Black Star presents Vivian Jones

4099_Black-Star-album-grootRoots is still alive! The review couldn’t be started any other way and everything because of a producer Black Star Ashera-E from Netherlands, Fire House Crew riddim band and the great legend of Jamaican and UK roots scenes Vivian Jones, who owns an amazing voice and spiritual lyrics. He played alongside Fasimbas, Jah Shaka All Stars (album “Jah Works”). Cooperation with Black Start began in 2009 when they first met in London. After the meeting, Vivian was invited to the Netherlands for a few festival gigs. In the meantime they recorded few tracks and slowly started thinking of recording an album together and today we get 10 tunes in roots reggae style with elements of ska and dub with some rhythms based on classic riddims. The album is opened by a classic roots ‘Chant Rastafari’, then takes us to ska rhythms with ‘Want It Fi Nothin’ with Spectacular as a guest. ‘Now They Are After Me’ lets us slow down and let us realise a few important things while listening to beautiful winds section parts. Thanks to ‘That Love’ we can come to know Vivian in lovers style which he fits very well. We then get one of the best tunes of the album – ‘All My Life’ with beautiful lyrics and dub version, where bass and drums create a very strong foundation – a classic dubwise with melodica, birds singing and keys part. The next track is ‘One Love’ with remarkable lyrics that will affect every conscious head, just like in the case of the next very good tune ‘Bhingy Dready’ with nyahbingi elements. At the end there is ‘If The Tree Could Talk’ with a mighty dub version that sums up this diversified album very well.