|
Title Artist Label Format Date |
Break Free
Delly Ranx Di Ranx Productions / Pure Music / Big Ship / 24x7 Records - Victor Entertainment CD/LP November 21, 2007 |
Track list
| |||||
|
| ||||
|
Rating :
from 5 (excellent) to 1 (poor) |
| Vocals : 4/5 | Backing : 5 | Production : 5 | Sound quality : 5 | Sleeve : 4/5 |
|
Delly Ranx a.k.a. Mr. 'Redbull &
Guinness', born Delroy Foster, has been a staple on the Jamaican dancehall reggae
scene for some 15 years. Over these years, he has recorded for major producers in
the industry including veterans Sly and Robbie and Steelie and Cleevie and he has
performed at numerous international reggae festivals and shows in the Caribbean,
Europe and the United States. Delly Ranx recently completed a successful tour in the
United Kingdom with Freddie McGregor, Chino and Natural Black but was unfortunately
absent in continental Europe a couple of weeks ago (as was Natural Black).
Delly Ranx has had success on the airwaves in Jamaica, the Caribbean and abroad with
major hits, like "Pon Di Corner" with Mega Banton, "Redbull & Guinness", "Ghetto
Whiskey", "Solid" and the remake of "Love & Devotion" with Jimmy Riley, of which
only the first tune isn't included on this album. Delly Ranx has over the past couple of years combined his skills as an artist with developing into a successful producer. To his record he has a production on Sean Paul's platinum selling debut album "Dutty Rock" and he produced the Billboard hit for Mavado "Weh Dem A Do" on the 'Redbull & Guinness'-riddim. This riddim also won him (and Stephen McGregor) the Irie FM riddim of the year for 2006. In 2007, recognition of Delly Ranx' productions led to a nomination for producer of the year at the 26th annual International Reggae and World Music Awards. Recent productions include the one-drop riddim the 'Serengeti' and dancehall riddims 'Cherry Tree', 'Gangstaz Prayer' and the 'Shoota'-riddim. Now he has moved to the next stage, his debut(!) album - after 15 years in the business -, "Break free" which was released on Victor Entertainment (i.e. JVC Music) from Japan as a Japan-only release licensed from Delly's own Di Ranx Productions, Pure Music and the McGregor's Big Ship Productions. After the (rather funny, I must admit) "Break Free Intro" follows "Girl Friend", a smooth bubbling lovers tune over Open Ear Music's 'Natural Breeze'-riddim that shows the potential its producers Matthew 'Preki' Lawrence & 'Davy' Dunbar possess. Then it's 'Breaking News', the first riddim by Stephen 'Di Genius' McGregor that Delly rides on this album, a brilliant riddim, hectic like all of Stephen's productions but a bit slower yet with enormous pressure and a superb 'Love Punaany Bad'-sample, pushing Delly's combination with Nitty Kutchie "Loyal Soldiers" to great heights, before on the smooth "Inside Beauty Counts" for Clayton 'Freckles' Trench combines his deep bariton deejaying with singing and then he teams up with Chrisinti for the beautiful "You're So Young" over the 'Serengeti'-riddim for his own Pure Music label. On the for Michael 'Liquid' Brissett's H2O-label (originally a Donovan 'Vendetta' Bennett spin-off) by Stephen McGregor built '12 Gauge'-riddim (that was clearly inspired by and in the same vein as 'Red Bull & Guinness'), built in Freddie's Big Ship Studio, backing "Lose Control" Delly is joined by Wayne Wonder for the great call to a girl to lose herself, followed by his "Solid" over 'Sidewalk University" for Jammy Jam 2 James "Solid", sounding more than just a little inspired by Beenie Man. One of THE tunes on this album is "Red Bull & Guinness", the combination with Daniel McGregor a.k.a. Chino that gave the first Stephen 'Di Genius' McGregor & Delly Ranx production, the booming 'Red Bull & Guinness'-riddim its name, immediately followed by the second extremely successful collaboration of Delly with both McGregor brothers "Ghetto Whiskey". Delly Ranx' own 'Break Free'-riddim from 2005 (also a Stephen McGregor contribution actually) backs the great downtempo "Break Free" that is followed by the Uniques' fabolous 1969 tune "Love And Devotion" with veteran singer Jimmy Riley recorded for as "Fortune And Fame" for Taxi's Sly Dunbar & Robbie Shakespeare in 2006 and the strong "Keep Them Talking" over Deja Vu's 'Justice'-riddim produced by Marlon 'Piranha' Cookie in 2004. "Take It To Them" is a great gals/dance tune for Bulby and Fatta's Fat Eyes label, followed by his solo tune on the 'Red Bull & Guinness'-riddim "Haters" telling how they just try to stop my flow / but they gonna watch us grow in very fierce commanding style and the party tune "Me And My Friends" over Cordel 'Skatta' Burrell's cheap eurodance trance inspired but highly infectious 'Inevitable'-riddim to finish an extremely satisfying album, with an upcoming worldwide release later this year. As long as it's only available in Japan, a good and safe route to obtain this record would be to buy it where I bought it, at one of the last surviving specialist Jamaican music recordshops in Europe - that also provides mailorder - Münster based Irie Records. |
|
|
 |
|