Search - Natural Black :: Far From Reality

GY's Greatest. . .

Achis | Kingston, JA/Philipsburg, SxM | 09/16/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The last few years have seen some of the better and most overlooked talent in roots reggae music coming out of the tiny northern South American nation of Guyana. Having spent a little time in the country and much time enjoying the vibes eminating from Guyana, I'm always interested in the talent evolving there. Acts such as Yahadanai, Ras Mac Bean and the young First Born, from Walter Fraser's Vizion Sounds camp, are constantly keeping Guyana on the map from Guyana.



The greatest artist to ever emerge however has been Natural Black and for years he toiled in virual anonymity in Jamaica fueled only by a few nice hits (such as To My Bonafide and Songs With Feelings), that was until 2005 when his greatest hit today hit, Far From Reality, becoming his firts JA #1 song. It also led to his 3rd studio album (as Locks Lion, wonderful review btw, mentioned) Spiritual Food from Patate and his debut World War from Lion Roots. World War was Natural Black in his developmental stage still, however, Spiritual Food was an awesome album and is his best altogether, but Far From Reality is not too far behind.



From the strength of that hit Black signed his deal for this album which he touted would be named Be Patient as per one of his local hits and the fact that everyone was asking him constantly as to when it would be out.



The album is a bit more laid back than what I'm used to hearing from Black. The Buju/Terror Fabulous sound is a bit more toned down for the majority of FFR. The best song is title track. Far From Reality both melodically and lyrically is probably Natural Black's best work to date, and although it's now much heard and older, I still love it. Also like the lid bakc bouncy structure of the opener, Think Big. The very very nice Born Inna Struggle which lyrically at least is the type of material I'm used to hearing from Black.



This album actually has a carefree feel to it, so many of the middle tracks Can't Mix Intelligence, People Crying and Memories of Life seem to almost fade into one another in a lovely, 'push play and walk away' stylee. Also check the wonderful earlier tunes Nice it Nice and the magical Never Hurt You. I would have loved to see them place the wonderful Going Away combination with Norrisman on this one, over the Triumphant riddim, but still FFR is more than a nice nice album, and is presented well by the ever improving Greensleeves.



Overall, definitely pick this one up. Natural Black is one of the talents perhaps 'doomed' to fall in line with the Jr Kelly's and Jah Mason's of the world as in he'll probably never reach the level of popularity that his talent seemingly deserves, however, for true fans of reggae music, seeking out not only this album, but his earlier works as well will be a nice reward from this big big artist."

NATURALLY BLESSED

Locks Lion | Blue Mountain Peak | 09/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"FAR FROM REALITY: The Greensleeves roots revival continues to gather momentum, with FAR FROM REALITY from Natural Black joining Lutan Fyah's PHANTOM WAR, Norris Man's HOME & AWAY, and Sizzla's retro-themed WATERHOUSE REDEMPTION on the shelf at your local record store. Natural Black is a singer and deejay who's been recording in Jamaica since the middle nineties, and has at least one long player (SPIRITUAL FOOD) and several fistfuls of forty fives to his credit. FAR FROM REALITY is headlined by the title track, which was voiced for Donovan Bennett on his massively popular SEASONS rhythm (i.e. Jah Cure's LOVE IS). It's a big tune, no doubt, if rather familiar, but for my money it's bettered by WILL LIFE BE THE SAME WAY, which was one of perhaps three definitive vocals on Wayne Morris's ISTANBUL rhythm (along with Cure's WHAT WILL IT TAKE?, and Teflon's GET UP & STRIVE). These two appear alongside several outstanding album tracks, most of which were produced by Marlon McCubbin for PG Music. The opener, THINK BIG is a bubbly, bouncing reggae rocker with echoing, multi-tracked vocals, and a great vintage vibration that's sure to set heads nodding. This is followed up with the very solid NEVER HURT YOU, and then perhaps the best cut collected here, the excellent NICE IT NICE - pull up the windows and play this one for your neighbours while the sun's out! They're sure to appreciate it. Other highlights include the Morgan Heritage-produced CAN'T MIX INTELLIGENCE, the conscious BORN IN A STRUGGLE, and the gentle acoustic closer, BEAUTIFUL PLACE. There's even a gospel flavoured number, PEOPLE CRYING, which sounds a bit out of place, but is nonetheless a welcome inclusion. Natural Black carries the entire album by himself, without any guest appearances or combinations - and he carries it well. The production work is also strong, with the vocal tracks and keyboards being especially well handled. And of course, as is now becoming customary for this record label, the sleeve design is great - certainly not the low-to-no budget artwork that we used to expect with a reggae release. All this adds up to a big major reggae label debut for Natural Black, definitely worth picking up.



The folks at Greensleeves have been sipping on a real roots tonic in recent months, and it looks like there's more to come. Watch out for Jah Mason's WHEAT & TEARS, and the next installment of the BIGGEST REGGAE ONE-DROP ANTHEMS collection, both scheduled for late September releases. Not to be outdone, VP has Gyptian's debut (MY NAME IS GYPTIAN) and more from Lutan Fyah (HEALTHY LIFESTYLE) slated for release around the same time. Better start digging up your loose change!



Also, one more plug for you - I've plugged it before, and I'll probably plug it again - is (Mr.) Perfect's GIDDIMANI, which isn't yet scheduled for domestic release outside Europe. Save your pennies and track it down because it's an absolute killer, and well worth any import expenses.

"

Good Album

Kj Khasar | 10/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a big fan of roots reggae and love to listen to artists from Burning Spear to Peter Tosh. Hence anytime i come across a roots artist like Natural Black, its a delight as these arists don't tend to be as popular as the popcorn reggae artists.

This album is a joy to listen to and if you like the title track you will enjoy the album. Good lyrics, nice beats and catchy songs."