| Ready for the world CD REVIEW - FULL CIRCLE (Morgan Heritage) |
| BY Charles H E Campbell Observer writer Sunday, July 03, 2005 |
The first time a Jamaican audience saw Morgan Heritage live was at the Reggae Sunsplash Beach Party 1992 when they performed along with their siblings, the Dreads, and father Denroy Morgan.
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That night they created history, becoming only the second performers ever that Synergy Productions spontaneously elevated to perform on International night of the same year, the biggest night of the festival, purely on the basis of their awesome performance and audience response.
At that time, their music was heavily influenced by American R&B and rap which made one wonder then, how successful their recording career would be.
The turning point came with the release of their hit single, Don't Haffi Dread. This demonstrated that having returned home for a sufficiently long time they were now totally immersed in the Jamaican heartland's culture and music.
They had created a winning formula and the hits have flowed since.
To quote two music connoisseurs who also have impeccable credentials as collectors of good music. "The wonderful thing about Morgan's Heritage is that no matter if they release an album with no major or commercial hits, all the music contained within it is still exceptional, with positive lyrics. I have all eight of their albums." (Patrick Sibbles, Coffee Mill of Jamaica)
"More than any other group, Morgan Heritage is a remnant of Bob Marley Reggae..the Third World and Steel Pulse of this generation." (Ronny Burke of Reggae Sunsplash fame).
The latest album released by Morgan Heritage is called Full Circle.
On this album they share production duties and rights with top local producers, Trevor 'Skatta' Bonnick, Bobby 'Digital' Dixon, Robert Livingston, Christopher Birch, Michael 'Mikey John' Johnson, Donovan 'Vendetta' Bennett, Donovan Germaine and Andrew Simpson.
Morgan Heritage takes credit exclusively or in collaboration with others for writing all the songs on this album. All the themes explored are international in breadth and appeal, so although the entire album contains very danceable music, this is the type of album that makes one want to listen all night.
The group has been able to maintain their high musical tradition while demonstrating their evolution by keeping the sound current and fresh.
Four cuts from the album are already very familiar to listeners as they have achieved sustained airplay and rave reviews when they have been performed live. These are Your Best Friend featuring their siblings LMS, U've Got Me (Remix) featuring Bounty Killer, Sizzla and LMS, Tell Me How Come and Hail Up The Lion (Uncomfortable).
Other collaborations that have enhanced the album, while displaying their maturing mastery of interweaving the style and sounds of other pop music forms are Girlz Round Da World with Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley, Enough is Enough featuring Cobra, Mek We Try featuring Bushman.
Listening to Gangsta Groupie exemplifies this versatility in delivery. On this cut the music and vocal stylings are reminiscent of Steel Pulse and David Hinds.
The pick of the album is the song, So Much To Come, written by Morgan Heritage. The rhythm is classical one drop, overlaid with a haunting saxophone harmony and these powerful lyrics.
"If yuh think the judgment start yet, there's so much more left to come,
If yuh tink yuh tears a run yet, there's so much more tears to run,
If yuh think yuh see no blood yet, there's so much more blood to run,
Feel it for the children, for the world as they know it will not last for long."
No musical product is complete unless it is properly and attractively packaged. In this regard as the executive producers, Randy Chin, Chris Chin and Denroy Morgan, must receive high marks. Along with the customary 'big-ups', acknowledgements and credits, this team has been very thorough in identifying the various people who had professional inputs.
The art concept for the booklet is a creative use of black and white photographic images of the group, mirroring their music, all the main ingredients with gloss but definitely not gaudy.
On a scale of one to 10, this album scores an eight.
Morgan Heritage's Full Circle is ready for the world market and should do well especially in Europe and North America.
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