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Marcus Garvey Chant (RAS, 1992)
Sky High & The Mau Mau are a roots group that have been around for a while with woefully little exposure. They have made their mark more as producers and musicians than as lead artists in and of themselves, producing most notably Luciano early in his career. As such, it is appropriate that Marcus Garvey Chant features mostly other acts -- a mix of well-known artists like Yami Bolo, Tony Rebel, Garnett Silk, and Half Pint, and lesser-known artists like Candyman and Ricky Chaplin. This album is almost like an EP in that there are only 8 tracks, half of which utilize the same rhythm. The dominant rhythm is a measured, simple African drum, bass, and keyboard beat that carries "Marcus Garvey Chant," "Garvey Chant," "Chant," and "Marcus Link With Selassie I." The first cut incorporates the steady beat with snippets of an electric and charismatic speech by Garvey and singing by Yami Bolo, while "Garvey Chant" eliminates much of the singing, "Chant" eliminates the singing and speech, and "Marcus Link With Selassie I" leaves in the singing without the speech. Luckily, the music is enjoyable enough to carry you through the 4 tracks -- although it gets a bit old -- but of the remaining 4 (all early '90s dancehall, including an update of Junior Byles' "Place Called Africa"), only "Jah Love inna We" by Tony Rebel, Garnett Silk, and Half Pint rises above mediocrity.
| Track Listing 1. Marcus Garvey Chant -- Yamie Bolo, Marcus Garvey, Sky High, Mau Mau 2. Garvey Chant -- Marcus Garvey, Sky High, Mau Mau 3. Chant -- Marcus Garvey, Sky High, Mau Mau 4. Jah Love inna We -- Tony Rebel, Garnett Silk, Half Pint 5. Vision -- Ricky Chaplin 6. Dutty Pharaoh -- Fire Fox Crew 7. Place Called Africa -- Candyman 8. Marcus Link With Selassie I -- Yamie Bolo |
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African Vengeance (Sky High, 1994) Based on this album alone, it's amazing that Sky High & The Mau Mau aren't more well-known. Although this album is released on the group's own label, it's good enough to be on a more major label (or at least more major than one that provides magic marker drawings for cover art). Then again, perhaps they should stick to their own label, for African Vengeance is easily superior to their two RAS albums. The quality of this album leads me to believe that they should perform more on their albums also. The music here is quality modern roots with a digital edge (i.e., the occasional computerized effects, bass lines, and drum machines). As the title implies, African Vengeance is fiery and cultural, but there are also mellow, old-fashioned love songs -- remakes of John Holt's "Love I Can Feel" and Slim Smith's "My Conversation," for instance. The album overall very musical, with strong melodies, making it accessible to a wide audience (at least theoretically). "Vengeance," one of the strongest tracks here has a militant message that is delivered with a sweet falsetto harmony, while the other top tunes are "Wings Spreading," the upbeat "Live and Don't Care," the invigorating chanting style of "Game of Life" and "Here We Are," and the exceptional dub "Mau Mau Thunder," with its celebratory horns and digital blips and whizzes. The best of the rest are "Save the Children," the haunting "I Was Blind," "Pride & Joy," and the poignant "Some Never Know." African Vengeance is a listener's dream in that it is packed with 20 full-length tracks, most of which are quite enjoyable (although less tracks would probably mean less filler). I was admittedly apprehensive looking at the cheapness of the packaging of this album, but this turns out to be quality stuff. |
| Track Listing 1. Vengeance 2. My Conversation 3. Save the Children 4. Wings Spreading 5. Man Got to Do 6. Live and Don't Care 7. Pride & Joy 8. Your Man 9. Game of Life 10. Mandela Tribute 11. Drug Abuse 12. Here We Are 13. Some Never Know 14. Another Day Come 15. Working in the Cold 16. I Was Blind 17. Love I Can Feel 18. I'm Not Gonna Cry 19. May I 20. Mau Mau Thunder |
Origination: Sky High and The Mau Mau 1974-1984 (RAS, 1995)
This collection shed some rare light on the early works of Sky High & The Mau Mau, but some more info on the group would be helpful. I mean, it's not as if they are such a high-profile, well-known act that you can just put out a compilation of their "best" stuff without explaining why we should know or care who they are. Well, I do care, because Sky High & The Mau Mau have shown a knack -- albeit an uneven one -- for putting out some likeable material, whether they themselves perform it or whether they simply produce or back someone else. As on Marcus Garvey Chant, the do a bit of each here. Spanning a decade, the tracks on Origination fall into two categories: roots and toasting. The toasts put forth here are not stellar, but they account for 60% of the album, so if you're not a big fan of the early DJ style, you may want to pass. Still, although I myself am not a big toasting fan, the 4 non-DJ roots tracks -- Johnny Osbourne's "Bite the Hands," Sky High & The Mau Mau's "Big Spliff," and a pair of tracks by Roots Radics member Erol "Flabba Holt" Carter (who also co-produced the album), "My Heart" and "A You Lick Me First" -- are all very good. They feature strong, funky bass lines and rhythmic horns and/or organs with vocals that are simply entrancing ("Big Spliff"'s warped, lethargic vocals are particularly unique.). I suppose that half of a great album is as good as a whole mediocre album.
| Track Listing 1. My Heart -- Flabba Holt 2. Big Spliff -- Sky High & The Mau Mau 3. Na Lend Out Me Chalice -- Sky High & The Mau Mau 4. Cemetery Robbery -- Sky High & The Mau Mau 5. A You Lick Me First -- Flabba Holt 6. Danger Zone -- Jah Stitch 7. Best Dress -- Flabba Holt & Jah Thomas 8. Bubble With Me -- Jango 9. Pure and Clean -- Trevor Ranking 10. Bite the Hands -- Johnny Osbourne |
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