Righteous Men (Minor7Flat5, 2003)

Al Pancho is a conscious sing-jay (Really, who isn't nowadays?) who seemed poised to be a player in the reggae world when he released Righteous Men in 2003, but for some reason he's done little since (save for the 2004 compilation Calling All Jah Children). This was one of the early albums on the Minor7Flat5 label, and producer Andres "Brotherman" Christophersen populates it with many of the riddims used on other of the label's releases, like Turbulence's Different Thing, Luciano's Tell It From the Heart, Anthony B.'s My Hope, Josie Mel's Rasta Still De' Bout, and the Junior Kelly/Bounty Killer/Capleton collaboration The Good, The Bad, & The Blazing. It's likely the Brotherman connection that results in the impressive range of guest performers on Righteous Men, including luminaries Luciano, Bounty Killer, Jah Mason, and up-and-comers Natural Black and Lutan Fyah, and these guest spots serve the album well. In fact, most of the best cuts are duets, headed by the excellent roots jams "Start All Over Again" and "My Reputation." A funny thing happened as I was listening to these tracks, though; I realized that I was enjoying the other performers more than Al Pancho himself. Pancho's gruff, Buju Banton-like vocals are solid but unspectacular, as are the melodies he creates. Hearing him ride the familiar Minor7Flat5 riddims only served to remind me how average these songs are. "Righteous Man" can't hold a candle to Turbulence's "Marihuana," "Keep Focus" isn't in the same realm as Anthony B.'s "My Hope," and although Turbulence's R&B ballad "Holiday" isn't great, Pancho's rendition of the same riddim on "My Number" is downright unlistenable. Granted, if you're not already familiar with the music, then this may not bother you as much, but hey, I ain't you. Righteous Men certainly has its moments -- "Poverty," "For So Long," and "Things and Times" are all nice -- but it doesn't represent the best that Minor7Flat5 has to offer.