This double CD is a re-recording of Ini Kamoze’s finest works. All the tracks are taken from his days with Sly and Robbie at Isle Records, were all the original tracks were once recorded. All 23 tracks are taken from his first three albums (Ini Kamoze, Statement and Pirate).This does beg the question, why re-record what are undoubtedly considered a classic set of tunes?

I would assume he was inspired to create this release by the international acclaim that has been bestowed upon Damian Marley for his hit ‘Welcome to Jamrock’ which of course, relied heavily on Ini Kamoze’s hit ‘World A Music’.

This time around musicians included Earl Smith and Robbie Lyn with the album being recorded in Kingston at Hottis Studio. You get the immediate feeling that this project has been taken very seriously, with a noticeable degree of attention to detail (a 16 page book complements the release). The results speak for themselves with cuts like ‘Statement’, ‘Police’ and ‘Gun Shot Respect Not’ making the grade. The tracks taken from the original self titled album are all here, however the originals were such classics that these new versions just don’t compare, take ‘General’ as a stand out example, while there’s nothing wrong with the new cut, play it back to back with the original and you’ll see what I mean. For those of you who don’t know Ini Kamoze this is a fantastic starting point and I’m sure you’ll find both CD’s on heavy rotation.

With that said, this release will ensure that a new generation of fans will be exposed to a collection of powerful roots tunes, which cannot be a bad thing.

If you fancy picking up a copy of the original debut album ‘Ini Kamoze’ Sly & Robbie have recently released a digitally re-mastered version on Taxi Records. It features two live recordings (‘Trouble You A Trouble Me’ and ‘Call Di Police’) from 1986.

Review by ‘JumpUp’

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