Vulture Culture (On-U Sound, 2003)

*GUEST REVIEW*
I suppose there were two main reasons that I bought this album.  Firstly, I saw Ghetto Priest live a few years ago and could not take my eyes of his hat, and secondly I heard one of the album tracks on the Beginners Guide to Reggae in early 2004.  This is a typical On-U Sound release, as its produced by Adrian Sherwood and it's not a straight-edged reggae album. Calling it a Ghetto Priest album is slightly misleading, as it features 8 singers and 16 players.  Singers include Ghetto Priest, Ri Ra, Omar Perry, Prince Far I, and Junior Delgado and players include Sly and Robbie, Skip McDonald, Jazzwad and Keith LeBlanc.  This is a rootsy fusion album that has many different moods, singing styles and instruments. I t should appeal to fans of African Head Charge, Zion Train, Dreadzone, Little Axe, and other non-reggae acts such as Asian Dub Foundation, Transglobal Underground, and Sons of Arqa.  So, it's not an album for a conservative dub fan but one that should appeal to the broad-minded reggae fan.  The use of an Irish rapper Ri Ra on a roots album may sound a little strange, but this adds a degree of freshness to the album, as does the use of other Celtic musicians.  The Nyabinghi feel of “Boom Fire” and the vocal talent of Simon Bogle and the late Prince Far I add up to a great modern roots album.  You may not love it on the first spin, but stick with it and enjoy the progress that modern reggae has made.

- ragudave