Yellow Like Cheese

Performer: Yellowman
Artist: Sly & Robbie; Al Campbell
Engineer: Mikey Riley
Producer: P. Burrell
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Yellowman, Al Cambell (vocals); Robbie Shakespeare (guitar, piano, bass); Danny Thompson (guitar); Jackie Mittoo (piano); Robbie Lyn, Asher (synthesizer); Sly Dunbar (drums). Recorded at Dynamic Studio, Kingston, Jamaica. Fashions change quickly in the dancehalls, and once a DJ falls from grace, he will never again regain his previous ranking. Yet even as the dancehalls insisted that Yellowman's golden glow was tarnish, he continued releasing records equal to anything he'd done in the past. If anything, the DJ's toasts were more thoughtful and entertaining than ever. Yellow Like Cheese is an incredibly strong set that touches on a myriad of issues and concerns. The pair of cultural numbers, "Budget" and "Gaze," are particularly insightful, the former a powerful exploration of the island's economic woes, the latter an equally potent expos� of their effect on Jamaica's youth. However, in 1987 the sound system scene was still rejecting culture, and King Yellow scathingly condemns the current crop of DJs with the tart-tongued "Na No Lyrics," then takes aim at the industry in general and producers' greed specifically on the equally vociferous "Ain't No Meaning." Gold-diggers get a blow on "No Get Nuthin," where he slaps down manipulative women who use men as their personal ATMs. But the DJ isn't off women entirely; in fact, he "Want a Woman," but a loving one, and to that end he woos them with the oh so sensuous title track, and then celebrates his success with "Easy Me Ting." A crack session band led by Sly & Robbie lays down the fabulous rhythms, the melodies infectious, the beats driving, and the atmospheres running the gamut from brash and anthemic to moody roots, with producer Phillip "Fatis" Burrell giving it all flair and a dance-friendly feel. And while most critics threw in the inevitable cheese jokes, there's no denying that this album is one of Yellow's best. ~ Jo-Ann Greene

Yellowman is one of the most well-known DJs in all of dancehall reggae, as much for his striking albino features as for his dexterous toasts. He ruled the dancehall charts for much of the 1980s and is often credited with introducing the overtly sexist, homophobic, and almost absurdly crude sexual boasting that makes up much of dancehall's lyrical content. Following two bouts with cancer, Yellowman took the path followed by fellow raggamufffin Buju Banton, and became a more mellow, roots-conscious performer beginning with 1994's PRAYER.

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