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Wha gwaan inna Yard?

Peter Mung | Chicago, IL USA | 07/15/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I must say I am quite pleased with songwriting overall as well as the musicianship. One can't overlook the lead vocals of Erik Sundin which make this album all the more enjoyable. Sundin's lead vocals were an integral part of Christafari's sound and now they grace the works of Temple Yard. TELL ME and BY YOUR SIDE both showcase the rich soulfulness of his singing. Unfortunately, the latter suffers somewhat from an uneven mix with bass drum a little on the high end. LION OF JUDAH comes across as a decent tune but a little too repetitive to me. RUNNIN' has an unorthodox beat that falls somewhere between big band and ska and sounds a little awkward to me. Marky Rage's lead vocal on the excellent GIVE IT AWAY is a highlight as he shows his versatility. R&B is a main ingredient in the overall song mix and I think this works really well. Johnny Guerrero's saxophone playing and horn arrangement are very good and maybe even a tad too tight in some instances. I'd like to hear'em let it breathe a little. Compared to Christafari, the messages in the music are quite a bit more subtle which isn't necessarily a bad thing. SPEAK THR TRUTH is a great mix of singing and toasting with a nice horn arrangements and strong lyrics. It would be nice if drummer Ken Yarnes could loosen up some and throw in a few fills here and there. My opinion. Let's look forward to more from Temple Yard. Speaking the truth- with love."