General Jah Mikey – The Power Of Love – Review

General Jah Mikey The Power Of Love Review by Mr Topple for Pauzeradio.com.

General Jah Mikey is another legend of Roots Reggae – having been active since 1985 and being nurtured early on by King Tubby. Moreover, he’s still here, and still going strong – as his latest single shows.

The Power Of Love, released via RuffCompany Records, show Mikey at his best as well as demonstrating what he has always done: diversified his sound to maintain relevancy. Here, the track is a Reggae one on the face of it, but there are modern touches thrown in to give it some 21st century edge.

The upbeat minor key-led track is a melting pot of sounds: the bass winds around a drop-beat melody that is rich and rounded and then mimicked by a synth too. Meanwhile, keys run a choppy, raspy, bubble rhythm that juts in and out at points.

We’re also treated to a one drop across the drums – but these drums are not traditional. Combining a mixture of kick, snare, hi-hats, and tom-toms – also in the mix are some great, 80s throwback pads, which do frantic rolls at the end of certain bars; complemented by some thoroughly traditional bongos. There are also some pleasing synth guitars that run occasional riffs.

Synth strings enter The Power Of Love at times, bringing something more orchestral to the track, albeit briefly, while shimmering chimes glisten occasionally at the end of sequences.

However, the inclusion of some quality horns grounds things back to Reggae – as they swerve in and out on call and response duties across shrill, staccato sequences. Also, the arrangement peaks and troughs in terms of layers of instruments – with passages resembling Dub breaks being present.

What this means, overall, is that The Power Of Love is in interesting smorgasbord of sounds from across the past few decades of Reggae and beyond. Then, Mikey’s vocal compounds this vibe.

You cannot ignore the intentional vocoder laced across his performance – not there because he cannot hit the notes in tune, but for stylistic purposes; to bring in some 21st century vibes to the track. Aside from this well-placed trickery, he performs the track well – delivering a pleasing vocal that is melodically interesting and rhythmically robust. Mikey has a strong voice in terms of delivery as well as performance; on the latter he is engaging in terms of dynamics and use of timbre. Lyrically, he’s created a pleasing narrative around love, too.

Overall, The Power Of Love is quite the surprise from Mikey and RuffCompany Records. Musically interesting, the track is keen on detail and holds your attention – as does Mikey’s vocal performance. Solid works – and well worth a listen.

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General Jah Mikey The Power Of Love Review by Mr Topple / Pauzeradio PR Services.