“It’s telling you that Rasta is not a criminal, and that reggae music cannot play at its own funeral. “That song’s very powerful,” he concedes. Shut U Mouth is a burial tune in true sound-system tradition, whilst Rock The Dancehall is a clarion call – one that’s already an anthem in reggae circles. He’s equally adept as a singer, sing-jay or MC, and can battle it out with all comers. He’s keeper of the reggae flame, no matter whether singing roots or dancehall, and drives the crowd into a frenzy with songs like Who Run The Dance on which “Puppa Rosie gets the gold and full clearance,” and revels in pitch-perfect raggamuffin talk. They’re representative of a culture, and Alborosie knows and respects this better than most. Reggae sound-systems aren’t the same as DJ sessions. And I’m telling people that if you listen to sound-system, then you’re going to hear some good music and learn to live good.” He describes Sound The System as “a new chapter,” and says he called it that “because we’re there pushing the music, just like always. They are revolutionary in terms of the message, which is supposed to make you feel better and they could even change your life around. “It’s an Alborosie album and so if you’re expecting something different, you’ll be disappointed,” he says with a knowing smile, “except I really go all out where the songs are concerned. With dreadlocks almost touching the floor, he’s a proud Rastafarian armed with rebel philosophy, yet there’s a celebratory air to his music that’s impossible to resist at times. Alborosie may not be Jamaican by birth, yet he promotes reggae music in its truest sense. Evoking classics of old, his music doesn’t just sound great it has meaning. He’s the modern-day Renaissance man – a global citizen who demonstrates mastery of traditional reggae whilst pointing the way forward for himself and the genre. In addition to his talents as a singer and deejay, Alborosie writes the majority of his own material and plays virtually everything we hear on his records. His latest album Sound The System is a real landmark. It’s therefore no surprise to learn that fifty years after its birth, reggae’s current elite includes a singer from Sicily – one turned Jamaican national, and whose artistry has continued to grow and develop with every release. It’s Jamaica’s gift to the world and Planet Earth loves it – not just for those irrepressible rhythms, but what the music stands for. Reggae’s now gone beyond race and nationality, just like Rastafari.
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December 2022
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