Single Reviews

Lila Iké: I Spy Single Review – Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. Fresh from the groundbreaking announcement that the Revival king Protoje just signed a deal with major record label RCA, one of his protégés has just dropped her latest single. And given she’s also now under RCA’s wing, we spy a stratospheric career blossoming for Lila Iké. I Spy, released via In.Digg.Nation Collective and RCA Records/Sony Music Entertainment, is the first release from Iké since 2019’s Sweet Inspiration. Production is from one of the hottest names in the business, Izy Beats. And the track shows just why Iké is being

Cali P x TEKA: Rise Up & Shine (feat. Stonebwoy and Seun Kuti) Single Review – Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. 2019 saw many ingenious releases across the spectrum of Roots-derived music. Not least among these were Cali P x TEKA with their two groundbreaking EPs, Vizion I and Vizion II. Now, in 2020 they’re back with the first cut off instalment three. And that ground is still being broken. Rise Up & Shine, released via LowLow Records, sees the pair team up with global superstar Stonebwoy and member of music royalty Seun Kuti. It marks a forward movement from the

Singing Bee: Who Start The War Single Review – Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. It’s always a pleasure to see the UK being represented. And the latest release from Singing Bee does a sterling job of this. Who Start The War, released by Essex-based UK Homegrown, is a heavy, heavy piece of Dub. Wholly unsettling, it hits you from the off and doesn’t let up. The production by the team at Truth is excellent, as is the mixture of live instrumentation and synths. But it’s the infinitely complex arrangement and Bee’s vocal which truly impress. The track opens with some striking

Ziggy Ranking: Father God Single Review – Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. Trinidad’s finest Ziggy Ranking has just released another fresh cut. In a time of global crisis, he has a message for many of us. And while it’s overly spiritual, it should resonate regardless of your faith. Father God, produced by Canadian music producer and dubologist Jah Servant, is a forthright, brooding and purposeful affair. It pulls no musical or lyrical punches, and dresses up neither – showing Ranking at his most commanding. Overly Roots and Dub-led, the track is cleverly composed and arranged to make sure Ranking’s voice and

Jahmiel: Jah Over Everything Single Review – Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. Jahmiel was one of the iconic Dancehall acts of 2019. Not least because his album Great Man crossed over into conscious and musically ambiguous territory; doing so with finesse and skill. Now he’s back again with a brand-new cut, and once more he breaks his own musical boundaries. Jah Over Everything, released via DJ Bryan Productions, is another move away from traditional Dancehall. It’s a fascinating cut, and the production from Bryan is adrift from his own usual home of Soca and grimy Afrobeats (see the Trap Life Riddim

EXCLUSIVE: Julian Marley x Week.Day – Fly Single Review – Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. Sometimes a producer comes along who you just know is going to blow up. And 2020’s potentially hottest talent is Jahvanie ‘Week.Day’ Morrison. So, Pauzeradio has got an exclusive on his forthcoming track with the legendary Julian Marley. Will it be worth the wait until 17 April? Absolutely. Fly, to be released via his label Tru Ambassador Music, sees Week.Day and Marley delve deep into smooth Afrobeats RnB. The track has been pitched perfectly for an early spring release. Because it’s light, full of feel-good, summery

Kabaka Pyramid x Chris Martin: Quarantine Single Review – Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. The Roots movement has been quite prominent in offering musical succour during the coronavirus pandemic. From Spragga to King MAS via all manner of other artists in between, the genre has been offering positive vibes all round. So, enter Kabaka Pyramid and Christopher Martin with their gorgeous offering. Quarantine, released via Bebble Rock Music and Ghetto Youths International, sees the duo team up with MAS, one of the most prolific of all Roots-based artists. His own recent release, Keep Calm and R.A.S. was a gorgeous mix of

I David: Chain Gang Dub Single Review – Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. One of the UK’s most recognisable Roots-based producers is back with a new cut. But it’s actually a reworking of a classic 1980 track. And with only 500 copies pressed on 7” vinyl, I David’s latest offering is sure to quickly become a classic. Chain Gang Dub, released via Totally Dubwise Recordings, is a bang-up-to-date interpretation of Augustus Pablo’s track of the same name. It’s a bold yet effective cut. Side A of the 7” is the main cut: Chain Gang Dub (Melodica Dub). While Pablo’s melodica remains

Cedric Myton: A New Race Single Review – Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. It’s an attractive proposition when a new Roots track, steeped in the genre’s traditions but also embracing some twists, comes along. And the legendary Cedric Myton has delivered just that with his latest single. A New Race, released via Soulove Records, is a deep foray into traditional Roots territory. The production from DJ Afghan & High Tsadiq is what you’d expect from the Soulove camp: authentic, intricate and top-class. And musically, it’s a storming Roots composition of epic proportions, with some unexpected intricacies thrown in for very good

Krysie: Still Single Review By Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. “Autotune my a*s!” proclaimed singer/songwriter Krysie, as she premiered a live performance of her latest Afrobeats-RnB single. Not that you should be questioning whether one of the most exciting artists to emerge from Jamaica in recent years needs any digital enhancing – because she doesn’t. Still, released via Warriors Musick Productions, sees her smooth-out the distinctive Afrobeats/Dancehall sound that she employs so well across myriad of themes (the brilliant Tomorrow being a case in point). Warriors always deliver the production goods, and Still is no exception to that rule: showcasing the