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Persistence (VP, 2000)
Those who heard Norris Man's "Bad Road" on the excellent Cultural Consciousness album had reason to be excited when his debut set Persistence was released. The old-fashioned rootsy piano-driven music, the modern "sing-jay" style that is all the rage nowadays (headed by Sizzla and Buju Banton), the confident and charismatic vocals: all of these elements come together on "Bad Road." The rest of the album is similar in sound, if not always in quality. Mellow, rootsy, conscious dancehall is the name of the game. The keyword here may be "mellow." Whereas Sizzla is fiery and provocative, Norris Man is cool and optimistic, particularly musically. Practically all of the songs here are relaxed, positive experiences, especially the title track (the best cut), "Bright Days," "Heathen Part 11," (what happened to the first 10 parts?) "Greatest Reward," and "My Happiness," which is mellow despite having a hip-hop beat (and which is much better than the other such rhythm on the album, the unnecessary remix of "Persistence"). If all of the songs on Persistence were as strong as these, this would be a classic album. However, the material is way too inconsistent; too much filler, not enough killer. The middle of the album in particular sags, with uninspired tracks like "Woman Have Patience," "Let Jah Lead the Way," and "It Hurts." Listening to these lightweight tunes, you kind of wish Norris Man would put some more Sizzla-like fire into them to give them some sort of an edge. Still, fans of Sizzla should enjoy much of this album, as it forecasts a bright future for this talented artist.
| Track Listing 1. Intro 2. Bad Road 3. Persistence 4. Undiluted Love 5. Bright Days 6. Heathen Part 11 featuring Anthony Red Rose 7. Greatest Reward 8. Woman Have Patience 9. Let Jah Lead the Way 10. It Hurts I 11. Holy Mount Zion featuring Mykal Roze 12. My Happiness 13. Everliving Soul 14. Hold on to Your Faith 15. Persistence [Remix] 16. Saxapella |
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Better Your Soul (Jah Scout, 2001) My mother used to recite a nursery rhyme about a little girl who "when she was good, she was very, very good, and when she was bad, she was awful" (or something to that extent). Well, much the same can be said about Norris Man's sophomore effort Better Your Soul. Almost every track is either really good or really bad; very little lies in between. Thankfully, most of the album is good -- so good, in fact, that if the poor songs weren't included, Better Your Soul would be a bona fide classic, easily one of the year's best. Sizzla fans who've been disillusioned by his most recent dancehall and hip-hop-saturated releases should drool over rootsy cuts like "Hold on to Your Faith," "Last Days," "When Dem Ego Done," "He Who Knows," and the title track. Norris Man's likeable sing jay style is comparable to, but less edgy than, Sizzla's -- the softer edge not necessarily being a bad thing, except when he steps out of the reggae genre for lightweight material like the "quiet storm" R&B tune "She Grooves" (featuring Money B of Digital Underground fame; was Humpty Hump not available?) or the grating, muddled pop of "Change of Life." The hip-hop beat of "The Sun Still Shines" and the acoustic guitar country of the appropriately-titled "The Pain" likewise fall flat and prove that experimentation isn't always a good thing. Still, the hip-hop sounds of "Focus the Right Stuff," "I Know Good Things," and Jah Love Us," the R&B of "Don't Be Shy" (which was originally irksome due to Norris Man's "singing," but the nice melody and earnest effort grew on me), and even the bluesy "Stop Your Lying" prove quite enjoyable. I suppose the liner notes best explain Norris Man's eclectic sound; he lists his mentors as Bob Marley, Anthony B, Sizzla, Buju Banton, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, and Michael Jackson (On a non-musical note, he also mentions Chuck Norris, after whom he named himself.). Cutting through the fat of 4 or 5 questionable songs, you'll find a meaty set of 11 or 12 treats from a growing talent. |
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World Crisis (King of Kings, 2003)
After the adventurous sound of Better Your Soul, I eagerly anticipated Norris Man's next genre-bending release, only to be surprised by an album with such a focus on high-energy dancehall. While this sound isn't bad in an of itself, the material here is just so very standard. Even the more rootsy half of World Crisis isn't nearly as fresh as it would've been five years ago. The album wastes no time in establishing its jiggy digital inclinations, with the opening track, "City Lights," a party jam celebrating the benefits of having women around (Um, doilies? Just kidding.). In fact, three of the first four tunes and eight of the first 12 feature an up-tempo dancehall vibe, even amidst conscious lyrics that are more often associated with roots reggae (as on "Don't Boast" and "Selassie I Hail,"). Again, these energetic songs aren’t bad -- "City Lights," "Don't Boast," and "Traffic" being the best -- but are utterly familiar in sound. The more rootsy stuff -- headed by the Nyabinghi drumming on "Congo Shanti," the Buju Banton-like "Lu Bi Lu," and the ominous "Fire Ball" -- is likewise solid but likewise pretty dull. Aside from the unique subject matter of Jamaican traffic jams in "Traffic," there's nothing on World Crisis that jumps out as distinctive, nothing that sounds like a hit, nothing that justifies repeat listening. Norris Man has shown that he can do better.
