Home » Music » Reggae » Review of Capleton's MORE FIRE

Review of Capleton's MORE FIRE

© Ryan A. MacMichael

Capleton's two Def Jam releases (Prophecy and I-Testament) both did relatively well with the hip-hop crowd due to the collaborations with artists like Method Man and Q-Tip. Both also featured more hip-hop oriented production, in some cases to great success (most notably on the remix of Wings of the Morning). But now, two years after his last Def Jam release, Capleton returns to his raw dancehall roots, teaming up with VP Records for his third album on the label, More Fire.

On the introduction "Fire Chant," Capleton discusses fire and it's symbolic meaning on his album. He clarified that he's not calling for literal burning of churches, but using the inner fire to spark revolution and change . That's one thing that this DJ's always been good at: calling the yout' man to revolution. On another interlude, Capleton chats: "Their conscience wrap round dem neck like a rope and it ah hang dem."

The production is outstanding on this album, due primarily to the variety of producers: Clifton Bailey, Norman "Bull Pus" Bryan, King Jammy, Michael Johnson, Morgan Heritage (on the incredible "Jah Jah City"), Computer Paul, and a number of others. Of the 17 full-length tracks, there are 13 different producers. This kind of variety is what's missing in a lot of current reggae, especially dancehall.

One thing I've always enjoyed about Capleton is the sincerity in his voice. He wholeheartedly believes in what he's chatting: the fall of Babylon and the rise of Rasta. Nowhere is this more evident than on "Final Assassin (On a Mission)" where by the end of the track, the Prophet is losing his breath from the intensity of his vocals. It's very effective up until the inappropriately abrupt fade-out of the track.

Other solid tracks include "Danger Zone" (surely wicked in his live show), "Boost No War," and "Love is Coming at You" (featuring Anthony Red Rose, Anthony Malvo, and the up-and-coming Terry Linen).

I've been looking forward to a new Capleton album for a while, and this one certainly satisfies my need for conscious dancehall. Now let's work out a Capleton/Anthony B/Sizzla collaboration, then I'll be content until 2001.

The copyright of the article Review of Capleton's MORE FIRE in Reggae is owned by . Permission to republish Review of Capleton's MORE FIRE in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.