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Title Artist Label Format Date |
Album review
Love So Nice Junior Kelly VP Records-Walboomers Music CD 30-04-2001 |
Tracking list |
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Rating :
from 5 (excellent) to 1 (poor) |
| Vocals : 4/5 | Backing : 4/5 | Production : 5 | Sound quality : 5 | Sleeve : 4 |
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Hot on the heels of his recent Jet Star release "Juvenile", and almost exactly two years after he recorded his ground-breaking single "Love So Nice", conscious rootsman Junior Kelly delivers his third album, actually named after his biggest hit to date. Although his two albums for Jet Star were solid deliveries and thus deservedly found their way to the turntables or cd players of many contemporary roots fans, it is with the VP release "Love So Nice" that Junior Kelly delivers his most representative album so far. Born and raised in Kingston 13, Jamaica, Junior Kelly comes from a family with deep musical roots in dancehall reggae. Junior's brother Jim Kelly, known from Killamanjaro Sound, was killed when Junior was 13 years old. From these early years, Junior developed his so-called 'singjay' style which finally led to a vocal delivery which is strongly reminiscent of his contemporaries Sizzla and Capleton. With his already mentioned single "Love So Nice" delivered over a remake of Bob Marley's "Stir It Up" riddim, and after that a consistently excellent string of tuff roots singles, Junior Kelly has taken the Reggae world by storm. Besides never before issued material, "Love So Nice" contains some excellent, but often hard-to-get Jamaican singles like for example "Clean Heart", "Boom Draw" and the Jamaican cut to "Juvenile". A delight for those reggae fans who were eagerly searching for these crisp biscuits but couldn't lay their hands on them. The album kicks off with the truly superb "Clean Heart" - a much-anticipated 7" single when it hit the streets on "Ba'k Beat Records" - and from then it goes from strength to strength. Delivering his conscious lyrics over riddims laid by "live" musicians, Junior Kelly mainly delivers modern roots tunes of an incredible high standard. Outstanding efforts are the serious herb piece "Boom Draw", "Hungry Days" (delivered over a brisk cut of Marley's "War" riddim), "Paradise", the uplifting "Jah Nuh Dead", the rootical "Black Woman and "Go Down Satan", the combination tune "Faith" and the already mentioned "Clean Heart". But also the remaining tracks on this album should not be ignored as they are very enjoyable and above par efforts. "Love So Nice" is an excellent singjay album and, if you like this kind of performance style, certainly a great addition to your reggae collection!
Teacher & Mr. T. |
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