*GUEST REVIEW*
Reggae went from being island music to international music long ago, but it just so happens that a good many reggae artists hail from island regions. And not just the Caribbean, either. This band called Apprentice, for example, is the first example of reggae from the Solomon Islands that I've heard. And I like what I hear. It's pop reggae for sure, but the riddims pulsate properly (the track "Skank With Feeling" is pretty much applicable to the whole album), the instruments are real and the overall vibe is irie as can be. Lead singer Nelson Mamae has
traces of Sugar Minott, Dennis Brown, and Quino from Big Mountain in his voice, crooning songs of both love and consciousness. There are plenty of melodic hooks, often in the form of plaintive keyboard accents as well as in some short and tastily played guitar solos. Every song is good, but particularly so are "Boys Don't Rush," which switches off between reggae and ska tempos, the side-by-side musings of "Brother Shine" and "Mother Earth" and the way the UB40-ish "Come Stay" starts with an acoustic ballad feel before the one drop clicks in. I've been
playing this disc around the house, in the car and at work and it sounds great everywhere, every time.

- Tom Orr