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| Universal (Heartbeat, 2000)
Reggae Books Reggae Posters Reggae Concert Reggae Album If you had to guess which reggae artist is Richie Spice's brother, you might say Mikey Spice, but no, it's Pliers of Chaka Demus & Pliers fame (He's also Spanner Banner's brother, so it's actually a trick question, you sucker.). That doesn't give a true indication of Richie Spice's sound, however, as where Pliers has a light, whiny voice, Richie Spice tends to be more robust and commanding. Oh, and he tends to chat a bit more also. Whereas "sing-jays" merge singing and DJing into an amorphous art form, Spice delineates the two formats distinctly, alternately singing or chatting on all of the tracks on this his debut album. While he doesn't set the world on fire with his skills at either discipline, he is competent at both, and the solid songwriting -- balancing a hardcore dancehall sensibility with a likeable pop edge (not as poppy as Chaka Demus & Pliers can get, though) -- buoys the listener's interest in Universal. Whether chatting or crooning, Richie Spice's genre of choice is dancehall, although there is some roots ("Earth a Run Red"), lovers ("Grooving My Girl"), R&B (on the Pliers-like "Hold Me"), and pop (on the only truly poor tune here, "Moan and Groan," which usurps Kool & the Gang's "Ladies' Night" music). Riding the sublime riddim that Jah Cure used on "Bless Me," "Earth a Run Red" is nothing short of stunning, a moving lament on social ills. On the other end of the spectrum, "Wasting My Time" is a catchy love song that is no less compelling. Similarly irresistible tracks are scattered around Universal, from "Living Ain't Easy" to "Monday to Sunday" to the old school dancehall of "Bingi Drum and "Land of Jamaica" to "Loner" to the Toots & the Maytals-reminiscent gospel of "Time So Rough." Eclectic and entertaining, Richie Spice has all the tools to match or even eclipse the musical accomplishments of his brothers. |
| Track Listing 1. My Love 2. Earth a Run Red 3. Living Ain't Easy featuring Snatcher Dogg 4. Love Is the Way featuring Spanner Banner & Jah Mason 5. Wasting My Time 6. Fire 7. All Night Long featuring Shaggy 8. Monday To Sunday 9. Galang Yah Gal 10. Bingi Drum 11. Grooving My Girl 12. Time So Rough 13. Hold Me 14. Loner 15. Eye For an Eye 16. Land of Jamaica 17. Hardcore Lover 18. Moan and Groan |
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Spice in Your Life (VP/Fifth Element, 2004)
It took a whole four years for Richie Spice to release a follow-up to his debut album, but the time in between was apparently just what he needed. The towering anthem "Earth a Run Red," or as I like to call it, "The Song That Wouldn't Die," from
Universal hung around and inexplicably became a smash hit in 2004. He quickly built on that success with tunes like "Folly Living" (AKA
"The Way You Are Living," featured on Reggae
Hits 35) and "Marijuana" (also on Strictly the Best 32), and voila, Richie Spice is one of the hottest artists in reggae! Given the four-year absence, he returns with a well-stocked arsenal of material
in Spice in Your Life, although its 21 tracks is padded by four non-musical interludes. Three of these interludes come within the first seven tracks, making it difficult for the album to gain momentum in its early stages, but it picks up steam with the poignant "Crying Out for Love" and "Righteous Youths," a breezy, smooth classic in the vein of
Luciano. The dramatic protest song "More Terrible" follows in fine style, painting a grim portrait of a future scarred by war, Spice's vocals punctuated by piercing horns and a female background exclaiming, "Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" The fierce "Fake Smile" and a pair of acoustic numbers -- "Outta the Blue" and a cover of
Joe Higgs' "Upside Down" (AKA "World Is Spinning Around" AKA "World Is Upside Down") round out the album nicely, although it fades near the end with the too-cutesy "Prime Time Girl" and "Move Dem Out," the dated hip-hop sound of "Holiday," and the ironically non-reggae "Reggae's a Fire," which has a cheesy lounge vibe that should only be sung while wearing a smoking jacket. Still,
Spice in Your Life makes it apparent why Richie Spice is one of the biggest rising stars today.
| Track Listing 1. Sometimes (Spice in Your Life) 2. Identity 3. Black Like Tar 4. Little Elements 5. Crying Out for Love 6. Righteous Youths 7. Run Red Intro 8. Earth a Run Red 9. More Terrible [AKA 911] 10. Folly Living [AKA Blood Again?] 11. Check Yourself 12. Move Dem Out 13. Chalwa 14. Marijuana 15. Outta the Blue 16. Prime Time Girl 17. Holiday featuring Spanner Banner & Snatcher Dogg 18. Fake Smile featuring Chuck Fenda 19. Reggae's a Fire 20. Spinning Around 21. Ghetto Girl |
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