anticipated reggae releases are probably (in no order) Beenie Man, Bounty Killer and the Alliance, Morgan Heritage and Elephant Man finally (both were already released, Mission in Progress and Let`s Get Physical, respectively), Capleton, maybe Etana and ultimately Sean Paul as well and I would HAVE TO add Richie Spice's sixth album overall (fourth international release, and, NO, I`m not counting that mess Penitentiary put out) Gideon Boot to the list as well. Although he released Gideon Boot's predecessor, In the Streets to Africa, just a year ago (which is a bit unlike Spice), the hype surrounding this album has been in full swing for nearly six months as it had been promised to succeed where the VERY mildly received In the Streets had not. From a musical standpoint, Spice had been scoring decent sized hits in the year between, pinnacled, without a doubt, by his current piece and Gideon Boot's first single, Di Plane Land. Also, the album is boosted by the fact that Richie Spice becomes the third big time VP release in the past year to have the legendary Bobby `Digital' Dixon working the boards for his album as executive producer after, just recently, Jamelody for his Be Prepared album and Ras Shiloh's MASSIVE Coming Home from 2007. The producer who most notably could make the claim to being the producer to draw the absolute best from reigning roots king Sizzla Kalonji through both the Black Woman & Child and Da Real Thing albums, has a way about him which absolutely seems to bring the best out of his artists continuously. If Spice didn't have enough going his way, if you happen to look at reggae shelves right now, the last TRULY big roots release is now over three months old in Luciano's Jah Is My Navigator and Gideon Boot arrives at the perfect time when roots heads (especially internationally) are ready to hear from a big name. Spice himself has taken an active role in promoting Gideon Boot as well, just as he did with the In the Streets album last year and obviously by the only one year turnaround, it was quite successful. Gideon Boot follows the unsatisfying In the Streets set, as well as the WHOLLY satisfying piece which was Spice In Your Life and before that, the well done Universal from 2000 (he also had two albums which didn't reach the international stage in the self produced Living Ain't Easy (which was wonderful) and his debut, the ULTRA hard to find Out of The Blue, both from 1999). Spice In Your Life is definitely his best work to date on the album as it had the fortune of dropping at the same time when nearly EVERY Richie Spice tune released was becoming a hit of some degree (and included tunes such as Earth a Run Red, 911 and Righteous Youths when they were all still very fresh). With the hype which surrounded In the Streets to Africa, that album was supposed to reach those heights. Now, however, the only album Gideon Boot needs to worry about topping is the In the Streets album.
And it does SLIGHTLY. While still not being the absolute best the artist is capable of, Gideon Boot is a VERY cool and spiritual piece of vibes, which although it doesn't at all pass its elder sibling by leaps and bounds, it does just enough to take a FULL step ahead of it. The album is highlighted by previous singles, one LARGE combination and Bobby Digital's stellar production throughout which solidify the vibes. Now all that goodness being said, the album opens with the ultra AVERAGE Babylon Falling which is easily one of my LEAST favourite tunes on Gideon Boot. The best thing about the tune is definitely the lovely nyah drum backed riddim which it plays out on (there's a very nice saxophone throughout as well), but for all intent and purpose Spice really fails to say anything different. Its kind of a mechanical track full of clichés and just things which don't make the track a standout. It certainly is listenable and if you say Babylon Falling and `Africa is calling you and me!', I'll be the first to agree, but unfortunately Babylon Falling doesn't say much more than that. THANKFULLY upping the levels on the album immediately following the opener is my second favourite tune on the album and the title track. Gideon Boot the tune is a nearly special and captivating call to arms played out over Digital's cut of Studio One's ever-bouncing Johnny Too Bad riddim. The riddim itself is almost sugary sweet and Spice plays over it with a vibes which some will definitely argue is the top of the album altogether calling all soldiers of righteousness to the frontline and although I'm getting my "Gideon boots and a khaki suit", I'm just taking one other tune with me before I leave. That tune isn't Let's Go, which closes the opening of the album and is probably the highest profile tune on the album and one which certainly doesn't disappoint and is one of the piece's overall strongest. Let's Go is a tune which is, for the most part, on a repatriation vibes, still it features Europe's greatest current reggae export, German Gentleman. The two really do make a strong duo (Gentleman has proved himself apparently a very easy artist with whom to work over the years as he has recorded with a virtual `whose-who' of elite reggae artists from Cocoa Tea, all the way to Bounty Killer and back. Let's Go flows over the same lovely and strong one drop riddim which recently served as the backdrop for Jamelody's wicked Pressure tune. I still rate Pressure higher, but Let's Go isn't very far away and in an album which definitely lacks other big names (Let's Go is Gideon Boot's lone combination), the tune definitely gives it a bit of star power.
