Pop Style Music: ‘Better Must Come Riddim’ Album Review

🔊🔊🔊 (Rating 3/5) 

Better Must Come is a juggling album on a Roe Summerz made beat featuring Bugle, Romain Virgo, Sizzla, Tosh Alexander, Ce’Cile and Keznamdi.  Pop Style Music gathered some of the best voices to offer a 7 track album on what turned out to be a busy day at the streaming stores for reggae music.

On the same day when Alkaline dropped Top Prize, Gentleman dropped the Deluxe version of Blaue Stunde and Nicki Minaj released her Beam Me Up Scotty mixtape featuring a remix of Crocodile Teeth with Skillibeng, this riddim album holds its own.

The one-drop reggae riddim aptly titled has a summer vacation vibe. The songs are about relationships and the possibilities that exist in a better time. The album starts off with a groovy Bugle who has been one song away from a spot in the upper echelons of the genre. He makes good reggae bops with his unique artistic vulnerability. Love You Everyday is no different.

“More time the thing shake up but anuh nuttn that, come we go makeup…a break is not a breakup” as he proposes grace and spousal harmony.

Romain Virgo’s If You Know takes the album to another level.

To music listeners, he is a cut above the mediocre and he is often compared to other great voices like Sanchez and Glen Washington. Romain has mastered the fine art of singing reggae music. He only needs a good production to show off his remarkable talents.

Sizzla Kalonji in his usual falsetto adds some texture to the project. Sizzla is in the word and voice play business. He commands attention and could sing the ABC song and it would add soulfulness.

He effortlessly strings familiar words together like a seamster for the perfect fit.

“True love never die /your good love I just can’t deny” are words that have been said over and over on many songs in the past but when done by Sizzla he takes the song to the present.

Tosh Alexander croons as one of two women featured on the riddim. She sings the title track, Jamaica’s 1970s political slogan, Better Must Come, a cover version of Delroy Wilson’s hit, recently done by Sanchez. Here her cause can be interpreted as a fight against misogyny, unwanted exploits and lack of fair opportunities.

“It seems I have done something wrong why they seem to try to keep me down”

Her voice becomes easy ground to burden the topic of hope and survival.

“Who God bless no man curse thank God I am not the worst” as she channels the words of Bob Marley and Delroy Wilson in this neo-revolutionary Femme spirituelle rendition.

Natty Dreadlocks by Keznamdi laments the cry of the ancient Rasta man. Rastafarians have come a far way from the days of no representation and physical oppression. I grapple with whether anyone is still comfortable with the thought of trimming a Rasta. This is simple songwriting and his melodious voice would have served the cause best by celebrating the powerful presence of the modern Rasta man.

Ce’Cile is a singer/ songwriter with some of reggae’s best sing alongs. Boy Bye is her usual repetitious chorus and digestible harmonies. Maybe a collab with her and the “natty” would have brought forth a hit.

Overall the album gets 3/5. Individually the songs have their moments but the standouts are vocals from Sizzla, Romain, Bugle, and Tosh.