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Review of Bambu Station's ONE DAY

© Ryan A. MacMichael

In 2002, Maryland-based Mt. Nebo Records released one of the best reggae compilations of the year, Talkin' Roots I. One of the highlights of the disc was the contribution of the Virgin Islands-based Bambu Station. Following their strong showing on Talkin' Roots I comes One Day, 70-minutes of roots reggae that will give something new to even the most wisened reggae fan.

Bambu Station kicks off the disc with the strong "Humanity Bawlin'." My initial impression was that vocalist R. Jalani Horton sounds similar to St. Vincent-born Ossie Dellimore, a comparison I made with singer Iba on the Talkin' Roots I compilation. It's a smooth, genuine sound that's not touched up heavily by studio effects and it's perfect for this brand of reggae. His vocal style is not as reliant on the rhythm as some singers, making him more of a cross of a dub poet and the standard roots vocalist.

One Day is a refreshing diversion from the heavy, intense dancehall sound. The instrumentation on tracks like "Even Man Cry" provides just enough to groove to, but is more comtemplative in nature than a lot of modern reggae (even roots). Horton sums up the vibe on "Gunsmoke:" "Simmer down, youth man... hold on."

Horton's voice isn't his only asset. He's also a talented lyricist, not afraid to shake things up, like on the aforementioned "Gunsmoke," a track that compares the violent youth on the islands to the Ku Klux Klan:

Gangsta is what dem want to be,
Might as well wear a white sheet,
Blood shed on our islands,
Armageddeon clouds of dismay,
But the gangsta, wouldn't last a day in Vietnam,
Where were they when Gredana got invade?

Strong, conscious lyrics like this make the lyric sheet as essential reading as the album itself is essential listening.

Even if you've been listening to reggae for decades, you'll be pleasantly surprised with what Bambu Station brings to the table. Their mellow vibe is about as far from aggressive as you can get, just letting the goodness bubble over slow riddims, with a talented singer providing you with spiritual lyricism. Good stuff and well worth checking for. One Day will clearly one of the top contenders for album of the year in 2003. It's exciting to see another stateside reggae label producing positive music and I look forward to whatever's next from these guys.

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