Spice: “10” Album Review
The remarkable quality of Spice’s long-awaited maiden album, 10 comes as no surprise. What will come as a pleasant surprise though, is the variation in the themes of her songs – which span romantic relationships, betrayal, police abuse, and even physical fitness – and especially those tracks which showcase the softer, more sensual side of the Queen of Dancehall, which many of her fans have never heard before.
A beautiful, happy-sounding album, full of life, rife with uptempo Dancehall and Reggae riddims and a few fusions of other genres, 10 is sure to find favor among lovers of authentic Dancehall and Reggae sounds, who, from all indications are yearning for those riddims from the 1990s and early 2000s. This album makes you want to get up and dance and it is a tremendous effort that her “Besties” will surely appreciate.
All the tracks, except for are two, are under three minutes long, but are jam-packed with carefully thought-out lyrics that either tell a story, drives home a central point, or makes a coherent statement.
Like many of her predecessors, Grace Hamilton begins with a history lesson, reeling off her biography in the song, on a thumping riddim, telling in a style reminiscent of Dancehall icon Papa San, the details of her brush with poverty and her musical journey, while giving credit to Bounty Killer, and all the other greats including producer Dave Kelly and Cham, who helped to get her first hit song Fight Ova Man. She reels out her musical history in a masterfully written two minutes and 42 seconds, so for those who knew nothing about her humble beginnings and her unprecipitated ascension to stardom, this song covers it all.
The St. Catherine native does not deviate from her raunchy side, scoring with Send it Up, which is sure to keep her female fans wining in wild abandon. Voiced on a compelling riddim, in real Dancehall style, this song will be easily remembered for its catchy hook.
Another raunchy track is Size Matters, in which the St. Catherine High School old girl declares in no uncertain terms, among other things that she is not impressed by little “teelies” and Fit, in which she samples a line from Terror Fabulous’ 1990s hit song Position as she boasts of her acrobatic bedroom prowess.
Her 14-year-old son Nicholas, has vocal and songwriting credits on the album, featuring on the catchy track Po-Po, which is sure to leave the police force in her homeland and in the United States feeling “a way”. Not only does Nicholas take control of the hook “Mi nuh trus di po po/ when yuh si di blue lights you will get a pow pow”, but he also deejays one of the verses.
Gracie is mellow on Don’t Care, a remake of The Techniques 1967 hit, You Don’t Care, which is a jab at a former lover. It is a bouncy track, reminiscent of Lady G, and the singjaying style which characterized late music of the late 1980s and 1990s.
On Your Mind with Olaf Blackwood, is a well-presented song about heartbreak. This is a must-listen, as Olaf’s voice is absolutely golden. To say the songwriting is strong would be an understatement; it is absolutely brilliant.
Spice makes it clear that she is going nowhere, but is in Dancehall to stay and will not be distracted in the track Top; that she is on a different level in Different Shit, a collab with Melissa Musique. She wades into Dub poet style, taking aim at those who she contends have betrayed her in the recent past.
Three previously-released tracks, her breakthrough anthem the NotNice-produced So Mi Like It, and her latest hit single Go Down Deh with Shaggy and Sean Paul, and Frenz,” another chart-topper, which was written by herself and Angela Hunte, are also featured on Ten.
Spice singing to Shaggy in the penultimate track, Bad Girl, is sure to bring out a smile or a chuckle, but one thing is sure, we need to hear Gracie doing more singjaying going forward. Her singing voice is powerful – and beautiful!
The final track Nightie, might make one giggle, as Spice sings about the impossible – ie. gymnastic undertakings in bed with her lover. It might even evoke a loud laugh, upon hearing Shaggy making some moaning/groaning sounds in the background and mumbling some explicit words about her “tightness”.
Apart from Spice and Shaggy, Olaf Blackwood and Sheldon “Teflon” Harris, Grammy-winning producer, writer and musician Shane Hosong’s input is predominant on most of the tracks, adding to the flavor of the album.
An artist is as good as the producer, he/or she works with. And what is obvious about 10 is the effort that both Spice and executive producer Shaggy put into the 15-track project. Based on the antecedents of this album, one thing that is sure is that Orville ‘Shaggy’ Burrell cares for Grace Hamilton and placed his heart into it as much as she did.
Kudos to the team on an imperious effort.