Serious is the debut 7" single for The Hempolics on the Reggae Roast label. The Hempolics are a collective of musicians comprising the diverse talents of Maxi Jazz, Paolo Nutini, Harry Collier, One Eskimo and Dandelion, who takes on vocal duties for the tune.
The riddim first reminded me of Some Like It Hot but it is in fact a relick of rocksteady piece, Stay Loose, produced by Clancy Eccles. The re-lick was built and produced by Grippa Laybourne; the lyrics aren't the most rootsy or conscious but Dandelion delivers them to his usual high standards.
Where the tune really shines is it's catchy party vibe, which will appeal to both reggae and non-reggae audiences. There are always a few bubbly reggae/hip-hop cross-overs or mash-ups that you'll hear all over the city as we head towards summer; Serious is one I expect to hear throughout the next few months.
The 7" comes with the dub on the flip, and was previously available on the Reggae Uprising compilation. Also available for download is an additional dub and another two dub step mixes.
soundcloud.com/reggaeroast/serious
www.reggaeroast.co.uk
www.myspace.com/thehempolics
Roger Robin is a UK-based reggae artist originally from Bristol who grew in the South London. His musical career began at the age of 11 when he started working on Saxon Sound System alongside the likes of Papa Levi, Maxi Priest and Smiley Culture.
A multi talented musician he is more known as a vocalist, with a distinctive melodic and versatile voice, equally adept delivering lovers rock or riding a riddim to conscious roots and culture. He has worked with leading producers and shared the stage with leading artists over the past 20 years. When on a roots tip, his songs and lyrics are of substance, reasoning and dealing with the bitter-sweet realities of life.
Them Say We Wrong was played as a dubplate by Shaka for some time; the 12" was released on the Jah Shaka music label in 2009 although it was available on the album I See Jah a year earlier. Mafia n Fluxy are the musicians behind the riddim, the tune was mixed by Gussie P and production credits go to Jah Shaka; it's a good start for the hall of fame of the UK reggae/sound system scene...all need little introduction or further explanation.
Roger Robins lyrics and delivery are on point, dealing with the difficulties and struggles experienced when simply expressing one's faith, 'we call pon jah name... dem say we wrong....'
Many of the dub albums on the Shaka label feature a lot of fast, heavy steppers flavoured tunes, but here the conscious lyrics sit over a slow and heavy one drop riddim, with an excellent dub to go with it, and both drop heavy. On the other side you get the vocal and dub for Journey On, another heavy piece.
www.myspace.com/jahshakamusic
www.myspace.com/rogerrobin
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