‘Journey To Foreign’ has been four years in the making and marks the arrival of The Reggae Torch, Clinark. Here at UK Reggae Guide we are very proud to know Clinark and call him a friend. Clinark hails from Bermuda and is no stranger to making music. His career has been a difficult struggle, especially when he was struck down with severe vertigo symptoms which resulted in him suffering bouts of dizziness and being unable to walk. This led to him being unable to travel for almost four years.

Thankfully Clinark recovered and persued his ambition to complete his debut album. The album contains twenty tracks, nine of which include collaboration with some international artists, including Luciano, Richie Spice, Maxi Priest and Gramps and Peter Heritage to name but a handful.

‘Journey To Foreign’ has a contemporary roots feel, recorded at Stingray Studios, London. The majority of the songs have been written by Clinark himself and showcase just what potential this man has. There are some impressive tracks on the album, such as ‘Dem Come’, with its heavy roots vibes. The riddim thunders along and Clinark proves he can stand alone as a talented vocalist. ‘No Where TV’, featuring Fanton Mojan, stands out with its astute lyrics calling on the youths of today to recognise that life is important; more than just computer games. ‘As A Man I Weep’ with Maxi Priest is a sombre affair with both vocalists complementing each other extremely well.

Thankfully the quality of the album doesn’t rely on the dazzling array of collaborations to make an impact. In fact many of my personal favourites feature Clinark standing alone and showing just how capable he is with his own vocal delivery. Highlights include the aforementioned ‘Dem Come’; ‘Choices’; ‘Beautiful Island’ and ‘Colonized’ which feature some superb trombone play courtesy of Henry ‘Tenue’ Buttons.

Personally the album contains a few too many lovers’ tunes for my tastes, but for those of you who enjoy the odd romantic piece of reggae ‘Angle Eyes’ is worth a listen. I also raised an eyebrow when I noticed the album contained twenty tracks. This seems to be the way of many modern reggae artists and I always worry that quality has been sacrificed for quantity. Thankfully the album managed to keep a consistent level throughout.

Overall this is an enjoyable and pleasing debut album from a man who has a great deal to offer the reggae scene.

Review by Jumpup

http://www.clinark.com/

1. Life In The Ghetto Remix ft Peter & Gramps Morgan

2. Nowhere TV ft Fantan Mojah

3. Ain’t That Something

4. Living In Concrete Jungle ft Richie Spice

5. Journey To Foreign

6. Choices

7. Angel Eyes

8. As A Man I Weep ft Maxi Priest

9. Beautiful Island Remix

10. Sign Of The Times ft Troy Anthony

11. Colonized Remix

12. Vision

13. Oh What A Blessing

14. Brown Eyes ft Kofi

15. Runaway Remix

16. Dem Come Remix 2008

17. Glorify ft Luciano

18. It’s True ft Irie Love

19. Inspiration Prayer Remix ft Brinsley Forde

20. Lord’s Prayer Remix