Patience and the passing of time achieve more than strength or rage: Chronixx illustrates this popular adage well. While it did not take him long to make his name with good singles (Behind Curtain, They Don't Know, Smile Jamaica, among others), Chronicle's son still had no collection of his songs. That is now done with "Dread & Terrible".
It starts very strongly with Alpha & Omega on the Inna rub a dub style riddim produced in 2013 by John John, one of King Jammy's sons. This recut of Freddie McGregor's Leave Yah (also reworked by Alborosie for his single Play Fool to catch wise) has the feel of a good Black Uhuru rhythm, and Chronixx opens by talking about "kicking the riddim like Sly Dunbar". The spiritual charge becomes more formidable with Here Comes Trouble, Chronixx's big hit on the Rootsman riddim released in 2013: "Here comes trouble, here comes danger, here come the young Rastas" warns Chronicle's son on this cover of Ini Kamoze's Wings with me). The anti-colonialist firebrand Capture Land (a new production by Wynta James) completes this burning new roots triptych.
After composing the track Beat & A Mic, the French duo Bost & Bim reunite with Chronixx for Rastaman Wheel Out, with its horns and brisk tempo. Another duo of frenchies, TNT, sign Eternal Fire, on which Chronixx promises "eternal fire to Babylon". Next comes a more modern segment with Spirulina (which extols the benefits of the alga) and Like a whistle (which celebrates purity), two dancehall tracks produced by his musical family, the label ZicFence Records (co-founded with Romaine "Teflon" Arnett). The circle is closed with the three dubs at the end: the panorama ends on the same tracks that open the set list.
Billed as an EP, "Dread & Terrible" is not really a first album. It is true that at the end of the 10 tracks (seven songs and three dub versions) you want more... A rather short tracklist that again illustrates Chronixx's philosophy, in which quality takes precedence over quantity. Since his debut, he has taken care not to overexpose himself, when it is so easy to multiply recordings that are put on sale on the web straight away. Deeply involved in the making of "Dread & Terrible" (he was destined for production and riddim composition before stepping up to the microphone), Chronixx shows his versatility without betraying his commitment, as modern as he is respectful of the canons. It is not an album, true, but it has every look of one, and it is devilishly promising for what comes next.
Pull Up:
Alpha & Omega
Rastaman Wheel Out
Here Comes Trouble
