Rub-A-Dub Market

Performer: Luciano
Producer: Professa; Syrix; Bassix...
Distributor: Forced Exposure Dist.

Notes: Personnel: Thomas "Dr. Tom" Faltin (guitar, acoustic guitar); Manfred Puchner (guitar); Martin "Bassix" Six (acoustic guitar, keyboards, synthesizer); Lorenz Spritzendorfer (saxophone); Tero Lindberg, Bernhard Nolf (trumpet); Klaus Magnet (trombone); Gunther Bocksteiner (Clavinet); Markus "Syrix" Lechleitner (keyboards, synthesizer, percussion); Christian Kapun, Parvez Syed (keyboards); Herbert Pirker, Sam Gilly, Christoph "Fisherman" Gerstl (drums); Andreas Mayr, Christian "Sticks" Einheller (percussion); Veronika "Sista Vee" Kosch (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Syrix. Recording information: Creation Music Studio, Kingston, Jamaica; Tell Production Inc. Studio. Overexposure has historically been a fact of life for reggae's best singers -- whether because of pressure from greedy producers or poor personal judgment, the careers of vocalists as gifted as John Holt, Dennis Brown, and Gregory Isaacs have all suffered at various times from too many albums of mediocre quality released too quickly. Luciano's talent is almost unique in its ability to withstand a nearly constant stream of full-length releases without ever seeming to be diluted: almost all of his albums are a pure joy to hear. This one, recorded for the German Irievibrations label, is no exception: from the crisp and harmonically colorful title track to the swinging ska rhythms of "Feeling for Love" and the stern imprecations of "Mek It Over Now," Luciano shows himself able to deliver his conscious, uplifting lyrics and hook-filled melodies convincingly and consistently in a variety of rootswise musical styles. His voice is so pretty that there's always the risk of sounding too smooth -- he avoids that pitfall by leaning toward sternly moralizing lyrics, but even when he's at his sharpest he sounds more joyful over the prospect of Jah's mercy than gleeful about the impending destruction of Babylon. (On "Bun Dem" he flirts with a sort of Bobo Dread destructiveness, but his heart isn't in it.) Only the melodically boring "Love or Leave Me" fails to convince; otherwise, this is yet another triumph from one of reggae music's most inspiring stars. ~ Rick Anderson

Known as "the Messenjah," Jamaican-born reggae star Luciano has been spreading the good word since the early 1990s. At a time when dancehall and other more secular strains of reggae were picking up steam, Luciano--a devout Rastafarian--embraced the deep spirituality and positivity of roots reggae, and this, along with his intelligent lyrics and warm, engaging vocal style, appealed to a wide international legion of fans. A byproduct of his faith and ebullience is a remarkable prolificacy--Luciano often releases up to three albums per year on various independent labels, at a fairly consistent level of quality.

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Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.2

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