After falling off the U.S. radar more than a decade ago, in 1995 Mykal Rose finally re-emerged with a vengeance, releasing five albums (including a dub companion set) in the States before 1996 was out. All featured new material, bar Nuh Carbon, which gathered 14 cuts previously recorded for producer Jah Screw. Despite its mixed origins, Nuh Carbon turned out to be an amazingly well-rounded set, which beautifully showcases every facet of the artist -- the revolutionary, the devoted Rasta, the loverman, the sufferer, the reasoner, the disciplinarian, and the driven artist determined to go "Straight to the Top," for Rose is the "Original, Nuh Carbon" (i.e., not a carbon-copy bandwagon jumper), but more than anything, he is an "Ordinary Man" capable of extraordinary things. And this is an extraordinary set. The supporting cast of musicians and backing vocalists is a virtual encyclopedia of Jamaican session greats, trawled from the Firehouse Crew, the Taxi Gang, the 2 Friends Crew, the One Away Crew, plus Clevie Browne, Computer Paul, Mafia & Fluxy, and the
streaming brass section of Dean Fraser, Chico Chin, and Nambo Robinson. Thus the rhythms are as individual and musically varied as Rose's themes, yet Jah Screw's production holds them together, and surprisingly the tracks mesh into a solid whole, with a true album feel instead of the disparate batch of songs one would expect; quite an accomplishment considering the radically divergent rhythms were laid down at three different studios by a stream of engineers. Every song is fabulous, and with a set this strong it's counter-productive to play favorites; however: for sheer sweetness, the unity-themed "Good Vibes"; for pure bravado and self belief, "Nuh Carbon"; for careful reasoning, "Don't Be a Warmonger" and it's even more sizzling DJ version, "Warmonger," featuring Daddy Screw; for its exuberant passion and fiery rhythm, "African Girl"; and for its thoughtful life lessons,
"Ordinary." But then there's also the simmering "A Friend Indeed," the steaming dancehall swagger of "Ruff and Ragged," the gorgeous "Where Is That Love," and the list goes on across the entire set. A stellar album, and while a bit of the past for the rest of the world, this is a new masterpiece for American fans.
© Jo-Ann Greene /TiVo