Black Spark White Fire (Olmec, 2002)

Qenmaakes Amadi, smartly referred to simply as Amadi, is a singer with striking looks and the powerful voice of a veteran crooner.  While he is little known to reggae fans, judging from the talent that appears on this album -- including Bunny Ruggs (of Third World fame), Hopeton Lindo, Dean Frazer, Earl "Chinna" Smith, Donald Manning (of Abyssinians fame), and Chevelle Franklin -- he's well-liked within the reggae community.  With all of this going for him, then, why did Black Spark White Fire fail to ignite a flame within me?  Well, part of the reason is explained in the liner notes, which state, in part:

Amadi is dancing to his own drum beat and is not looking to the left or the right in charting his musical course.  And this is exactly what makes Amadi's music so special: it's different, it's original...  

"Different" automatically scares some people away, but if you're not afraid, read on.  The liner describes the style of this album:

...from beautiful ballad-like serenades, to hardcore roots and lovers rock selections, to sweet-shuffling jazz, to authentic Soca...to R&B influenced and up-tempo urban, big city arrangements.

It's actually refreshing to hear that this album knows what it's trying to be (which is more rare than it should be), and if this sounds like a good mix to you, you could easily find it entertaining; it has a light, catchy sound with an accessible pop flair.  Call me old-fashioned, though, but I think Amadi is at his best when performing straight reggae with no twists.  With that in mind, there's some great material to be found on Black Spark White Fire, such as the folksy Gladiators-like "A Who Dem" and the cautionary tale "Crack Pipe Lovers," as well as the light lovers tunes "She's All That" and "A Model of Virtue."  Too often for my taste, though, the album swerves into non-reggae territory, from soca ("Action") to pop/dance ("Playa," "Living For Life"), R&B ("Work That Dress," "Black Spark White Fire"), gospel ("Jah Is Right"), and even lounge-style jazz ("Noah and His Sons").  These styles don't have to be incongruous with reggae, but it's a very, very rare album that can meld them all into a cohesive unit.  That said, though, Amadi has all the tools needed to have a fruitful career and to make his name more well-known; he just needs to focus his sound a bit more for my taste.