I-Octane – Dancehall Gift

New offering

One thing I’ve learned in this life is that personal growth is an awesome thing. I wake up everyday, thankful for the new day that God has given me and count my blessings that I have a roof over my head, food in the refrigerator and family and friends that love me. It’s important to me that I realize that I’m not perfect and strive to be a better man, husband and father. Life isn’t perfect, but each day differs from the last in that you have an opportunity to learn something new, whether it be about yourself, or someone close to you, and use that information to improve the person that you are. Being less judgmental and cynical about things will surely assist on that journey to find peace within yourself. Now you may be looking at the web address on your browser, to be sure you’ve clicked on Reggae-Vibes.com, and not some self-help, new-age website, complete with a link to schedule an appointment to “get guidance to spiritual enlightenment”. I’m sure our readers are wondering JUST WHAT THE HELL THIS HAS TO DO WITH I-OCTANE’S LATEST RELEASE?? Well, I can tell you exactly. Because as I listened to the new offering from the Clarendonian dancehall stalwart. I found myself resorting to attitudes and feelings I was sure I had left in the past. The old man in me, sitting on a porch telling anyone who would listen that current dancehall is trash, while yelling out to turn up the Jacob Miller, resurfaced. And there was not a damn thing I could do about it.

Dancehall Gift

Possessing a title with some serious nerve, Dancehall Gift opens innocuously enough with the mellow Window. A head nodder for sure, the mid-tempo, catchy vibe is perfect for I-Octane’s signature (and always well-produced) auto-tuned delivery. Following up with the equally smooth Don’t Play Wid Di Money, and Keep It Coming, then being treated to a classic dancehall offering in Da Wind Deh, I was ready to get into my vibe bag and appreciate what was surely to be a rock-solid entry into Octane’s catalog. The next few tracks quickly put the kibosh on that dream. The trite and graphic Miss Anyweh was typical of what the “kids” are listening to with the usual cookie-cutter, trap-style production used by just about anybody passing off as a dancehall artist these days. As was Ride It, a lazily delivered ode to the female anatomy which thankfully lasts only a little over 2 minutes. I-Octane, in my humble opinion, wastes space with the Khago diss, Gun Dem Daily as I believe that personal beefs are better served OFF albums and through singles released for the streets and clubs. The cut itself is ehhhh, but adds zero to the overall value of the total package. Adding a final thorn in my side, Octane closes with Brace & Kotch another vocal sex romp, with an irritating Spanish Flamenco guitar refrain, that had me quoting Roberto Duran’s No Mas in the hopes that the torture would soon end. It eventually did, and the silence after the album was as refreshing as the mist from Dunn’s River Falls.

Not Good Not Bad

What I think bothers me the most about Dancehall Gift is that it’s not a good album, but it’s not a BAD album either. I-Octane is a certified star in the game, and my astonishment at him titling the album as he did, isn’t that he’s not worthy of such self-aggrandizing, but more the fact that it fell well short of being something deserving of reggae magnificence. While he may never go back to the type of music he created on 2014’s My Journey, (his BEST album to date IMO) I-Octanes quality of music to me, has declined, since even last year’s I Am Great. It feels as if he’s falling victim to the pressures of exercising his creativity while maintaining his spot in dancehall and giving his constant, growing fanbase what they’re looking for. The numbers certainly don’t lie. As this review hits, he currently has the #1 album in dancehall on iTunes’ chart and credit to him for achieving that feat. For me however, I prefer a little more diversity and heart poured into the music of my favorite artists. I-Octane has some amazing tracks in his catalog, but Dancehall Gift literally could have been made by any of the top dancehall artists out now. Question is, does this speak to a bigger issue relating to the feelings of my inner (bitter) old man, or just something I’ll have to quickly get over if I’m going to continue to try to be fair and balanced and give all forms of reggae it’s equitable and deserved treatment? We’ll find out with the release of the next dancehall “leader of the new school”. In the meantime, Buju Banton drops in September. I think you’ll find my “old man” sitting on his porch with a smile on his face.

Keep It Coming