Wheat and Tear
Artist(s):
Jah Mason
Label: Greensleeves
Publisher(s):
Greensleeves
Studio: Greensleeves
Manufacturer: Greensleeves
Binding: Audio CD
List Price: $15.98
Our Price: $15.98
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Track Listing
1.
Wheat & Tears
2.
Couple Chalice a Day
3.
This Morning
4.
No Time
5.
Now You Say
6.
Farmer Man
7.
Only See Me Crying
8.
King of Kings
9.
Most High
10.
No One Cares
11.
Live & Love
12.
See Them Running
13.
Mi Chalwa
14.
Let Me Live My Life
15.
My Life
Customer Reviews
Keep Sleeping. . .
Quiet as kept, Wheat and Tears is (by this count) Jah Mason's 8th full length studio album and with the 8th different producer (#9 will make 9 different producers as its done for Frenchie at Maximum Sound). The man simply gets around, but despite his ronin like recording schedule he has yet to garnish the type of attention enjoyed by several of his bigger named peers although he is more than capable of seeing them all in terms of ability, he's just a curiously overlooked artist, you would think there would be more attention surrounding him, even to the point that a few of his earlier releases (Surprise Dem and Most Royal) were never released in the US.
Not that you can tell by listening to him however. Mason himself is a feverish social activist on the mic, even his laid back tunes sound hi-tech because of his raspy loud vocals, but down here, you go to most of the country, and even over other similar but more well known artists like Kalonji and Capleton, Jah Mason's records reign. Although you hear the urgency within him on every tune, there's always a connection to something simpler, as opposed to the Kgn. based dj's.
His latest release, Wheat and Tears, is his third album of 2007 and its the second best of the year (after RiSE) and one of the better of his entire career (although not as good as the MASTERCLASS which is Never Give Up or the solid truck which is Most Royal). Its pretty typical Jah Mason who has grown nice in building an album. The best tune is the opener and title track without a doubt. Wheat and Tears is a well powerful tune and I can almost see Greensleeves motioning when choosing it as the title track for the album. Also check the super-wicked Farmer Man which is one of the harder, yet most clever tunes on the entire album.
The album is sort of split into 2 different vibes which seems to be becomming the norm these days. The first half is decidedly a harder vibe than the second. On the second, my favorite song (and second favorite song on the album altogether is the nice nice King of Kings, wonderful tune, as is Let Me Live My Life and previous well powerful single Mi Chalwa (they just couldn't put Team Up here could they?!). Also check earlier wicked tune No Time and Couple Chalice a Day (which sounds like a good idea for us all!
Probably because I've been inundated with Jah Mason's music lately, there is a really strong vibe with Wheat and Tears. A little more than his typical natural aggression, although Greensleeves will undoubtedly turn its greatest promotion efforts to push forward its most recent dancehall signee, Busy Signal, Wheat and Tears is a well powerful vibe indeed.
Overall, place this album near the top of Mason's catalogue and definitely scoop it up. He seems to go the route of releasing a few one year and none for the next couple of years so, maybe they'll save #9 for 2007. There's definitely enough powerful and conscious material out for the overlooked Mason. JUST LOOK FOR IT! You'll enjoy it definitely, if you don't, call my house!
BEST SO FAR
WHEAT & TEARS: Following up his recent VP release (PRINCESS GONE...THE SAGA BED - so good, they named it twice?!), Jah Mason is back with another roster of roots reggae scorchers, this time in the company of In The Streetz producer, Byron Murray. If you picked up Norris Man's excellent HOME & AWAY earlier this month, Mason's WHEAT & TEARS is going to sound quite familiar, since Murray brings many of the same rhythms to this session. That's definitely not a problem though, as these are some of the very best one-drops on the market, and Mason wastes no time stamping his indelible signature all over great rhythms like STREET SWING for the title track, or Yellow Moon's FYAH for the great herb song COUPLE CHALICE A DAY (employed to the same end by Norris Man on his HERBS TO YOUR NERVE). WHEAT & TEARS also continues to develop the more melodic mood that characterized PRINCESS GONE, with Mason's sand paper-rough deejay delivery frequently offset by a sweetly sung chorus, or - as with the amazing closer, MY LIFE - a completely convincing blues wail, not to mention plenty of finely tuned harmonies from the excellent backup singers. The most obvious detour, and a very welcome one at that, is the fun FARMER MAN, where Mason absolutely latches on to the big, bouncing FREE UP rhythm, and even gives Mr. Perfect's definitive NO BADDA MI a bit of a run for its money. Other highlights include NO TIME with its punchy horns, the righteous fire of SEE THEM RUNNING, and MI CHALWA, which is an older title, and more typical Mason material, but still blazing - but as I suggested earlier, it's the last cut, MY LIFE, that really blows up WHEAT & TEARS. Combining a beautifully phrased, perfectly pitched singing voice with his more typical rapid fire chanting style, Mason is backed up by hand drums, acoustic guitar and a full chorus, closing out the album on an almost impossibly high note. I suppose that long time fans of the artist might be somewhat unsure about the different directions that Mason is moving in recently, but for me, WHEAT & TEARS is his best yet, and a dead certainty for the 2006 top ten lists - essential listening, and another great title in Greensleeves' rapidly expanding roots catalogue.
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