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Review of David Kirton's "Stranger"

© Ryan A. MacMichael

Earlier this week I received an e-mail from a woman named Noelle Kirton, urging me to take a listen to her husband's CD. Her husband is David Kirton and the CD is titled Stranger -- it sounded familiar, and I remembered it as a part of a RAS package I received a few months back. This evening, I gave it another spin.

Kirton is Rasta from the island of Barbados. You can tell by his light brown eyes that he is a gentle man, a humble man. The music on Stranger confirms that.

The general feel of the disc is light-hearted reggae with meaning. There are no hardcore political freedom fighter tracks, but rather spiritual and cultural explorations conveyed in an impressive manner. One of my favorite cuts on the album is "Rasta Meditation." As with most of the cuts, musically it's solid, but nothing outstanding (think Maxi Priest) but it really shines lyrically: "Imagine this / Waters flowing, cool breeze blowing, / Just how life could be, / Imagine life like this, / Country life..."

"Rasta Meditation" is followed by an even stronger cut, "Stand Up," which was Kirton's first single, dating back a few years. The roots vibes here are more evident, though lyrically it is quite similar to "Rasta Meditation."

Though some of Kirton's sounds are a little too mainstream sounding (again, think Maxi Priest), his positive spirit shines through. He has a great voice -- it's always smooth and occasionally I hear what may be considered a legendary type voice in the future (good examples are on "Culture Fusion" and "Home for the Holiday"). It should be interesting to see David Kirton's direction in the next few years -- his personality should carry him far, but his voice should take him even further.

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