Dub poetry, in which verse heavy with Jamaican patois is recited/chanted over reggae beats, has been around for a good many years. Even so, there aren't many prominent practitioners of it nowadays. England's Linton Kwesi Johnson and Jamaica's Mutabaruka are presently the most visibly active dub poets around, though staying busy with other literary and activist pursuits has led to new recordings by either of them occurring with decreased regularity. Life Squared is Mutabaruka's first album in 8 years, and the articulateness with which he refuses to suffer fools easily has not diminished.

Distrust of those in power is a recurring theme in Muta's work, and his emphasizing of it here includes "The Confusion Today (Wha a Gwan)," in which the common-sense lyrics are matched with musical backing straight out of Marvin Gaye, and "Life and Debt," from the recent film of the same name that examines economic hardship in Jamaica. A take-it-or-leave-it world view is put forth on such tracks as "Spirituality" and "One People," but it’s the unexpected twists that are tackled with an especially deft mix of intensity and humor. These include the invoking of ancient Egypt on "Dream Girl," a cynically cheeky view of evolution with "The Monkey" (text by Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King) and a funky remix of an earlier piece "Dis Poem,” bolstered by African drumming. A serious and committed artist who can nonetheless utilize dry humor or put his emotions front and center (as on the tender "Pele") when he so chooses, Mutabaruka understands that reason is at least as important as anger in order to properly get in your face.






 by Quatty, ReggaeTrain.com
 E-Mail: info@reggaetrain.com