Ini Kamoze

Ini Kamoze

Ini Kamoze - Debut - 2CD

Reggae music is full of mysteries, not least why certain artists are

promoted to the max, with a full range of CDs always available, while

other artists are reduced to one CD in the the racks, or even worse no

CDs. If the stuff came out on a small label, you could say its just

economics, but when its major multinationals - with huge resources its

senseless. And when that artist is very popular, it begins to look

sinister. So what does an artist do? Well in the case of Ini - he came

to the conclusion that the best way of dealing with this problem was

to recut all the stuff he did with Sly and Robbie on Island - again.

He could have done it in a new style, but wisely stuck with the sound

of Sly and Robbie in the mid eighties. His old fans can enjoy them

just as much as the originals, and his new fans will now have

something that represents this truly great reggae artists. Forward

Ini.

Ini Kamoze - Ini Kamoze - Island - 1984

Five years after Junjo and Barrington Levy begin the 'The Dance Hall

Style' form of reggae, Island give us Sly & Robbie and Ini Kamoze and

try to make us believe it's something different. While also claiming

Ini is the "New voice of reggae." Yet all Island had to do to promote

the album was to say here's Ini Kamoze a new reggae artist in a dance

hall style. Perhaps with a picture of him behind a console on a sound

system, for that is where the man is coming from. and there's nothing

to be ashamed of in that.

Ini Kamoze - Statement - Island -

Ini Kamoze's second great album for Island, as remarkable as that may

see. Of course there have been problems. Like Island just can't

release a reggae album without some aggrovation. This time it was the

mix. So you may find a copy of 'Statement' which is another Sly &

Robbie production, that lacks weight in the rhythm section. And that's

one thing Ini cn't do without. Ini needs a good strong rhythm in the

same way that Half Pint or Cocoa Tea does. His strength is in his

voice, not in his lyrics.

Ini Kamoze - Pirate - Island - 1986

An history of Black Music from the blues would show that there is

always an artist/group who want to take their music to a wider

audience, the problem is how far do you hve to go to achieve the

desired success.Enter Ini Kamoze thisis his third album for Island,

and he's still making good music. In that his lyrics reflect current

thinking. musically Sly & Robbie are still in firm control. Although

its clear to see that they have both been listening to a lot of

different music's, all helping to make this a great set.

Ini Kamoze - Shocking Out - Greensleeves - 1989

Isn't is possible for a reggae artist to keep his integrity and stay

with a major? Still Island's loss is Greensleeves gain. 'Shocking Out'

is a superb LP. Ini rather than try to reproduce the sound of Sly &

Robbie as gone for the computer sound of now created for him by a

mixture of Cleavie & Steelie, Danny Brown & Thompson and Tyrone

Downie. Into this he as intergrated his own set of messages that draws

from a_wide range of subjects_ All passed along to us in that very

special voice of Ini Kamoze.