Reviewed by Paul Poulton

15 musical pictures taken from various angles with a dancehall reggae camera. The meagre instrumental fare of the first couple of tracks only serves to enhance the message that Shadrach preaches. It is programmed drums to the fore, big vocal sound and various keyboard popcorn samples, spiced with a little guitar. Relationships that are at the marriage counsellor stage would do well to listen to the advice this MC has to offer. Unusual subject matter for a dancehall reggae artist but welcome all the same especially with its humour-tinged angle. By the fourth song the sex counselling is over and theological truth kicks in along with a band. The Londoner who is also known as Tony Peddle settles into more of a traditional reggae groove, not Desmond Dekker or Bob Marley, but the groove is there. Shadrach's debut album 'Ashes To Ashes' was raved about by Mark Mohr, leader and founder of pioneering Christian reggae group Christafari, so this, Shadrach's follow up, has to be taken seriously. Tony's Britishness shines through admirably; I couldn't help but be reminded of C J Lewis, another British hitmaker from the previous decade, though Shadrach has moved the British branch of black male music on into today's environment. Whether he'll reach out of the black marketplace as others have done and gain a white audience will have to be seen. I hope he does because this is strong medicine for white ears.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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