Title
Artist
Label
Format
Date

 Chi Chi Bud
Various
Joe Fraser Records
CD/LP
November 6, 2007

Track list
  1. Intro
  2. Chi Chi Bud - Max Romeo
  3. Life Precious Gift - Tarrus Riley
  4. Told You - Marcia Griffiths
  5. I Pray - Freddie McGregor
  6. Walk A Mile In My Shoe - Mikey Spice
  7. The Sun & The Moon - Richie Stephens
  8. Sexy - Fiona
  9. Mr. Brown - Lloyd Brown
  10. No Time To Linger - Terry Linen
  11. Let Not Your Heart Be Trouble - Everton Blender
  12. Lovers Holiday - Pam Hall
  13. Father God Almighty - Mikey General
  14. Confrontation - Steele
  15. Shawty - Sadiki
  16. Brand New Crisis - Roger Robin
  17. Two Keys - Peter Spence
Rate this album!
Cast your vote below.
Essential -Votes: 2-
Very Good -Votes: 7-
Good -Votes: 3-
Average -Votes: 2-
Disappointing -Votes: 0-
A Waste Of Time -Votes: 0-

Total votes : 14
Rating : from 5 (excellent) to 1 (poor)
Vocals : 4/5 Backing : 5 Production : 5 Sound quality : 5 Sleeve : 3
Lloyd & Michelle Campbell of Joe Fraser Records, often release two-riddim albums like VP's Riddim Driven "Engine 54 / Humanity", and their "Peanut Vendor meets Bongo Nyah" set, be it or not alongside Jason Sterling who himself released the beautiful 'Hooligan' one riddim album just a couple of months ago on his own Jasfar Records, but their penultimate joint effort "Fingerprint Riddim" wasn't and following last year's two-riddim album "Loving Pauper Meets Hypocrite" they return once more with a superb one-riddim album. Being a great singers-producers team, the Joe Fraser label often provides great (relicks of great) riddims suiting sweeter voiced singers, like Sanchez for "Frenzy" and several other tracks on his "No More Heartaches"-album, Lloyd Brown on his album "Dreams To Remember" and Fiona on her "Forever", "Fiona's Moment" and "Wanna Make Love".

This time Max Romeo's "Chi Chi Bud" is relicked, a tune he recorded for his (late) good friend Keith Chin a.k.a. Keith Randy's from VP, based on a folk tune turned into a cultural song with a little political overtone, that was released on Randy's Impact label in 1971. After the (a capella Roger Robin) "Intro" it's Max Romeo himself given the honour of delivering his original "Chi Chi Bud" first over this very catchy riddim with its irresistable keyboard-riff, followed by Tarrus Riley's impressive "Life Prescious Gift" and Studio One veterans Marcia Griffiths with the harsh "Told You" message for a lover left behind and Freddie McGregor with "I Pray" both showing that after 40 years in the business they are still top-notch vocalists with great voices and fine song(lyric)-writing abilities. Mikey Spice's unique voice was often heard in the ... in Jamaica, but now that he has relocated to Florida unfortunately isn't voiced over lots of riddims, luckily as you can hear in "Walk A Mile In Shoe" Joe Fraser Records is an exception, as it also is an exception these days for Richie Stephens, who in the last couple of years normally is featured as either producer or singer in a combination, to shine as a solo artist like here with "The Sun & The Moon".

It is hard to imagine a Joe Fraser riddim not being voiced by Fiona, whose albums were mentioned above, and this 'Chi Chi Bud'-riddim is no exception, she delivers the great invitation to her lover to join her in the bedroom "Sexy" here, before UK Lovers Rock icon Lloyd Brown tells how much he is loved by the ladies all wanting "Mr. Brown" and Terry Linen, whose wonderful voice is too seldom heard, contributes the excellent lovers tune "No Time To Linger". It still surprises me that a roots veteran like Everton Blender isn't voiced more often over current (nu-)roots riddims, proving those producers who don't voice him wrong once more with the conscious "Let Not Your Heart Be Trouble" and equally surprising is the fact that a great female singer like Pam Hall is rarely voiced as a solo artist and almost 'overused' as a backing vocalist when you hear a magnificent tune like "Lovers Holiday" over her lover having gone away, followed by Mikey General with his silky voice praising "Father God Almighty".

Jamaican-born but in his late teen years to Toronto, Canada migrated Steele, regarded as one of the most consistent artists to come out of Canada contributes the very soulful "Confrontation", fulfilling the promise from his very good late 2004 debut set "Uncorrupted", before Sadiki 'the Sound Killachi' sings his smooth "Shawty" and two great UK Lovers Rock stalwarts close this selection, Roger Robin, who started at Saxon Sound singing alongside Maxi Priest - and it's still almost impossible to tell which of these two great singers has voiced a tune if you don't know it -, with the superb "Brand New Crisis" and the great Peter Spence with the almost as strong "Two Keys". The only negative remark I can make about this album is that it doesn't contain the clean version of the riddim, but other than that this album with its irresistable riddim is a must buy for (real) early reggae and lovers aficionados.