AbiYah Yisrael – Yah Will Be There – Review

September 29, 2024

AbiYah Yisrael: Yah Will Be There Single Review by Mr Topple for Pauzeradio.com.

Dominican-based artist AbiYah Yisrael has returned with another sumptuous Roots Reggae cut which shows the talents of this accomplished artist immaculately.

Yah Will Be There, released via ChaYah Studios, sees Yisrael team up with producer and arranger Hilroy “ObadYah” Alfred (who also provides guitars across the track). For what seems like a small studio and production outfit, everyone involved has aimed high – with excellent results; not least across the mix and master which are both proficient and high quality. Meanwhile, Yah Will Be There’s musical backdrop is strong – grounded in Roots.

The winding, meandering bass is rich and resonant, low down its register (although it moves up at points) and across a melody that is rhythmically quite stuttering – giving pace to the track. Keys play well into this, beginning with an attractive melody (that also continues at points) before settling into the ubiquitous bubble rhythm. It sits in the mid-range of the piano and rarely deviates from this.

A guitar line performs a persistent skank to complement the keys. Meanwhile, drums are across an embellished one drop – where the kick hits the two and four, as hi-hats riff in between, and the snare also hits the ups. The hi-hats are effective, with some play between closed and open positions – again, bringing pace to what is a slow BPM.

Moreover, there is some pleasing additional instrumentation. A staple of Roots Reggae, an electric organ, weaves in and out with a mixture of a bubble rhythm and some well-placed riffs and flourishes. A secondary guitar lines performs a pleasing melodic arrangement, almost an accompanying vocal to Yisrael’s one.

What sounds like a synth melodica, or possibly an oboe, winds around in the background. Interestingly, there are no horns present – which serves to keep the track’s sound very rich. The engineering has pleasing nods to Dub in terms of the heavy use of rhythmic reverb at points, although this is sparsely used.

Yisrael has a very pleasing voice. Sitting in a mid-soprano range, she has a rounded tone which is maintained across her register. She makes good use of vibrato, not over doing it but putting it in where necessary. There’s good light and shade when it comes to dynamics, although generally throughout Yisrael is forthright. Her note clipping and extension is well-placed, working around the lyrical and syllable content, while Yisrael has also done a sterling job on the backing vocals, too – which while sparse are well-arranged.

Lyrically, Yisrael has painted a vivid picture of how we (specifically, the people of Dominica in this instance) need to maintain spiritual faith in the face of Babylon’s mendacity. As poverty and inequality haunt society thanks to the system, Yisrael maintains that once Babylon falls, Yah still will be there.

Overall, Yah Will Be There is a strong effort from Yisrael and all involved, The composition is special, having been well constructed and executed. Yisrael’s vocal is on point, showing the skill in her voice, and the lyrics are engaging. Solid works all round.