What a wonderfully grounded album!Blue House Rockin'“from Soul Sugar meets Dub Shepherds (GEE Recordings) is far more than just another beautiful autumn release for me – it's one of those albums that you know is going to be good even before you hear the first note! It's brimming with passion, warmth, dedication, skill, and above all: genuine craftsmanship. While so much music today sounds sanitized and algorithmically bland, this album stands in stark contrast – one that not only listens well but also feels absolutely right.
The combination of Soul Sugar (Guillaume Metenier) and the Dub Shepherds (Jolly Joseph, Dr. Charty, Jahno) seems like a happy accident of music history. All four share this deep affection for the analog soundscape and Jamaican studio spirit. The production method alone is an homage to the golden age: recorded live over two days at Blue House Studio, using tube and ribbon microphones from the 50s and 60s, directly onto 24-track tape, and later mixed analog at Bat Records. No artificial bombast, no digital bubble wrap – just music, pure and direct. Every note has meaning, every pause significance, every echo a function.
The album doesn't fit into any one stylistic category, but rather blends seamlessly between roots reggae, soul, funk and Dub Wandering is what makes it so appealing. Right from the start: Curtis Mayfield's "Give Me Your Love." A quiet statement. Soulful, warm, with Jolly Joseph's falsetto perfectly overlaying the groove. Equally touching: Aaron Frazer's "My God Has a Telephone"—here in a reggae guise that preserves the soul of the original while adding a completely new dimension. "Hold My Hand"—created during the session—fits so naturally into the overall picture, as if the song had always existed. A touch of lovers rock, but without kitsch, instead full of feeling and warmth. And then: "Family Affair." Shniece McMenamin transforms the track into a vibrant reggae hybrid full of attitude and soul. A highlight.
Guillaume Metenier on the Hammond organ – that's practically a guarantee of magic anyway. And so it is here: The instrumentals "Disco Jack," "Choice of Music," and "Drum Song" pay deep homage to Jackie Mittoo, and not just formally. They groove, they float, they live – and show how much soul instrumentals can hold when played with talent and passion. And as a final farewell from the studio: "Blue House Rock." A spontaneous jam, raw, funky, imbued with the spirit of Studio One. A small miracle to end the evening.
Why does it all work so well? Because it's honest. Because this album isn't trying to be anything – it's simply a confident statement. Not a retro show, but a genuine homage to musical roots. Analog production, but no dusty nostalgia. Blue House Rockin' really touches me because it's simply beautiful music in the classic sense. This is how my reggae albums sounded when I first started to love this music. I think these memories fill me with a lot of nostalgic sentimentality, which makes it impossible for me to judge objectively. One thing is clear, though: For me, "Blue House Rockin'" is one of the best releases of 2025.
A response to “Soul Sugar Meets” Dub Shepherds: Blue House Rockin'”
I completely agree here as well. It's far too little, though. Dub (If anything) but good music remains good music. I think the album is really great, but all I can think of right now is to complain.
With "Family Affair," they took on a huge challenge. Making this tune even better than it already was/is couldn't really have been the plan. Even Dub It's not faster than light. Perhaps that's why it wasn't changed all that much, and not by the DubWolf has filmed it. In any case (in my opinion), he hasn't gotten any worse. Saying "hardly changed" is a bold claim.
That's clear, but to me it's more of a cover version. Still good though. Okay, that concludes my complaining.
"Hold My Hand" was created during the session?! Yeah, that shows what talent is all about, and I have to admit that I'm getting a little nostalgic again. The bias line strongly reminds me of Michael Rose's beautiful vocal melody in the track "Anthem" on the LP of the same name from way back when. Yes, that's how it is. Older people live more from their memories. My favorite on "Blue House Rockin'" is "Disco Jack." The riddim grooves with tremendous power and directs the energy from the soles of your feet all the way up to your hypothalamus and back again. "My God Has a Telephone" exudes the charm of original reggae music! Strictly from Jamaica! (From abroad in France).
The tune is so charming that I can even tolerate the falsetto.
Drum Song is always a sure thing. Original BiassLine from Jamaica. And "Hot Weather" is, for me, the track that sounds like a spontaneous jam. In any case, it's also the track that, in the Spotify version, serves as a "little miracle at the end," proving once again that not a single AI production is needed anywhere in the world. But "Blue House Rock" could also have been such a spontaneous jam session, because here too I sense musical freedom with improvisations, a funky swing, and a certain amount of jazz. But the "good jazz" kind ;-) …….. if you know what I mean. This track is in position 2 in my Spotify version, so I'm a bit confused about the little miracle at the end. But hey, that's not really important, because in this day and age, the whole album is something of a little miracle, and one can only hope it won't be the last.
May the Force be with us ………………….. lemmi