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CD Review
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Hill Rag- Washington, CD Review >>
Burning Spear (aka Winston Rodney) is one of Jamaica’s finest reggae singers, in fact, he might just be the best today. Few match his authority on core Jamaican reggae roots. His music is steeped in the island’s cultural and religious beliefs emblazoned with folklore, social injustice and freedom. And yes, (like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Garnett Silk, Jacob Miller, and my late South African friend, Lucky Dube) his voice rings true with antipathy and impending turmoil. Why? Because this is simply the way Jamaican artists have come to express their frustration and their perception of the oppressive lifestyles of many Jamaicans. Reggae has always been, and will continue to be, a living expression of Jamaicans’ way of life. Born from the very blood of the island and its cultural history, reggae music has become one of the most powerful and infl uential music in the world today.
When you listen to Burning Spear, you become a witness to the religious world of Jamaica. This is more than a musical experience; there is a visceral, human connection that seems to be universal. You can’t fi nd a country where reggae is not popular.
On Burning Spear’s latest album, he wants you know that this is not reggae music from USA, Canada, England or any other European country. This is reggae music coming from the heartland of Jamaica. All the songs are performed with the ease of freedom and kinship, and yet are deeply personal, and extraordinarily affecting, dramas. These are songs of redemption, hope and faith. This is what makes Burning Spear’s music so special and so enduring. Rich in the fl avor of his messianic visions, every song (starting with the title track, “Jah Is Real”) has a serenity at its core, with lyrical invocations of Rastafarian mysticism with its heartfelt pleading for a return to motherland Africa. Not the Africa of today, but the Africa as the birthplace of the human race. This is the cry for the land of their fathers where a child can grow strong to face the challenges ahead. For Burning Spear, Jamaica is his Africa where the milk and honey fl ows; where peace and love is the cry of the people; and where dancing is a celebration of beautiful life. Like a burning spear, strong and mighty, his music, like Bob Marley’s, is all about Jamaica and its rich culture. As Shakespeare once wrote, “If music is the food of life, play on.” Reggae music is the music of the people, by the people, for the people.
-- by Jean Keith Fagon 09/01/08
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