D' Original Reverence x One Culture Jah Will Be There – Jah Will Be There

It’s always good to bring a pleasing track back with a Dub version – so, enter D’ Original to rework a release from 2023; oh, and give us the original for a second time as well.

Jah Will Be There, released via Third Island Productions, sees D’ Original Reverence work with Virginia-based Roots band One Culture across what is a classic Roots Reggae track that is fresh, meandering, and pleasing in equal measure.

All the Roots musical staples are here. The keys run a pleasing bubble rhythm in the mid-range of their register which is relentless but easy in the ear. There’s some keen attention to detail here, because a guitar accompanies the bubble rhythm with a softly-softly skank, layering the offbeat stuttering feeling. Then, the bass runs a dotted-note rhythm that barely drops a beat, winding up and down arpeggio chords in the low end of its register. Drums run a one-drop, where the kick and snare focus on the two and four, while hi-hats tinker in between. There’s some great additional drum work as well – often laced with reverb.

However, one of the main focuses of Jah Will Be There are the guitars – bringing heavy island vibes to the track. The light and airy main guitar line winds up, down, and around a melody that’s almost a response to D’ Original’s calls. It lilts, with some pleasing bending and just a nice level of vibrato – and provides a superb solo bridge as well.

There’s also a great electric piano line as well, on top of the bubble rhythm, that is starker but runs a pleasing melody at points. On top of the instrumentation, the attention to detail on the engineering is excellent – with just the right balance across all the instruments.

D’ Original’s vocal is highly pleasing and effortless. He has a rounded and warm tenor voice, which here is utilised across the high-end of its range. He keeps the dynamics low-key but pointed, never over-forcing his line, but not underplaying it either. D’ Original weaves an intricate melodic and rhythmic line – and lyrically, has also provided a strong narrative around love and respect for, and trust in, Jah; timely and welcome.

On Side B is the new Dub version for 2024. The opening is quite the shock – filled with synths and samples and oodles of reverb, too. The decay, mixing of outputs, and extensive use of reverb on D’ Original’s vocal is quite something to behold – with the ‘other room’ engineering vibes being off the scale. Breaks are heavy, the instrumentation stripped back, and the synths are wild. It’s otherworldly sonic brilliance, and what a proper Dub version should be.

Overall, Jah Will Be There is great works from all involved. The original was a super track, filled with pleasing Roots Reggae vibes. However, the Dub is exceptional – a truly mesmerising experience that is transcendent and ethereal. Storming.

D' Original Reverence x One Culture Jah Will Be There Review by Mr Topple