No-Maddz are the most daring recording artists Jamaica has seen in a long time. Their career began with few words and a weird, high-pitched, circling sound and it has continued with the same spirit, displaying willingness to experiment with musical productions. With the latest project Sly & Robbie presents No-Maddz, the dub poetry musical outfit delivers more sounds that we haven’t heard “quite like that” before.
No-Maddz have combined their futurist style with the legendary Riddim Twins Sly & Robbie, and created a project with the potential to reposition Jamaican music as popular music–if only the collection was more focused.
Well-known single Romance is the opening track, and we wish the theme continued throughout. There seems to be an unspoken necessity among our Jamaican artists to comment on “shottas” and the resigned hopefulness of our ghettos with Better Must Come and … Shotta.
We don’t mean to minimize the necessity of such social commentary from our popular figures, but with great, groovy tunes like Modern Love Affair, Love Story and Some Kind a Way, it would be welcome to have a production following a story-line, or a basic theme, like say…love.
Though it’s no Songs About Jane, No-Maddz have delivered a compilation that had us rocking and bumping and of course laughing. It’s got a rocksteady vibe, a ska vibe, even a really old school dancehall vibe plus all the quirks signature the odd bunch.
Another plus…don’t let the quirkiness fool you. These guys can really sing.
Check out the video for Romance and pick up a copy of the album via iTunes.
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