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Review of Sanchez's "Who is this Man"

© Ryan A. MacMichael

Sanchez is a reggae singer, but his latest release on VP Records isn't exactly the standard reggae album. In fact, the title of his release is quite appropriate because I could have sworn I was listening to Michael W. Smith and not the same man that recorded "Never Dis the Man."

Who is this Man plays more like a contemporary gospel album than a reggae album. The twelve tracks of Christian-inspired music include "I Must Tell Jesus," "The Christian Life," and "Amazing Grace." While Christian reggae artists in the past have been successful (most notably, of course, is the Jesus Dread himself, Yabby You), but unfortunately, Sanchez doesn't take the musicial high road here. The production is subpar from what Sanchez is capable of and while his voice is as strong as ever, the material isn't all that moving considering how spiritual of an angle its presented from.

Don't get me wrong -- this album isn't so awful it's unlistenable, not by any means. The title track has very good vocals, but suffers from an awkward mix (the drums are entirely too emphasized). And while "Satan is a Loser" isn't a lyrical masterpiece, Sanchez has enough of a voice to carry the song. The fact is, this is quite good when considered as straightforward gospel music, but it's not up to stuff compared to Sanchez's outstanding past output. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm all about straight-forward roots and lovers' tracks.

VP's previous Sanchez release, 1997's One in a Million (a "Best of"), was one of the years best, jammed with 19 classic Sanchez tracks. While there's a sense of the classic Sanchez on tracks like "Praying Time," it's clear on songs like "I Must Tell Jesus," "Home Coming Day," and "Wonderful Child" that he chose to take this album is a much different direction than we'd expect.

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