This is the sixth outing for Daweh Congo and I must admit that previous releases have pretty much passed me by. I was however intrigued when this landed on my desk as I had already heard whispers that it was something special. After the first spin I knew the whispers to be true, this album is indeed something very special.

‘Ghetto Sykline’ has been produced by Jonahgold for Goldheart Music. Daweh sounds mature and confident, his uniquely impressive vocal style is expertly captured and his delivery has reached new heights.

The open title tracks tell you all you need to know about what’s to come from this release; quality, well crafted, intelligent reggae music. The song describes the hopes and dreams of people living in polluted inner city areas, familiar themes, yet Daweh’s song writing approach is so refreshing, it gives the whole subject matter a real feel of originality. This is true of the whole album, many classic themes are discussed, such as consciousness, poverty, living a clean life and ganja, yet all are approached with a fresh and innovative way of writing. Just spin cuts such as ‘One Day’, a punchy and forthright song, and the aforementioned title track to really appreciate Daweh’s song writing skills.

Throughout the album Daweh is not afraid to branch out into other styles of music, check ‘Live And Be Happy’ to hear some beautiful splices of Spanish guitar. The cuts ‘Struggle’ and ‘Steppin’ blend reggae with more chilled out trip-hop styled beats, featuring wonderful piano cords and some superb, searing guitar work. ‘Day Break’, a personal favourite, uses an awesome blues harmonica as its hook and it works a treat!

I can’t give this release enough praise! In times where many reggae artists churn out the same old styles, discussing the same old clichés, in the same old way, it’s enriching and reassuring to know that roots music is still alive and well in the form of Daweh Congo.

Review by JumpUp

www.dawehcongo.com

www.myspace.com/dawehcongo.com