DUANE STEPHENSON - FROM AUGUST TOWN

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FROM AUGUST TOWN

1. Ghetto Pain

2. Misty Morning

3. Love Inna Di City (Featuring B & Mystic Routes)

4. Fairy Tale

5. Cottage In Negril

6. Exhale (Feat Tarrus RiIley)

7. I Don't Need Your Love

8. Without You

9. August Town

10. Chant Love

11. Mr. B

12. Heaven Will Rise Up

13. One Great World (Feat Rochelle Brashaw)

14. Dream Weaver

15. Fool For You

Label VP

Orig Year 2007

The violent and senseless death of South African reggae star Lucky Dubé in late 2007 was not only a horrible tragedy for his family and friends; it also left a hole in the reggae firmament where once there had been a soaringly beautiful voice with a perfect (if rather repetitious) sense of pop hooks. Duane Stephenson doesn't fill that hole perfectly, nor would listeners want him to, but his singing does provide some of the same cathartic rush that Dubé's did, and on his solo debut (his first album since leaving his post as lead singer for To-Isis) he brings a variety of stylistic influences to bear on what amounts to a really rather unique take on modern roots reggae. His debt to Dubé is most clearly evident on "Misty Morning," "August Town," and the lovely "Heaven Will Rise Up." But on "Ghetto Pain" and several other tracks, the combination of rockish guitars and reggae rhythms makes for a fresh sound, and every once in a while he departs from reggae entirely, as on the explicitly soul-derived "Exhale" and the R&B exercise "I Don't Need Your Love" (neither of which is that great, frankly). There are a few other clunkers, including the plodding rockers exercise "Love inna di City," which neither Anthony B. nor Mystic Routes is able to energize. But the nice thing about a program this lengthy is that only about half of it needs to be great in order for it to offer good value for the money -- and more than half of this disc is great. ~ Rick Anderson

Audio Mixer: Rohan Dwyer.

Recording information: Anchor Recording; Grafton Studios; Tuff Gong.

Editors: Paul Shields; Joel Chin.

Photographer: Martei Korley.

Arranger: Dean Fraser.

Personnel: Duane Stephenson (background vocals); Duane Stephenson (vocals); Wayne Hammond (guitar, guitars); Lamont Savary, Ian Coleman, Mitchum Chin (guitars); John Williams , John Williams (violin); Christopher Birch (horns, organ, keyboards); Michael Fletcher (organ, keyboards, bass guitar, drums); Carol McLaughlin (organ, keyboards, background vocals); Davol Fletcher, Glene Browne, Glen Browne, Aeion Hoilett, Robbie Shakespeare (bass guitar); Lowell "Sly" Dunbar, Randevon Patrick, Mark Dauson, Ras Ites, Shaun Stewart (drums); Alvin Haugton, Alvin Haughton (percussion); Chris Smith , Rochell Bradshaw, Sherida Sharpe, Karell Wisdom, Shenda Sharpe, Carrol Dexter (background vocals); Dean Fraser (saxophone, horns, background vocals); Paul "Scooby" Smith, Robert Lyn (keyboards); Sly Dunbar, Kirk Bennett (drums); Althea Layne Hamilton, Nikki Burt (background vocals).

Additional personnel: Rochell Bradshaw, Mystic Routes, Anthony B., Tarrus Riley.

Lyrics to August Town :

Na Na Na Naaa Na Na Woah oh Woahh

Na Na Na Naaa Na Na

A word from the wise

don't try to make life on your own

remember that jah jah by your side

for i was a soul who lost and my life

was in dismay

for amongst evil forces in which i came

guns and ammunition were my chosen way of life

with God fearin people i choose to strive

for all of the lives that are take they can never be replaced

but still jah jah chose to remember my face

Chorus:

though i never lived like he wanted

i was mindful of what he though me

so now i beg and plead im on my bended knees

cause father u rescue

and i've got the stars to show i barely made it along life's road

cause when my life got dark he was the onlyiest part

he was the light at the end of the road...

Verse 2

when i was young boy growin up in august town

we ate from the same pot we were idlings all around

from corner to colour and corner

from rockers to jungle kentyre

rising to dreadhieghts and river all around

and then the footbal ground became my battlefield

and my life was so surreal

people were fallin all around

but jah helped me to stand my ground

Only Jah, Only Jah Coud've Helped me to stand my ground

Chorus......

So now take it from me son

you can change the world today

cause livin proof

livin proof that crime doesn't pay

though i never lived like......

Chorus rotates...