Next Show 2007
29 th APRIL O7 - 8.30 PM AT THE
CORONET, ELEPHANT&CASTLE.
As Jamaican Music undergoes transition, it's branches throughout the world continue to bear fruit of a different succulence, but which are rooted in equally fertile soil. This is especially true of artists from Africa and other parts of the Caribbean.
Bush Doctor, born in Sierra Leone, where he recorded two albums during the early Nineties,
Shine and
Who No Like Me. The son of a preacher, he started out by singing in church, but then took his first steps into the music business by rapping and deejaying with local bands. He even collaborated with
Misty In Roots during the earlier part of his career.
This versatility has served him well, since he sings, deejays and chants to compelling effect, and such variety is further enhanced by an eclectic approach to the actual music as he skilfully blends
Jamaican Reggae influences with sounds of
West African High Life and Afrobeat. As if this wasn�t enough, he also delivers lyrics of singular importance. As befits someone with the name Bush Doctor, he views his music as a vehicle for social change, and so it's hardly surprising that his songs should carry a healing message. Furthermore, such motives have remained consistent throughout his career. He was in the midst of recording his third album Serious times, when war broke out in
Sierra Leone, which meant it had to be completed in Conakry, Guinea. A deal with EMI in the Ivory Coast followed, and the album proved a best seller in West Africa.
The joyous, rocksteady inspired
Salon Girl from
Serious Times is reprised on the latest Album, which he began after relocation to London in 1999. It�s been a long time coming, but the results suggest the wait has been undeniably worthwhile. His allegiance with the poor informs both
Pressure and
Kilamanjaro, whereas songs like
Waiting, Too Serious and Mother Africa have a more political expression, but that it is rooted in a love of humanity and also Rastafari, as heard on
Live Up Right, Warrior, and the all persuasive title track.
All the tracks are original, and not only in terms of song writing, but also musicianship. Members of the
London Afro Jazz ensemble Soothsayers lend the rhythms an aura of authenticity that's impossible to resist, whilst the presence of Gregory Issacs and the influence of other
reggae greats such as Joseph Hill place Bush Doctor's music right at the heart of the classical Jamaican tradition.
Bush Doctor - Jah Way
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