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The Ultimate Collection (Shanachie, 1996) Although he's not my favorite dub poet (that would be Oku Onuora), Mutabaruka can certainly be very enjoyable. His deep, booming voice and clever lyrics resonate a refreshingly intelligent militancy. Whether you agree with all his points of view or not, you can't help but be captivated by his speechmaking ability. Parts 1 and 2 of "People's Court" are prime examples, as Mutabaruka rips into politicians and religious leader with exquisite eloquence for guiding the people astray. At the same time, there is a humorous edge to these tunes, as they are a take on Prince Buster's Judge Dread character, who heaps sentences of "1000 years!" upon the defendants. As this example shows, Mutabaruka spices up his songs with a dose of creativity, as with his scatting (a la Rupie Edwards' "Irie Feelings" or The Upsetters' "Waap You Waa") "Garvey" or his treatise on junk food in "Junk Food." His music is similarly imaginative and varied, from the rock steady of "People's Court" to the jazzy Latin edge of "Walking on Gravel" to the dancehall of "Wise Up" to the synth funk of "Junk Food" to the likeable rock fusion (similar to John McLaughlin's somewhat less likeable '70s outfit Mahavishnu Orchestra) "Famine Injection." Mutabaruka hits his stride in the middle of this album (especially on the first side), but the edges are a bit rough, as the more generic material -- "Great Kings of Africa," "Witeman Country," "Any Which Way Freedom" -- dampens an otherwise strong collection. |
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