Skarra Mucci is running for dancehall presidency

Versatile singjay Skarra Mucci returns with another energetic, bouncy and playful album with influences from back when, now and then. And it carries another boastful title – Dancehall President. The album before was called Greater Than Great. Skarra Mucci isn’t short on confidence. That’s for sure.

Dancehall President is his fifth studio album and it comes with the same tasty ingredients as his previous sets – reggae, hip-hop, and old school dancehall. This set also add some dubstep, as showcased on the meaty Handz Ina Di Air.

Skarra Mucci effortlessly raps, sings and singjays over contemporary riddims and beats sprinkled with vintage vibes, including It Wasn’t I recorded over a relick of Keith & Tex’ melancholic Goodbye Baby.

The album carries 15 blazing cuts featuring combinations with artists like Beenie Man, Yanis Odua, Mandinka and Horace Andy with production helmed by Irie Ites, Weedy G Soundforce and Deebuzz.

Another sharp and party-starting album with enough energy to keep one rocking and swinging through the night.

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Listen to Treesha

Kenya-born and Germany-based singer Treesha started singing in school and in church. After moving to Germany she was discovered by Gentleman and joined his Evolution Band about three years ago. But while on tour she met talented singjay Skarra Mucci who believed in her talent and signed her on his own label.

One of her first singles as a solo singer was a cut on Oneness Records’ Retro Locks riddim, which dropped earlier this year. Her Don’t Do It is a slice of contemporary one drop showcasing a confident singer with great vocal capabilities.

Listen has a number of different producers involved – Oneness, DJ Denzen and Bazzazian – and collects 15 tracks offering mostly modern reggae, but also a few slices of R&B, ska and lightweight dancehall.

Treesha has a lush and sensual singing style and highlights include the urgent I’m a Lion, the catchy title track and the romancing Skarra Mucci combination Love You Like 123.

Nice when talented singers are able to move from the background to the spotlight.

Skarra Mucci flies high on Greater Than Great

One of the best albums in 2012 was Skarra Mucci’s third album Return of the Raggamuffin. It was an energetic and uplifting effort with several bouncy cuts. Now it’s time for his fourth studio album, and I was thrilled when I listened to it the first time, because it’s made according to the same successful recipe.

Greater Than Great is surely a boastful title. And so is Skarra Mucci’s alias the Lyric Millionaire. But this versatile singay gets away with it. Partly thanks to his talent, but also because of the producers. A number of Europe’s best producers have namely been involved in this project – Dreadsquad, Bizzarri, Irie Ites and Weedy G Soundforce, to name a few.

And even though a truck-load of producers have put ingredients in this delicious dish, Greater Than Great sounds remarkably consistent with its potent blend of reggae, hip-hop and old-school dancehall. It offers lots of relicks of classic riddims along with bragging lyrics and sound system destroyers.

It’s hard not to stomp my feet and nod my head to tracks like Come fi Take Ova, My Sound with its sublime sample of Wendy Rene’s After Laughter, the Perfect combination Bomboclaat on a version of the mighty Stop That Train riddim and War Dem Get, with an opening close to Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive.

The album title and its artwork might be a little cocky and exaggerate things a bit, but not much. Because Greater Than Great is definately a very worthwhile set.

Irie Ites celebrate 15th anniversary with new riddim

When French label and production crew Irie Ites celebrates 15 year anniversary they take the opportunity to release their 15th riddim, a riddim full of summer vibes.

Soulful Spirit is a modern hip-hop-influenced riddim based around a sample from an old soul song, also interpreted by Sharon Jones.

In a press release the riddim is described as dynamic and danceable, smooth as a summer breeze, perfect for summer nights and parties.

The riddim has been voiced by a bunch of great artists who have worked close to Irie Ites for many years, such as Perfect, Spectacular, Chezidek, Skarra Mucci and Sizzla. But several lesser known artists also grab the microphone, including Jr. Yellam, Sugar Kawar and Papa Style.

Soulful Spirit hits the streets in mid-June on 7 “via Irie Ites web shop and in mid-July as digital download via all major platforms.

Hot and cold in Dub Inc’s paradise

Dub Inc – one of Europe’s most successful reggae bands – is back with their long-awaited fifth album Paradise, following Hors Contrôle put out in 2010. Over these three years this seven piece band from Saint Etienne, France, has toured the world – from Portugal to the U.S., from Colombia to India and from Germany to Senegal. They have also been subject for the documentary Rude Boy Story.

Paradise collects 13 tracks, of which one is a dubstrumental. It’s a global album with influences from Jamaica and the Caribbean as well as from the Middle East and Balkan. Dub Inc also continues their journey to reach a broader fan base with several songs sung mostly in English rather than French, a pity since the two vocalists sound much better in their native language.

