****EVERTON BLENDER - VISIONARY****

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****EVERTON BLENDER - VISIONARY****

TRACKLIST


1. If You Want To Make It
2. Jah Vibes
3. Lovers' Holiday
4. Slackness (With Beenie Man)
5. Jah Never Fail I Yet
6. Golden Pen
7. I Love Jah
8. Kanta
9. Brain Food (With Anthony B)
10. Been Trying
11. Inside Out
12. Leonard Howell
13. Love In My Heart
14. War Monger Man
15. Loving You
16. Kanta Combination (With Tony Rebel)


Producer Everton Williams
Personnel Marcia Griffiths - vocals
Earl "Chinna" Smith - guitar
Chris Meredith - bass
Dalton Browne - guitar
Dwight Pinkney
Juice
Barnabas
D. Pinckney
Danny 'Axeman' Thompson
Dwight "Duke" Dawes - keyboards
Everton Blender
Gregory Mullings - drums
Dennis Walks - background vocals
Mikey Spice
Rolando "Fanso" Wilson


Also: Dean Fraser, Beenie Man, Anthony B., Tony Rebel




DATE 2001
LABEL HEARTBEAT

Reggae fans will surely enjoy Everton Blender's winning island collection Visionary, which takes listeners on an hour-long Rasta ride that stays faithful to the genre. Lyrically, listeners uninitiated with Rasta culture and dialect may have ... Full Descriptiona difficult time deciphering some of the words to Blender's songs. To that end, a read through the liner notes is recommended, as Blender's wordplay is gloriously steeped in heritage and inner strength. The laid-back and sunny "Lovers' Holiday" is a steady grooving reggae fiesta that puts forth the simple and charming gesture, "I want to make a date with you/and make my dreams come true." It is reminiscent of Bob Marley's charming "Three Little Birds." Blender takes another romantic turn on the bright and innocent "Loving You." Beenie Man guests on the effective, signature life-is-hard reggae song that is "Slackness," while the jammin' "Jah Never Fail I Yet" inspires audiences' inner warrior to, with love and dignity, persevere against all odds. "Kanta" continues on the album's prevalent endurance theme, and is a banner moment where Blender serves up speedier, meatier reggae fare. This song has a bit of a militant edge to it as Blender sings, "They want to see my family walk and beg bread/They want to see I lose my head." This is a powerful song with great meaning and symbolism. Legalizing pot gets a nod on "Brain Food," which questions, "How you fi legalize them gun/and no legalize the herb?" The song really captures the essence of marijuana's high regard in Rasta culture and, after listening, presents a good case on its behalf. There are plenty of reggae artists who try to inject something different to the genre, to create a sort of neo-reggae. While this proves successful sometimes -- such as in the case of Shabba Ranks -- sometimes it's just cool to stay faithful to the tried and true, which Blender does, and does so well. He is an uplifting visionary, indeed.