BAY 19 Music Review: Duane Stephenson
As a 80s baby, I have been fortunate to be a part of the shift in the way that music is “physically’ distributed and consumed. In the space of just 30 odd years you have seen the change from vinyl onto cassettes moving on to compact discs (CDs) which eventually gave way to the current arrangement of storing digital mp3 files on your computer, cellphone or any other portable device. But convenience has had an unwarranted effect on most music consumers. It has almost made the product of music disposable in the public eyes, there is something about feeling or seeing the physical right in front of your face that allows you to truly appreciate it. This was what I felt when I received my copy of Dangerously Roots. It was good to look through the linear notes of an album and enjoy the album art of the CD once again. And the actual music tracked on the CD made the treat complete. Duane Stephenson’s second official release starts rather strong with the lead single, the Penthouse produced, ‘Rasta For I’ and never really lets up. Known for his adeptness at covering yesteryear’s hits, Duane showed his respect to one of Bunny Wailer’s best known solo work ‘Cool Runnings’ and with special guest poet Mutabaruka present on not one but two interludes, it is clear that there is respect going both ways from veterans to the upstart and visa versa. I-Octane, Tarrus Riley and Lutan Fyah all made appearances on the album with the Lutan featured ‘House of Lies’ being my pick of the three. Other songs that stood out were: ‘Nah Play’, ‘Simply Beautiful’, ‘Sorry Babylon’ and ‘Run For Your Life’. Dangerously Roots is a very good effort and shows the requisite growth in the career of one of the best loved voices in roots reggae music.
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