| Track Listing 1. City Lights featuring Chrisinti 2. Conga Shanti 3. Don’t Boast 4. Excess Supply featuring Pinchers 5. Far From The Light 6. Jah Be For Me featuring Chrisinti 7. Jah Works 8. My Type 9. Royal Queen featuring Anthony B. 10. Selassie I Hail 11. Traffic 12. Wha Dem Ago Say 13. World Crisis 14. Love Conquer 15. Lu Bi Lu 16. Oh Jah 17. Fire Ball |
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Home & Away (Greensleeves, 2006)
Home & Away, Norris Man's fifth album, may finally achieve in fulfilling the potential that was hinted at back in the late '90s when "Persistence" and "Bad Road" rocked the reggae world. It's not an unblemished gem -- ho-hum tracks like "Seh Dem Bad" and "Armageddon On" pepper the set -- but it's a terrific showcase of what the promising sing-jay can accomplish when he puts it all together. Home & Away isn't as eclectic (or uneven) in sound as Better Your Soul, nor as coldly digital as World Crisis. Roots reggae, like the fiery "We Are the Creator" (with its edgy refrain of racial pride, "We are the creator; they are the separator!"), and lovers rock, like the dreamy title track (featured on Reggae Hits 35) and "This You Must Know," is its recipe for success. Like Jah Mason's 2006 Greensleeves album Wheat and Tears, most of the tracks on Home & Away were produced by Byron Murray, meaning the two sets feature a similarly laid-back vibe, aided by the sharing of many riddims, like Street Swing (Norris Man's "Love Makes You Alive"/Jah Mason's "Wheat & Tears"), Girls Like Dirt (Norris Man's "Feelings Deep Within"/Jah Mason's "Let Me Live My Life"), Mo-Bay (Norris Man's "Get Together"/Jah Mason's "King of Kings"), and Free Life (Norris Man's "I'm a Free Man"/Jah Mason's "Only See Me Crying"), not to mention a few other riddims I don't know the names of (Norris Man's "Be Careful"/Jah Mason's "This Morning"; Norris Man's "Good People"/Jah Mason's "Live & Love"; Norris Man's "We Are the Creator"/Jah Mason's "No One Cares"). With at least seven riddims shared between the two albums, you might wonder if you can enjoy both Home & Away and Wheat and Tears without getting that "been there, done that" feeling. Well, you can, and more likely than not, you will.
| Track Listing 1. Home & Away 2. Seh Dem Bad 3. Armageddon On 4. Feelings Deep Within 5. Move Hard 6. This You Must Know 7. I'm a Free Man 8. After All with Lutan Fyah 9. Love Makes You Alive 10. They Don't Know 11. Herbs to Your Nerve 12. Be Careful 13. Take It 14. This Day 15. We Are the Creator 16. Get Together 17. Good People |
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