What still drives Shaggy? At almost 45, the Jamaican can boast a prolific career. In twenty years, he has been rewarded with a Grammy Award (for the album "Boombastic" in 1996), two multi-platinum albums, another diamond-certified one and hits by the bucketload (including eight number one hits). That is plenty to rest on his laurels, but it is not enough for a Shaggy apparently in search of respectability: "I was criticised for years for my lack of authenticity because of my pop success", he lamented. His twelfth album could therefore not resemble its predecessors: I'm making a reggae album with the masters of the genre and people recognise that it changes the game." With Sly & Robbie in charge, the game is indeed not the same, it must be admitted. The Riddim Twins (to whom Lenky Marsden must also be added) offer him a reggae canvas stamped "Taxi", with their seal of approval on top.
Inspired by the country's motto ("Out of Many, one People"), "Out of Many, One Music" follows much the same direction as "Summer in Kingston" and "Shaggy & Friends" before it, with guests on almost every track (Shaggy is alone on only three tracks). Pairings that develop a classic idea of combinations (singers / deejay) and that are to Jamaican music a bit what the good cop / bad cop tandem is to cinema: fairly classic but devilishly effective. All the more so as the guests are far from being mere foils for Shaggy's flow: Damian Marley, Beres Hammond, Tarrus Riley, Chronixx, Cocoa Tea, Konshens, but also Ne Yo, Tessane Chin… On the contrary, each brings their own touch, and few tracks miss their target. This efficiency owes a great deal to Sly & Robbie's flawless production, but the many guests also give a particularly welcome diversity. An album that could give other artists ideas and that above all shows Shaggy still has to be reckoned with.
Pull Up :
- Fight This Feeling (feat. Beres Hammond)
- Crazy (feat. Damian Marley & Chioma)
- All We Need Is Love (feat. Konshens & Jimmy Cozier)
- If U Slip U Slide (You could be mine) (feat. Melissa Musique)