Album opener Revolution is a thunderous and infectious reggae scorcher with its catchy ski-bi-di-bap’s and politically engaged lyrics in both English and French. So is They Want with guest deejay Skarra Mucci, one of Europe’s hottest artists. He certainly outshines Dub Inc’s two vocalists Komlan and Bouchkour with his tongue twisting delivery.

Two of the more odd moments are Hurricane and Il faut qu’on ose. The latter sounds like Dub Inc has teamed up with Korn or another U.S. nu metal band and the former is frenzy accordion-driven dancehall.

This is a diverse and non-cohesive reggae album that will probably appeal to Dub Inc’s many fans across the globe.

Seriously deadly vibes on Lion D’s third album

Italian/Nigerian singer and singjay Lion D’s third and latest album Bring Back the Vibes is a perfect example of how great contemporary European reggae can sound. It has the usual blend of one drop riddims, hip-hop, soul and dancehall, but this album also incorporates gospel and blues, mostly in the form of a sweet harmonica provided by Lee Jaffe, who played with Bob Marley and The Wailers.

The album aims to bring roots reggae and dancehall from the 80’s and 90’s into the spotlight. And the result is very successful, even though Bring Back the Vibes has a very contemporary feel with its high energy and hip-hop flavored beats.

It’s positive and conscious and Lion D deals with spirituality, romance, unity, equality, struggle for work – something German roots reggae singer Uwe Banton also did on his latest album Mental War – and self-respect, as in one of the album’s several highlights – No Bleaching Cream.

The tasty and tight riddims are mostly supplied by the Livity Band and composed by Magista. Onboard is also talented Jamaican singer Nikki Burt, who provides excellent harmonies on several songs, and a number of guest artists – Ras Tewelde, Gappy Ranks, Skarra Mucci and Blacky Grace.

The album collects 18 songs, of which two are short interludes from the cult motion picture Rockers and one a cappella intro and one acoustic outro. There are actually several acoustic efforts, and the ukulele-led So Beautiful sounds like someone has put Bruno Mars in a studio in Kingston.

The set mixes unreleased and already released material as well as relicks and fresh originals. A lethal hip-hop fueled version of Inner Circle’s monster hit Sweat (A La La La Long) turns up surprisingly, whereas versions of Carl Meeks’ Weh Dem Fah, Eek-A-Mouse’s Wa-Do-Dem, The Techniques You Don’t Care and Jackie Mitto’s Mission Impossible are more expected choices.

Lion D’s deep voice and phrasing sounds a bit like dancehall superstar Busy Signal, and where he uses the catchphrase “hotter” Lion D favors “wah dis” in a similar manner. Lion D is also – just as Busy Signal – a versatile performer that can go from singing to gruff deejaying in just a few.

The press release describes Lion D as one of the most promising talents on the international reggae scene. Not sure that’s true, but he’s definitely – along with artists like Skarra Mucci and Gappy Ranks – one of Europe’s most interesting individual artists and one to keep an eye on.

Skarra Mucci aims to bring back ragga

Skarra Mucci is a versatile performer equally at ease with hip-hop, reggae and dancehall, as showcased on his latest album, the 80’s sounding Return of the Raggamuffin released in April this year.

He has no short of confidence and has taken on the moniker the lyrics millionaire. In an interview for United Reggae I had the opportunity to do he also describes himself as one of the most versatile lyricists on the planet. And if you don’t believe him he’s ready for a challenge.

Check the full story over at United Reggae.

Skarra Mucci’s intoxicating energy drink

I came across Jamaican born singjay Skarra Mucci about three years ago when I heard his take on Million Stylez’ riddim Love We a Deal Wit. Skarra Mucci’s cut – Everybody Bawling – was almost as great as Million Stylez’ title track.

A decent album from Skarra Mucci titled 912 followed the same year. Its follow-up – the crossover hip-hop effort Skarrashizzo – was naturally a big disappointment, when it reached the street in 2010.

Return of the Raggamuffin is Skarra Mucci’s latest album. And this time he has managed to get everything right. Almost anyway. The closing calypso track Suppa Star should have been left out.

But the other 16 tracks are way above par, and European producers such as Bizzari, Oneness and Weedy G Soundforce have made an excellent job with these riddims, including both fresh originals and relicks.

Some of the tracks are previously released, such as Jah Blessings on the solid Jaguar riddim, Love Mi fi Me the title track of Reggaeville’s first riddim and Herbman Anthem on Hyper Slam riddim.

Skarra Mucci’s energetic vocal style suits the intense and often minor key riddims perfectly. His style is at times like a deep-voiced Perfect or a more melodic Burro Banton and he has obviously studied deejay’s from the early 80’s to learn his craft.

Almost all of these 16 tracks would make it to the final in any contest, but the Delroy Wilson combination Movie Star, the 90’s dancehall-tinged tongue twister Raggamuffin and Big Dreams, where he shows some of his rap technique, are particularly tasty.

Skarra Mucci has more than made it up for the hip-hop detour with this relentless and first-rate effort.