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| Abdel Wright (Interscope, 2005) Abdel Wright has some famous backers, including U2's Bono and The Eurythmics' Dave Stewart (who serves as executive producer on this album), but I can't say that that will translate into much of a reggae fan base. While conventional wisdom has it that his folksy, acoustic guitar-driven sound is a hard sell in the reggae community, Makasound's Inna de Yard releases have proven it to be feasible. Wright's self-titled debut, however, features heavy-handed production that is geared more to a rock or pop audience than to reggae heads, more like Lenny Kravitz than Leonard Dillon. If the strummy, soulless music doesn't irritate you, Wright's thin, nasal vocals will. Stylistically, he's a mix of Tracy Chapman and Bob Marley with a touch of Richie Spice-ish sing-jaying, but his voice just doesn't resonate; at best it falls flat, and at worst it proves grating and whiny (why he chooses to include an a cappella track, "Issues," is beyond me). Sifting through the production and vocals, the songwriting itself is surprisingly plain. Lyrically, it's solid yet unspectacular within the reggae realm, and the melodies are just blah. I can't see what "the powers that be" saw in Wright to give him a major-label release -- maybe they had never heard acoustic reggae, maybe they were amazed that they could actually understand the lyrics, maybe just a bit of liberal guilt -- but I don't get it. His personal battle to overcome adversity (he was raised in foster homes and wrote much of this album in jail) is certainly admirable, but that does not a good album make. |
| Track Listing 1. Quicksand 2. Loose We Now 3. Dust Under Carpet 4. Ruffest Times 5. Human Behaviour 6. Babylon Wall 7. My Decision 8. Paul Bogle 9. Strange World 10. Issues 11. Main Street Kingston 12. Troubled Waters |
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