Lustre Kings Meets Project Groundation: Calling All Jah Children (Lustre Kings, 2004)

The Lustre Kings, the Oakland, California-based production team behind -- among other projects -- Turbulence's marvelous The Future, teams up with Bay Area producer Child (of the Project Groundation collective) to present this massive collection of conscious dancehall and modern roots.  Presented in a mix tape format, the songs on Calling All Jah Children are divided amongst 7 riddims (plus an eighth section -- the P.G.M. Remix Section -- featuring hip-hop remixes, which isn't surprising, considering Project Groundation has worked with a lot of hip-hop in addition to dancehall.).  Most of the music is rootsy, featuring a who's who of the current crop of conscious DJs and singers -- including Sizzla, Capleton, Luciano, Yami Bolo, Jah Mason, Norris Man, and, of course, Turbulence.  Fortune Teller is a brooding, percussive riddim featured most powerfully on Yami Bolo's "Ware & Revolution" and Turbulence's "Bun Dem Again."  Alarm Clock is a slow roots beat with a funky wa-wa guitar accent highlighted on up-and-comer Lutan Fyah's "Rise & Shine" and Turbulence's "Revolution Pon the Wicked" (also on The Future).  Liberation is a meditative roots groove featuring a nice melodica (highlights: Jah Dan's " Beauty of the Beast" and Al Pancho's " Musical Mission").  African Charm is an aggressive digital dancehall riddim that's the only one on Calling All Jah Children that feels a tad generic ( Turbulence's " Gone With The Wind").  Talking drum has a slight Middle Eastern flavor (Al Pancho's "Buss Dem Head").  Disco Rock has a fun -- you guessed it -- disco sound and is featured on Turbulence's great title track.  The Shining is funky roots flavored with African drumming (Lutan Fyah's " Fyah in the Barn" and Jah Mason's " Never Get Me Down").  The mixing is fine, although I found that the practice of dividing several tracks into "Part 1" and "Part 2" (and occasionally a "Part 3") diluted my enjoyment somewhat.  Still, there's a ton of material on Calling All Jah Children, and fans of the rootsy conscious dancehall sound will find plenty to enjoy.  You may not be into the mix tape format -- they can feel like a bit of a tease -- but one benefit is that if you don't like a particular song, a new one will be along in 90 seconds or so.  You can check out the riddims at lustrekingsproductions.com.