Amazon.co.uk Review
Back to Basics--
Beenie Man's third LP for Virgin--will delight his diehard fans. For the man who has done so much to make Jamaican dancehall a worldwide pop phenomenon has taken a step back to his roots, eschewing the US pop/hip-hop influences of his previous two LPs (
Art and Life and
Tropical Storm) to bring through a brimming set of raw, digital bouncers that seduce with tight rhymes and infectious hooks. His previous range of high-profile collaborators (The Neptunes and Wyclef to Kelis and Janet Jackson) are gone, replaced with a steady selection of lesser known talent such as Cheeztrix, Ms. Thing, Kirk Davis, Ghost and Kymberli. Ms. Thing puts in a stellar performance appearance however on recent single, "Dude2", a compelling dancefloor rub that opens the LP with a bang and sets the pace perfectly for what's to follow. The beats – supplied by Beenie himself, and Kingston compadres Dav! e Kelly, Tony Kelly and Don Corleon – come thick and fast and catchy, particularly tracks like current single "King Of The Dancehall" and "Doctor Mi Rate Yu".
But it's not all bombastic; a Beenie LP wouldn't be complete without a song for 'the laydeez' and here we get "Love All Girls", in which he spends a few minutes listing the nationalities of the girls he likes (which turns out to be pretty much every nationality on the planet). The album gradually tapers into more insouciant fare. "D-O or G-O" is a soulful record with a Caribbean twist; "If A Neva God" is very gospel-influenced; and end track "Back Against The Wall" is an acoustic reggae song that gestures towards Mr. Marley's songbook. All in all, it's an alluring voyage back to the raw essence of the music that has sustained him--and us--so well. --Paul Sullivan
CD Description
After numerous releases on various labels, Beenie Man follows up 2002's Virgin released 'Tropical Storm'. Ditching the production skills of The Neptunes in favour of reggae producer Lenky Mardsen, Dave Kelly, and hip hop producer Timbaland, the album is an updated version of the traditional dancehall sound that propelled Beenie Man to worldwide fame. The single 'Dude' is also included.