I guess I'll consider myself lucky because the first two big shots which were released before the album actually reached (and I mean the big tunes here, there are several tunes here which are actually older, even the title track itself, if I recall correctly originally reached in 2005, yet another reason Jamaicans don`t buy many albums), were two of my favourite tunes when they came. Thus, it was a good idea in my opinion for VP to include, first World is a Cycle. The tune flows over Arif `Supa' Cooper's DIVINE Guardian Angel riddim and was definitely one of the biggest efforts on the well packed riddim (and interestingly enough Jamelody's tune on the riddim, My King was absent from his album). The piece brought out the best in Spice as he rather simply put forth one of his strongest pieces in a while and one which proved to be a nice sized hit for the Kingston native. Still, it is topped by my favourite tune playing on the album, Di Plane Land. Talk about riddims! Plane Land spins wonderfully on one of the sweetest riddims you'll ever hear, the Rub A Dub (and VP just released it as a Riddim Driven, definitely check it) riddim from Kemar `Flava' McGregor's No Doubt Records. The tune very nicely speaks of the various difficulties Spice has encountered over the years traveling all around the world performing and its just a subject which isn't broached very often and its definitely one which I'm sure dozens of our artists can relate to (especially Perfect whose FIERY Amerimaka expressed a similar vibes, although most of his problems occurred before actually getting to the airport!). Di Plane Land is MASSIVE and definitely the class of Gideon Boot. The obligatory ganja anthem is here is quite unique and a standout as well (not Marijuana standout, but good still) is Wrap Up A Draw. The tune is probably THE head-nodding tune of choice on the album and one which is certainly fit for `prescribing' to the type of healing it recommends. I'd even go a step further and call it one of the album's biggest tunes, it is very solid. You also can't go too wrong with previous single (I'm thinking 2004 on this one), the classic vibe of Bad Lamp. While it isn't lyrically the strongest effort here, Spice pushes Digital's Hold On riddim (which you'll know as the same piece which backed Sizzla's AMAZING Words of Divine) in a very fine direction with a wonderful vibes. I'm also quite fond of Rise, perhaps more so due to the WONDERFULLY lush one drop which backs the tune, but Spice's somewhat airy yet strong voice was virtually made for the style of riddim here. And speaking of lyrically, the tune is easily amongst Gideon Boot's sharpest efforts and it is definitely gifted with one of the best choruses as well. And I will mention Getting Harder (originally known as One World Order), if for no other reason, again, because it flows over the very fine One For the Road riddim (which you know as backing Capleton's LARGE Ton Load). There are several tunes here, particularly down the stretch which just don't really reach too high and while I definitely wouldn't call ANY of them bad tunes, they just almost elicit no emotion whatsoever. Such a song definitely is Make Up Your Mind which almost comes off as Richie Spice almost didn't feel like singing that day! I'm also not very fond of Living in Love which never really gets going in any sticking direction and although it is blessed with Digital's version of Studio One's Ting a Ling riddim, it just isn't very impressive at all. Thankfully, at the end of the day Spice gets things right and sends us out on Hang On which is DEFINITELY one of the album's biggest tunes and one which I don't exactly remember hearing at all. Now, if we could just get the next album to start off with Hang On and STAY at that level.
Overall, I'm rather cautiously saying that Gideon Boot is a step above In the Streets to Africa. However, I may change my mind in a second (when I go back and listen to that album) and you might very well disagree. Regardless. What is not up for debate is that Richie Spice is definitely better for the most part than what you will hear on this album. This one I will recommend to newer fans (although in that case I would recommend In the Streets even more), however, more established fans in the vibes and particularly those of Richie Spice, you MIGHT be a little let down because of the lack of new dominant material present. As it stands, without a doubt the second it is released it becomes the most talked about reggae album in the world. Hopefully for the vibes, people are talking good things, but they may be talking about the UNEVEN things yet again.
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