What do you expect from an album where Lone Ark, Zion High and I Grade (read: Roberto Sanchez, David Goldfine and Laurent Alfred) shake hands? Pretty much the ultimate Roots grenade - especially since it's the new release from Ras Teo, which is now appreciated by the reviewer and - as you can hear - in the community. And the piece also comes with the finest artwork: a classic portrait of the Emperor of Ethiopia - when was the last time you saw something like this in such a beautiful presentation?
So first of all: Ras Teo's new release "Ion Man in Dub(Forward Bound Records) and the corresponding vocal album “Ion Man” definitely meet the high expectations: The production is A1 - not softened like some newer I-grade productions, but nice and catchy; It uses classical-looking arrangements and has extras such as fine brass sections and wonderful transverse flute passages. Also David Goldfine's more dynamic Dub-Mix is solid craftsmanship - without any forward-looking gimmicks, but with an echo that is used abundantly and couldn't be more precise; The reverb supports the appropriate passages in a well-dosed manner. In short: In terms of production alone, the whole thing would be a case for a 5-star review if... yes, if it weren't for the fade-outs. They're probably a no-go now, who still does them? Just at Dub-Tunes, fade-outs are a disgrace when there are plenty of effects available to help you dubto set a big final chord. So please: This really doesn't have to be the case anymore.
We are dealing with this here Dub, but I still want a shout for the vocal album “Ion Man“ (Forward Bound Records): It's not just Ras Teo's velvety vocals that have developed further - note the wonderfully layered backing vocals; His songwriting has also reached a new level and is already approaching that of Ijahman Levi approach. An impressive example is the track “Hard Fe Ketch”, which could just as easily have appeared on an Ijahman album. Here too: 5 star material if... yes, if there weren't the unpopular fade-outs again, see above: No-go.
The bottom line is that we are dealing with two fine roots albums that are addictive and which the reviewer feels are currently playing around the clock. “Ion Man in Dub“Unfortunately, it is currently only available to a limited extent via bandcamp; The vocal album “Ion Man”, on the other hand, received the big release and can be found on virtually all digital platforms. All thumbs up for both releases - but a small star deduction for the above inconvenience.
8 replies to “Ras Teo: Ion Man in Dub"
Unfortunately, I'm not entirely thrilled yet. But I can't find anything really negative either. Not every tune grabs me as much as the first one. “Ion Man” has a lot of volume and a crisp bias line, both vocal and Dub immediately deep down to the core. At first I find all the other tunes to be very solid, which isn't necessarily a big compliment.
But now both discs are available as vinyl from my trusted dealer and for that alone I will reward them with a purchase. Which will definitely lead to me finding even more highlights.
Two very nice albums! Which are definitely far too good to ignore or even just stream and then forget.
Greetings ………… .. lemmi
I feel the same way... I actually think everything about these two albums is great and yet there's no enthusiasm, no spark and the songs (apart from the opener) don't really stick with me.
And a scene from the film “One Love: Bob Marley” just comes to mind on this topic... when Bob and his Wailers were in the studio in London, he was missing something, he wanted the musicians to really feel the message and he had them repeat the lyrics so that it transitioned into “soul”… that’s exactly what I think is missing here (and on many other recordings).
It's okay, the songwriting is at the highest level, the musicians are great at their instruments, the sound engineers, sound tinkerers, mixers and masterers are also all “la creme de la creme”, they play and it fits together, but the soul is missing. It's just a gut feeling for me right now, nothing verifiable or measurable (kind of like homeopathy, ha!)... but if it's there and works, then it'll happen.
I have no idea whether this anecdote in the film is real or fictional, but if it was, then Nesta was really a magician and I like people who brought their soul into their work. bring... Mister Marles didn't always manage to do that (my opinion), but quite often!
In this respect, I'll let the two albums play again... maybe it'll happen suddenly (I've already experienced that too... not love at first impression, but something slowly developed...).
How was the film, Philipp? I really wanted to watch it, but then I saw various trailers that were really bad. I don't want to see Marley in such a shallow, simple Hollywood glare. What was your impression?
Heyii gtk
I had similar experiences before, but decided to take a look for myself. Stephen and Ziggy Marley's promotion of the film was probably the main thing that lured me to the cinema.
Plain language: It is impossible to reduce such an intense life to the screen and 2 hours of entertainment.
Some aspects (especially musical aspects at the time of the creation of Exodus) come to light, a lot is hidden (it seems as if some personal anecdotes from the closest environment were included)… and yet I left the cinema with a pleasant feeling and don't regret it that I saw the film... the soundtrack in the cinema alone justifies the visit... it's best to go high on ganja, although paradoxically I don't like it at all when Bob Marley is reduced to just smoking weed... he has a lot more to offer, that is definitely more relevant and important than green herb.
Thanks for your impression of the film – can you hear the originals or newly recorded tracks? And if you saw the film in German… how do they translate the Jamaican patois?
duh… I should probably see the movie to answer these questions and more for myself :-)
Well, Stephen Marley is responsible for the sound and I have to admit, I can't say (and I haven't looked it up anywhere) whether they are original versions or replayed songs. In any case, the sound is very good and when it's replayed, it's very impressive... I saw the film in English.
I think Kingsley Ben-Adir is doing a good job. Once again, I found it amazing how Bob was in a kind of trance during every live performance... and what was completely new to me was that his friends called him Skip or Skipper... yes, go see him!
Mmmmmh, I actually thought I could wait until the film came on TV but you're making me really curious. Of course the film would only be played on amplifiers and speakers at home, but of course it's better in the cinema. But to do that I would have to come up with my butt at a time when I am normally already very “reduced”. And if the weather is the same as it is right now, then things get really tight.
I have been holding the “Ion Man discs” in my hands since today.
The covers will definitely look very good on my throne that I have specially set up for them. The music certainly won't be bad, but let's see if it beats the cover(s).
Joy be with you! …………………………… lemmi
Thanks for the information and the recommendation, Philipp!