After thirty years in the business the Spear is still going strong, recording, touring and producing new music. In all these long years Spear has never wandered far from his themes of consciousness, Rasta living and the teachings of Marcus Garvey and ‘Jah is Real’ is no exception.

So what has the album got to offer? First off it’s easy going, laid back and mellow. Spears music has always had its roots in protest, consciousness, black history and self-determination. ‘Jah is Real’ gives us much of the same. Interestingly many of the lyrics chant down his personal foes and individuals who have exploited reggae artists instead of the usual political themes that are associated with reggae music.

The production sound is similar to that of the albums ‘Free Man’ and ‘Our Music’. Recorded in the states the sound is crisp, bright and brassy. For me the overall sound is somewhat over produced and lacks the cutting edge of his early works. Unfortunately long gone are the days of the brooding, roots sound of ‘Door Peep’, but that’s to be expected as the years pass by I guess.

The album contains some very strong tracks, such as ‘One Africa’, which is a personal favourite and shows Spears dedication to the message of Marcus Garvey with a funky African infused cut. ‘700 Strong’ takes me back to the early days of the Spear sound; simple, yet extremely effective chanted lyrics, backed by a deep rootsy riddim and an awesome horn sound.

Other tracks to note include ‘You Were Wrong’, ‘Jah is Real’, ‘People in High Places’ and a wicked funky drum n bass remix of ‘Step It’ from Brian Hardgroove.

When you spin this album you can’t help but get a sense of the pride that Mr. Rodney obviously has for his music and his achievements. The Spear still burns brightly.

Review by Jumpup

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