Wisconsin Snow In Contrast to the Jamaica Sun

My area of the world, Wisconsin,  received seven inches of snow the weekend of November 13-14. We went from an Indian summer with temperatures in the 60s to the low 30s overnight Friday. As I was shoveling out the driveway, I patted myself on the back for the purposeful exercise I was getting but I was also sad to see the end of green until April or May.  And I became jealous as I checked the weather report for Jamaica – 80 degrees and sunny.  Read more... (207 words)

CD Review: Duane Stephenson, Black Gold

Duane Stephenson, Black Gold [VP Records, 2010]

Mind you don’t get this record confused with another bearing the same name by reggae singer Toussaint. The only things this Black Gold and that Black Gold have in common are identical titles and great music. And for the sake of further differentiating, here are a few facts about Duane Stephenson: He was once the lead singer of a harmony group called To-Isis; he’s written songs for Luciano, Jah Cure and Morgan Heritage; and he put out a debut CD called August Town a few years ago.  Read more... (308 words + 1 image)

CD Review: Fat Freddy’s Drop, Live at Roundhouse

Fat Freddy’s Drop, Live at Roundhouse [The Drop, 2010]

Not strictly a reggae band, New Zealanders Fat Freddy’s Drop also know their way around funk, soul, dub, Afrobeat, downtempo chill and several levels of jazz. Nonetheless, reggae fans and music lovers of all stripes have taken to this low key collective. Perhaps it’s something to do with how unpretentiously cool their music sounds.  Read more... (348 words + 1 image)

CD Review: King Sunny Ade, Baba Mo Tunde

King Sunny Ade, Baba Mo Tunde [IndigeDisc, 2010]

Ah, Sunny Ade, the Juju King. He was the first African musician I got turned on to more than a quarter century ago, when he was being marketed as a successor to Bob Marley and a gateway opener to a world of music beyond the boorish excesses of ‘80s mainstream pop. He certainly wasn’t the former but he largely was the latter, at least to me.  Read more... (436 words + 1 image)