Growing up and falling in love with reggae in the eighties,
I couldn’t help the faint feeling that I’d missed out on the golden era. Of
course I loved the likes of Dennis and Gregory who were still making great
music, but the heyday of some of these giants was behind them. The temptation
was to spend all my time and money digging out the classics to educate myself
in the foundations of reggae. But then again I knew there was a huge amount of
amazing fresh music all around me, but it somehow lacked an individual
personality to get a hold on. Then I gradually became aware of Jamaica’s Stevie
Wonder, Frankie ‘Dancehall’ Paul, and I came to appreciate one of the true
superstars of the eighties. Even then it took me a while to get him. Listening
to Tony Williams run down the reggae charts, there would often be three or four
FP singles in the top 20 at any one time. Which one to buy with my pocket
money? Maybe I should get an album, but wait, he’s got three albums out this
year, all with two or three standout tracks. And ‘Alesha’ is on the same riddim
as Half Pint’s ‘Greetings’, which one do I buy? Do I need to buy Sarah, when
it’s been at number one in the reggae charts for 13 weeks and on radio all the
time? Now I realise how lucky we were, spoilt for choice and I should have got
a Saturday job to fund my trips to Dub Vendor. Back then with my adolescent
preoccupation with originality, I would have a slight feeling of disappointment
when I discovered some of his songs were covers and all the others were written
by this P. Blake guy! I eventually cottoned on this was the real name of the
man himself, and found out he was a hugely talented multi-instrumentalist and
songwriter, penning stone cold classics like ‘Worries In The Dance’, ‘Shub In’
and ‘I Know The Score’. Even his cover versions were often unrecognisable from
the originals, as he added so much of himself and I came to look forward to his
take on a soul hit, like ‘Casanova’. His peerless selection of tunes came from
a unexpected variety of sources, some of them untraceable to me in the
pre-internet days, (just listened to the original of ‘So Soon We Change’ for
the first time and I definitely still prefer Frankie’s version), and was a
reflection of his wide knowledge of music and unstoppable love of singing, and
an essential ingredient to his prolific role in the reggae industry of the time.
He had an amazing range, was well known for love songs, which were perfect for
a teenager in love like me, featuring on every mixtape I ever gave to a girl.
But he also had a gift for social comment that conjured up the trials and
tribulations of everyday life in Kingston in ‘Tidal Wave’ and ‘Fire De A Mus
Mus Tail’, as well as a spiritual side with songs like ‘Songs of Freedom’ and ‘Never
Give Up’. Seeing him in concert he was like a human jukebox, and in interviews,
jingles and spoken intros to records we got to know his range of mimicry and
impressions, zooming around like a radio dial. It was impossible to keep up
with him, as he continued making records into the nineties, noughties and
2010s, even as his health began to deteriorate. Even now, I listen to the
tribute shows on mixcloud
and 1xtra I discover classics that are brand new to me, while nearly all the others
are cherished favourites from my collection, thanks to Daddy Ernie and David
Rodigan for introducing me to them back in the day. We’ll miss him, but Frankie
left us with a musical legacy music that will never run dry. Rest in Peace. One
love.
Monday 29 May 2017
Wednesday 10 May 2017
Protoje
Protoje, Sevana and the Indiggnation Band, Glasgow 02 ABC, 7 May 2017
Being an old-time veteran, I like to think Protoje is quite new on the reggae scene, as
he still sounds so fresh and original, generally rejecting recycled rhythms and
covers, blending influences from hip-hop and dancehall with the real
instruments and talented musicians of the Indiggnation band to create a
powerful new conduit for his smart, riddle-full lyrics, putting him at the
forefront of the roots revival. But he’s been working at this a long time, as
you can tell from his carefully crafted and developed sound. It’s nearly seven
years since he started to scratch the surface of success and began this reggae
affair with new audiences all over the world, and even made it to Glasgow
already in October 2015. So there’s no excuse not to be up to speed with his
message by now, and clearly he made a big impression on the reggae connoisseurs
of Scotland last time, as the 02 ABC was packed with an eager and expectant
crowd. Protoje’s protégé, Sevana, took
the stage bright and early (about a quarter past eight, so don’t be late) to
showcase her EP,
with songs like ‘Easy To Breathe’, ‘Carry You’ and ‘Chant It’ demonstrating her
soulful voice and extra classic lovers style.
After a short break, Protoje took centrestage, his
easy-going, laid back presence belying the anger and militancy of his lyrics as
he hits us with tunes like 'Criminal' and 'Blood Money'. Flanked by two powerful female
voices, keyboards and some rocking guitars, as well as a driving drum and bass,
he gets the crowd singing Kymani Marley’s part on ‘Rasta Love’ and the vibe is reminiscent
of the latter’s old man. He’s a versatile performer, launching into high-energy
steppers, sharing the spotlight with the band and when joined on stage by
another amazing prospect Lila Iké, with her own ‘Biggest Fan’ she also features
on ‘Flight Plans’ from the ‘Royalty Free’
download last year. A couple more tunes from this selection reveal more of a softer,
lovers rock side that emerged spending a few months last summer in the UK, as
he tells us. Protoje’s music encompasses the whole smorgasbord of reggae, and
while most of his tunes are his own compositions, he also pays tribute to his inspirations,
from the bouncing ska of ‘Answer to Your Name’ to a taste of dancehall with
some live sampling of Buju’s ‘Champion’ with a heavy dose of eighties influences
from Black Uhuru’s ‘Shine Eye Gal’ and a sprinkling of ‘Exodus’. He steps up
the pace with a little more help from Sevana and the guitarist taking Jesse
Royal’s part for ‘Sudden Flight’ and keeps the crowd bubbling to ‘Bubblin’ and
more. He can’t leave out the modern anthem, ‘Who Knows’, which is the first
reggae record in years that I’ve heard blasting out of passing cars, in the
barbers, shops and at suburban parties, in
Glasgow. Leaving us with another classic,
‘Kingston Be Wise’, after the best part of two hours on stage, he’s already got
a substantial body of work to choose from, with three full studio albums and a
couple of mixtapes/downloads, but still left the crowd eagerly waiting for
more. If you look at the artists he has collaborated with, it reads like a
who’s who of the recent roots reggae revival in Jamaica and globally: Chronixx,
Jah9, Jesse Royal, Alborosie, Gentleman, which makes you realise reggae’s
future is in safe hands, and is also a big chunk of the line-up for this
summer’s festivals like California
Roots, Summerjam Germany and Boomtown
England. So if you missed Protoje on this tour, don’t miss your next chance. One
love!
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