ALBUM DESCRIPTION

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ABOUT THE ALBUM:
Yowsy wowsy woo wooh! Yow has done it again! Another smashing gospel effort from famed Jamaican music producer Danny Brownie and his incredible stable of artists. With this all-star cast, Danny, who was once the producer of artists like Red Rat, Goofy, Degree, Spragga Benz, and Mr. Vegas, has a new reason to keep his "Head High."

If you already own the first volume, then you'll recognize the featured artists in this follow-up release. As before, in addition to the sanctified offerings of former secular dancehall crooners Chevelle Franklyn and Jr. Tucker, there some stand out tracks by newcomers Mr. Goddy Goddy, the "Radical" Prodigal Son, and Moses & Mr. Gallimore (Formerly the K Gees). With fifteen tracks by six artists over seven rhythms, you get more of the same with a whole lot of something new.

Though the album title may be inspired by the popular Contemporary Christian "Wow" Series, and its lyrics are decidedly Christian, that is where the similarities end. Yow! is just what its subtitle indicates; "Street Gospel." Taken from the rugged streets of Kingston, Jamaica, this jagged edged gem is a precious jewel for the ears of all gospel reggae aficionados.

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SONG BY SONG REVIEW:

All that I have to say is "WOE!" After a curious introduction, the bashment kicks off with a fiery delivery from the Prodigal Son. At first listen I instantly wanted to look at the track listing and skip straight to the next Prodigal cut. But then I changed my mind--Rewind and come again!! After just over three minutes, this album is already well worth the price!

Next up is a brand new musical offering from the sweet sounding Chevelle Franklyn that is reminiscent of Diana King. On "Can't Run No More," Chevelle once again delivers her sweet harmony driven singjay vocals over a fresh dancehall rhythm.

The heat is turned up two notches when Moses tells us that he is "Not the big man," a position reserved only for the Most High God. The lyrics are profound, yet hilarious, as he dishes out a heavy dose of Jamaican street culture and knocks down the ways of the braggadocios. In his own unique lyrical pentameter, Moses fights fire with fire, squelching the flames set by artists like Capleton and Sizzla. Moses may not be "The Big Man," but this sure is a BIG TUNE!

On "Nah Stop Praise Him" in his unique muppet sounding voice, Mr. Goddy Goddy increases our awareness on the importance of giving thanks for our blessings. And the dancehall continues...

"Rough Like We" by Mr. Gallimore, is the first of three tracks on this album that are voiced over the same rhythm. This is the instrumental that initially made Chevelle a star in the gospel industry with "Radio is Playing it." Though Gallimore is tough, he still isn't tough like Chevelle. On each rhythm introduced to the Jamaican culture there is one stand out performance. Despite Gallimore's excellent delivery, Chevelle is still the Queen of this track.

Moses picks up the staff again on "Adore Him," and in just a few measures I am confident that we are bearing witness to another great dancehall deejay in the making. With Moses' relaxed, gritty vocal styling similar to General Trees, this cut is a definite boomshot!

On "Hey You," Producer Danny Brownie has finally figured out how to draw the greatest potential from the up and coming Mr. Goddy Goddy. The voltage on this one is destructive. Goddy Goddy could be the next Mr. Vegas if he stays in this vocal range and simply remains on key.

Are you ready for some singing? Then get "Ready for the Rapture," with the alto voicings of Jr. Tucker. But don't worry, we will not be switching gears, the driving rhythm is still in the dancehall vein and the repeated DJ loops add some sweet icing to an already tasty cake. The only thing that I could do without is the extremely outdated "Hey, Ho!" It is too old to be cool and too recent to be old-school.

The next track is "Plea the Blood," another cut over the "Radio is Playing it" rhythm. Do you remember earlier when I wrote that on each rhythm "there is one stand out performance." Make that two! Hey, every Queen needs a King. In this case the Radical Prodigal has returned with a dynamic track worthy of the crown. This gospel tune is the ultimate platform of expression for ghetto youths from the island of Jamaica to the mainland. Prodigal is at the top of his game. Watch out for him. He is about to break away like a kite on a windy day.

Full of high tech head swelling bass and packed with computer sounds, Mr. Goddy Goddy asks "Does Anybody Want to Praise My Lord?" Well do you? If so, then this is the song for you.

On track 11, Moses cleverly states that there are a "whole lot of people" that he would love to meet and be able be able to question. In one verse he creatively penned: "Me would a love fe meet Selassie (and) ask him what he thinks about Rastas, but me know that's impossible-Selassie dead already. (I would) love fe meet Buddha, the Chinese dem ruler. When the Chiney man dem pray how on earth him give them answer? 'Cause in all of my life me never see no statue talk ya. Now beg the man them wise up and to praise the Holy Father. Me would a love to meet Mohammed, (things really a get red) and ask why the Muslims them cause so much damage? Why them kill so much Christians, keep so much under bondage? If a love unnuh a deal with then a what this unnuh practice?"-Too tough to mention! His flow is wild and energetic. This is one to be reckoned with.

On "Jesus A Number One," Chevelle Franklyn wastes no time mashing up the track. She does significant damage on this bashment anthem that was initially featured on Dancehall Baptism Chapter one, and then later released on her solo effort "Joy."

Ziggiti-ziggiti-ziggiti-ziggiti War! Moses fires more big shots on "War." This young DJ continues to spit out relevant lyrics with precise deejay slashing skills. Working it up again is Mr. Goddy Goddy with "Sing a Song to Jah, followed by Mr. Gallimore's "Never Get Lukewarm." Although this is the fourth time that this new rhythm is featured on this album, it still remains fresh like a crisp head of lettuce in the cooler. Dis track come fe "dus' dem out"--a real murda tune! I hope that the mainstreet crew continues with more wicked releases like this. May they "Never get Weary."

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CONCLUSION:

On Volume Two of this series you have almost an hours worth of quality gospel music to comb through. And this is not soft stuff, we are talking about an entire album packed full of quality sanctified raggamuffin beats. How rare is that? Slackness is over and the future of dancehall is bright.

Hands-down, the stand out cuts in this compilation are consistently delivered by Moses and the Prodigal. Although every track on this effort is top notch, these two artists clearly stand head and shoulders above the rest. On songs like "Woe," "Plea the Blood," "The Big Man," and "Whole Lot of People," it appears as if they are up against Bounty, Beenie, or Capleton in a serious sound-off! And I am confident that these guys could go head to head against any of their secular contemporaries at Sting and still remain standing at the end. In fact, Prodigal's "Woe" is quite possibly the best gospel dancehall song of the year! But this is no competition. This is a Kingdom effort and these artists stand united.

If you have enjoyed anything that came out of Jamaica in the last decade, and are looking for some great gospel music, there is absolutely no question in my mind that this is THE release for you. Listen to the RealAudio clips on this page, and then pick up a copy of YOW 2 today. Also, don't forget to grab a copy of Yow 1 if you haven't already.