BURNING SPEAR

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Review written by Benoit Collin on Tuesday, November 07th 2006 - 16 771 views Starting from the dub versions of the indispensable "Social Living", Burning Spear’s "Living Dub" collection has grown over the years by combining the dubs of several of his albums. After a lull in the 80s (16 years separate volumes 2 and 3) and with volume 4 already dating back to 1999, Burning Spear returns with this fifth instalment, which curiously gathers the dubs of the album "Calling Rastafari". A release all the more important for the veteran as it inaugurates his new label Burning Spear Music Europe at the same time as his new (because now total) independence from record companies. In the direct line of the previous instalments, this "Living Dub vol. 5" will keep detractors and aficionados in their positions. The mix is entrusted to Barry O’Hare, the Spear’s faithful engineer, who therefore sets about breathing new life into an album that is already seven years old. Since "Calling Rastafari", "Freeman" (2003) and then "Our Music" (2005) have been added to the long discography. "Our Music", for example, has a few more convincing arguments than its elder, despite the latter being crowned with a Grammy Award in 1999. "Living Dub vol5" nonetheless has some fine pieces, such as Vision Dub, the version of the superb acoustic track addressed to Jah, Bright my vision, or Reggae Dub. The somewhat diffuse sound Spear has accustomed us to over the last ten years is not much helped by a bass / drums rhythm pairing slightly set back, with the essentials played out in the careful horn and string arrangements. As a result, these twelve dubs turn out more ambient than biting. The listening is no less pleasant for it, and will please fans of Burning Spear-style dub.

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