‘Many Lives’ is Iba’s (pronounced "Eye-bah") second album release. Hailing from the Virgin Islands Iba is the son of a musician and was introduced to music at an early age. He became the lead singer of the St. Croix Front Line Reggae Band and quickly became a major success. In 1995 (after Hurricane Marilyn) Iba relocated to Connecticut, USA and headed the Survivors Reggae Band for several years. He then went on to record with Bambu Station and several of his tunes were selected for their award winning compilation ‘Talking Roots – Volume 1’. In 2003 Iba released his debut album ‘Jah Lion (Children of the Nile)’ which generated outstanding reviews and critical acclaim.

Now he returns with ‘Many Lives’ which is fresh, original and full of positive vibes. The music is tight, well arranged with original riddims laid down by Bambu Station. Iba’s voice is unmistakable and complements the music extremely well. Lyrically the tunes are conscious and full of positive roots vibes.

Every song is a joy to hear, each has its own merits. Standout tunes for me include ‘World Crisis’, an uplifting, bright and inventive track; ‘Afrika’ with Ijah Menelik is another original and imaginative cut; ‘Babylon Don’t Like’ is awesome with a heavy riddim and features the rough vocal deejay style of Rafijah. Finally ‘Vibes’ is a song of praise for reggae music and will leave you feeling refreshed and invigorated!

Overall this is a seriously solid roots release and comes highly recommended.

Review by Jumpup

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