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CD Review |
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Hi, my name is Monica and I’m a recovering "slack" addict. Years ago, I was introduced to dancehall and copped a musical buzz off the daring rhythms. As I craved more riddims, I found that what was being pushed was cut with lyrics replete with violence, misogyny, and materialism, and the instrumentals it was cooked in were cheapened in order to turn a quick buck. I found myself caught up. Then, I got help in the form of conscious dancehall. A growing list of deejays – or “chantas” as they’re called in the Virgin Islands, and singers such as Lutan Fyah, Richie Spice, Sabbatical Ahdah, Yahadanai, and others have brought hope to many fans of the genre like myself. Add St. Croix’s Ancient King to that list. Ancient King is no newcomer. You may have heard “Manage”, “ Ancient of Days”, or “Calculate the Levels” when he recorded as Willow, on the acclaimed I Grade compilation Weep Not. Maybe you’re familiar with his two tracks on the Indigo International The B Sides or have experienced the energy of his stage performances at a Midnite, Dezarie, Yellowman, or Capleton gig. It seems this young artist has put in his dues to release a solo full-length CD. When I first heard the Conquering Sound EP, I knew immediately that I had to have this artist’s album. I dug Ancient King’s gruff inflection, the ferocity of his voice, and his upright lyrical content. A warrior, no doubt. All that dovetailed with I Grade’s solid instrumentals and I knew that four tracks weren’t enough to satiate me. The moment I received the CD from I Grade, I popped it into my stereo and let it loose. The track that drew me most to Ancient’s vibe is his battle hymn “Faith, Courage, And A Just Cause”. It’s a forceful piece featuring Vaughn Benjamin of Midnite whose arresting wail and chant barrel into the song. Bambu Station’s Tuff Lion supplies an alternately staccato-frantic then breezy rhythm guitar. I Grade co-owner Kenyatta Itola’s incessant bass line keeps one on edge. Ancient’s steady, husky chanting corrals all this oscillation together into a cohesive, controlled piece. It feels as though the energy of this track is one vibration short of exploding. Then, the sound of chirping birds marks the song’s coda as the audio quality begins to crackle and the sampled voice of His Majesty Haile Selassie I builds into “…with faith, courage, and a just cause, David will once again beat Goliath.” “Access Psychologically” is laid atop clean, stripped down, but funked out instrumentals. With a hip hop backdrop, it seems Ancient King calls out to ghetto youth manipulated by mainstream urban music. I hope the fellas posted up on the corner of my block in Oakland, CA, get a whiff of this beat and absorb how “Babylon control the masses”. (I enjoy his incredulous “wow” at the end of this track, too.) The rhythm in Yahadanai’s “Best Thing” which celebrates the African woman is utilized in Ancient King’s “St. Croix Run Red”, a warning cry to Cruz shottas and an illustration of the fading morale of youth on the island. Same riddim yet Ancient King’s lyrics transmute its tone and timbre from one of praise to one of woefulness. Two requisite topics of conscious reggae music are one’s Black empress and the act of smoking copious amounts of herb. Ancient King fulfills this with “She’s So Awesome”, which doesn’t present eloquent verbiage but does deliver in its raw energy. “Get the Best” is his ode not to quantity but his penchant for quality. Other noteworthy tracks are the thundering title track “Conquering Sound” featuring Prince Pankhi , “Do Good”, “Heading for Failure”, and “Wake Up and Live Up”. Ancient’s raspy and intense delivery is backed by elegantly crafted music from I Grade co-owners Laurent “Tippy” Alfred and Kenyatta Itola, I Grade artist/producer Abja, Tuff Lion, Astor Campbell, and Eric Williams, and guest vocalists Prince Pankhi , Empress Michel, and Vaughn Benjamin. The direction of this fierce inaugural solo effort owes quite a bit to the keen production work of Tippy along with Abja, Kenyatta, and Gregory “Bassie” Jackson on singular tracks. But there is so much more. This is a densely packed album with fifteen tracks. You might find its entirety in heavy rotation in your stereo. If you suffer from a "slack" affliction as I do, Ancient King might help you on your road to recovery. So, take that first step and pick up Conquering Sound. |
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"Conquering
Sound" 
