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Jah Kingdom

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Jah Kingdom
Studio album by
Burning Spear
Released1991
Recorded1991
GenreReggae
LabelMango[1]
ProducerWinston Rodney, Nelson Miller
Burning Spear chronology
Mek We Dweet
(1990) 		Jah Kingdom
(1991) 		The World Should Know
(1993)

Jah Kingdom is a studio album by the Jamaican musician Burning Spear, released in 1991.[2][3] Burning Spear supported the album with a North American tour.[4]

Production

[edit]

Jah Kingdom was produced by Winston Rodney and Nelson Miller.[5] Burning Spear employed horns and synthesizers on the album, which was recorded with the Burning Band.[6][7] The cover of the Grateful Dead's "Estimated Prophet" first appeared on the tribute album Deadicated.[8]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Boston HeraldB+[10]
Calgary HeraldC−[6]
Robert Christgau(neither)[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[12]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[13]

Entertainment Weekly praised Rodney's "high silk voice."[13] The Washington Post determined that, "pared down to the essentials, the arrangements generally mirror Rodney's economical phrasing, and if they're missing some of the grittiness that characterizes his singing (and some of his lyrics), at least the gloss isn't insufferably thick."[14]

The Gazette opined that the album "is crisply produced, pleasant enough and the band is hard at work, but the singer seems disinterested."[15] The Boston Herald noted Rodney's "ability to write politico-religious lyrics that are by turns angry and joyful, stinging and gentle."[10]

AllMusic wrote that the band "plays with a lighter touch than what was normally heard on Spear's previous albums."[9]

Track listing

[edit]
  1. "Jah Kingdom"
  2. "Praise Him"
  3. "Come, Come"
  4. "World Power"
  5. "Tumble Down"
  6. "Call On Jah"
  7. "Should I"
  8. "When Jah Call"
  9. "Thank You"
  10. "Land of My Birth"
  11. "Estimated Prophet"

Credits

[edit]
  • All songs written by Winston Rodney except track 11 (B Weir/J Barlow)
  • Executive Producer - Burning Music Production
  • Track 11 Produced & Arranged by Ralph Sall, originally released on Arista Records album Deadicated
  • Recorded at Grove Recording Studio, Ocho Rios, Jamaica
  • Recording engineer - Barry O'Hare
  • Assistant engineer - Andrew Thomas
  • Mixed at Platinum Island Studios, New York
  • Mixed by Michael Sauvage
  • Assistants - Barry O'Hare, Mervyn Williams
  • Studio Assistant - Wes Naprstek
  • Mastered at Masterdisk by Tony Dawsey
  • Art Direction - Deborah Melian
  • Front Cover Artwork - Tony Ramsay
  • Photography - Chris Carroll

Musicians

[edit]
  • Winston Rodney - vocals, percussion
  • Nelson Miller - drums
  • Paul Beckford - bass
  • Lenford Richards - lead guitar, piano ("World Power"), Casio PG 380 (solo "Thank You")
  • Lenval Jarrett - rhythm guitar
  • Alvin Haughton - percussion
  • Charles Dickey - trombone
  • James Smith - trumpet (solo "Thank You")
  • Mark Wilson- saxophone
  • Jay Noel - keyboards

Additional Musicians

  • Robbie Lyn - synthesizers, piano
  • Ronald "Nambo" Robinson - trombone (tracks 1,3,4,5&10)
  • Junior "Chico" Chin - trumpet (tracks 1,3,4,5&10)
  • Dean Fraser - saxes (tracks 1,3,4,5&10)
  • Richard Johnson - piano (tracks 5,7&9)

References

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  1. ^ Gettelman, Parry (25 Oct 1991). "Burning Spear Fired Up About Music". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 11.
  2. ^ "Burning Spear Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Thompson, Dave (January 28, 2002). "Reggae & Caribbean Music". Hal Leonard Corporation – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Beal, Jr., Jim (August 15, 1991). "Burning Spear sticks to reggae's original roots". San Antonio Express-News. p. 2C.
  5. ^ "Jah Kingdom by Burning Spear". Billboard. 103 (32): 66. Aug 10, 1991.
  6. ^ a b Muretich, James (25 Aug 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. A13.
  7. ^ "Burning Spear". The Denver Post. August 7, 1992. p. 20.
  8. ^ Robins, Wayne (22 Nov 1991). "Righteous, Rapping Reggae". Part II. Newsday. p. 86.
  9. ^ a b "Burning Spear - Jah Kingdom Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  10. ^ a b Convey, Kevin R. (November 15, 1991). "Discs". Boston Herald. p. S14.
  11. ^ Robert Christgau, "Burning Spear", robertchristgau.com, retrieved 2024-05-18
  12. ^ Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music". Omnibus Press – via Google Books.
  13. ^ a b "Jah Kingdom". EW.com.
  14. ^ Joyce, Mike (26 July 1991). "Burning Spear: His Flame Is True". The Washington Post. p. N13.
  15. ^ Feist, Daniel (17 Oct 1991). "Classic recordings recall golden age of Jamaican reggae". The Gazette. p. E7.
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