SHOK WAVE is your weekly new REGGAE music blog. SHOK WAVE finds music that is out there in the form of Reggae, Dancehall, Soca, Ska, Dub, Reggae Rock & anything else musical with a Caribbean origin and in any language.
Here is what we found this week.......Enjoy!
KULCHA LATINO
SM Familia "The Journey So Far...."
SM Familia is a collective of musicians all with different backgrounds that helps create their unique latin fused reggae. If it's culture you want well it's coming from the mountain tops of San Diego California with one of the wickedest horn sections. It is a 'New Day' and it's called "The Journey So Far....... Three piece harmonies add that extra vibe of smoothness & unity to their reggae. Their true latin roots surface in 'Auxillo' with their slowed down cumbia sound combined with roots reggae. A rare combination. It is common place for cumbia & dancehall to merge/combine since they are so close in drum pattern. Those wicked horns assist again in 'Auxillo.' The legendary Rankin Joe teams up on 'Nada Te Falta,' to show he's lost nothing, while La Familia son seguro, tambien. This track also closes the album out with a dub version. Real roots reggae in a Kulcha Latino stylee, in other words there's no 'Smoke and Mirrors.' Sweet horns open our next track with a slight salsa feel and add the reggae and you got what you may never expect 'Led Astray.' La Familia would never do that, it's a bit misleading. 'Revo' keeps the bands quality standards in tact, just not one of the albums best. This uptempo roots reggae track emphasizes their best quality.......those horns of theirs. It's 'All My Love,' which is the band sharing their true love with you, their music. It is their 'All.' Lastly, 'Ya Llego' is to let the world know that SM Familia has arrived. Good stuff and a great combination of Latin flavors with reggae music. One of the best I have heard.
DUB POETRY
Various Artists ''Inna Yuh Face''
Yasus Afari, through SenYAcum has assembled an exceptional team of Poets, Musicians and Producers to gift the troubled world an unprecedented, historic & highly inspirational album which is aptly dubbed Inna Yuh Face featuring: Mutabaruka, Benjamin Zephaniah, Jean Binta Breeze, Levi Tafari, Yasus Afari, Dycr, Malachi Smith, Ka'Bu Ma'at Kheru, The MAD Poet and Professor Seward Baugh. A dying breed, Yasus has always been at the forefront to help keep Dub Poetry alive. This album is a great collection of todays talent. The album starts with the great voice of Yas Alexander and the political activist & poet Benjamin Zephaniah with 'Pressure I.' The interesting part is he left school because he couldn't read or write. Now he has 14 poetry books, 5 novels, childrens books and 2 others. Benjamin & Yasus are the only ones to have more than one track. Yasus' 'Eye Feel Like Crying' and he always come 'Haad and Tuff.' Levi Tafari is a crucial, rhythmic, poetic, consciousness raiser and urban griot and performs 'Black Roots Inna Babylon.' One of the only known female dub poets is featured Jean 'Binta' Breeze with 'Mad Woman Radio.' With another female, new to me, has a familiar voice in the form of Kabu Ma'at Kheru with 'Forgotten Woman.' We never get weary yet opens 'I Am De Man' a great musical bhinghi track that makes way for the sharp cutting Mutabaruka, dub poetrys most recognized. Malachi Smith, a former police officer in Jamaica, asks the 'Question" who make that gun deh? 'The Truth About It All' is a brutal reality from The Mad Poet, yet another female. A hard hitting poem. Fire and modern day dub poet, DYCR has something for those that 'Bleach & Tattoo.' 'It Was The Singing' that Professor Edward Baugh heard and turned him to do poetry. The focus here is on the words uttered by those spoken. The music, if any, is not the focus. Not for the tame or weak hearted. If you want eye opening lyrics and riveting words, this album is really for you and ready to get 'Inna Yuh Face.'
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