Title
Artist
Label
Format
Date

 World Consciousness Unification Project Vol. 1 ~ Standing Firm Riddim
Various
Sick Donkey Records
CD
October 20, 2009

Track list
  1. Promoe - Migration
  2. Jahson Ites - Standing Firm
  3. Lutan Fyah - Watch Over Me
  4. Elaine "Lil' Bit" Sheperd - Judge Not
  5. Rocker-T - Harvest Time
  6. Chezidek - Music Is Love
  7. Essential I - More Strength, More Life
  8. Adrian Xavier - High Grade Strain
  9. Ras Attitude - Fret Not Thyself
  10. Wisdom - Bubblin'
  11. Huckleberry - Chant Up Jah
  12. Prezident Brown - Lionheart
  13. FyahCrackah Sound - Fire Burn
  14. Ras Indio - Burn Them Out
  15. Oren B Scripture - Mr Evil
  16. Ms Triniti - Dappa Swagger
  17. Jah Sun & Norrisman - All For Myself
  18. Half Pint & Ishi Dube - Show It
  19. Haji Mike - Babylon Time
Rate this album!
Cast your vote below.
Essential -Votes: 7-
Very Good -Votes: 0-
Good -Votes: 1-
Average -Votes: 0-
Disappointing -Votes: 0-
A Waste Of Time -Votes: 0-

Total votes : 8
Rating : from 5 (excellent) to 1 (poor)
Vocals : 4 Backing : 4/5 Production : 4 Sound quality : 4 Sleeve : 3
Our first introduction to the "Standing Firm Riddim" was when we listened to Lutan Fyah's "Watch Over Me", one of the most outstanding tunes featured on disc two of his highly acclaimed dbl cd "Africa". It then turned out that the riddim was created by Sick Donkey label artist, Jahson Ites, who got the idea and inspiration for the riddim in the cab of a beat-up red F-250 pickup in 2006, miles past the end of the pavement. In February 2007 at ElectroKitty Studios in Seattle, WA, Jahson Ites played the demo for Davee C, Lennox Holness, and Adrian Xavier of the Dub Championz. They listened to it and played along two or three times. He called out the changes to the band during the actual takes, and the core of the track was finished in under an hour. These sessions were forwarded to Stand Out Selector in San Francisco, where Anna Karney added keyboard parts and Bill Ortiz (Santana) & Marty Wehner laid the horn lines at Baby Fat Studios.

Two-and-a-half years after these recording sessions Okanogan County, Washington DC based record label, Sick Donkey Records unleashes the 19 track "Standing Firm Riddim" set featuring their stable artists, Jahson Ites, Huckleberry, and Essential I along with Reggae artists from all over the globe including Lutan Fyah, Chezidek, Half Pint, and Prezident Brown from Jamaica, Adrian Xavier from the Pacific Northwest, Ishi Dube from Humboldt County CA, Wisdom from the SF Bay Area, Rocker-T from Brooklyn NY, Ras Attitude from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Ms Triniti from Trinidad, Promoe from Sweden, Elaine Shepherd from Canada, Ras Indio from Belize and dub poet Haji Mike from Cyprus. The involvement in this cd project of conscious, positive and uplifting artists from all reaches of the earth is in line with the spirit of label's co-owner BlueJay (aka DJ Sticky) and his "World Consciousness Unification Project" aka "World C.U.P." vision for unity through conscious Reggae music.

The "Standing Firm Riddim" sampler features a great one drop roots riddim with blazing horns and some excellent voicings. Opening in fine style with the solid "Migration" by Promoe, a member of Swedish hiphop group Looptroop Rockers, this collection is actually most shaped by Rocker-T's "Harvest Time", Wisdom's outstanding "Bubblin'", and, of course, Lutan Fyah's awesome "Watch Over Me". While these tunes form the main pillars of this set, a number of others are also worth of hearing. Jahson Ites pulls out a truly decent performance on the title track "Standing Firm" and the same goes for the always reliable Prezident Brown whose "Lionheart" belongs to the better efforts on this album. One also shouldn't overlook worthwhile pieces from lesser known artists such as Elaine "Lil' Bit" Sheperd ("Judge Not"), Adrian Xavier ("High Grade Strain"), Ras Indio ("Burn Them Out") and Ms Triniti ("Dapper Swagger"). Not every track is a winner, but all in all this is a fine 'one riddim' selection from start to finish.