Single Reviews

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

King MAS: Keep Calm – Single Review by Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. The world is a distressing and unsettling place for many, at present – with people looking for guidance and succour. Enter King MAS, with some of each in droves. Keep Calm and R.A.S. (Receive Adequate Sunlight), released via Bantu Nation Movement, is MAS and producer (and brother) Mitymaose’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. As always expected with the latter, the production is first-class; any major label would happily put their name to it. Not that MAS and Maose need (or want) a ‘major label’. Because it would destroy

Treesha – Balance Me Out Video Release: Review by Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. One of the most exciting aspects of the current Roots-derived music ‘revival’ is the mass of super-talented women charging collectively to the front of the industry. Not least among these is the sensational Treesha, who has just dropped an equally sensational new video cut. Balance Me Out, released via Zojak World Wide, sees the songstress team up with exciting Nigerian producer Nixon from Mega Records. The Glorious Hour Riddim was first released in 2018. But when something’s so good, it’s always worth revisiting it. Which is exactly

Kumar – Remember Me Review by Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. It’s possibly an overused phrase: ‘good things come to those who wait’. But having been teasing us for well over a year, the incredible Kumar has finally dropped the first single from his forthcoming album, Kulture Walk. Was it worth the long moratorium? Of course. Remember Me, released via Baco Records and written by Kumar, sees the former Raging Fyah star team up with Jahvanie ‘week.day’ Morrison on production (the man who co-created Usain Bolt’s Olympe Rosé riddim), via his Tru Ambassador label. There’s a gorgeous video to accompany it,

K’reema Disguise Review by Steve Topple for Pauzeradio.com. K’reema is one of the hottest artists going. Her versatility as a stunning vocalist and songwriter has been displayed on diverse tracks like the gorgeous Roots-laced ballad Don’t You Worry to the straight up Dancehall-come-K-Pop Nobody Move. And now she’s back, showing off that intuitive ambiguity again. Disguise has K’reema seemingly move into Ambient RnB territory. But as you’d expect from Yellowman’s daughter, nothing’s as straightforward as that. And if you thought you were getting Drake or Jhené Aiko, prepare to be pleasantly surprised. It opens with some otherworldly use of synths