Reviewed by Paul Poulton

It's unbecoming to slather praise on a fellow member of the human race, but there are moments on this CD worthy of giving Papa a good slap (on the back, of course). Some followers of his previous work may not be altogether happy with the clinical construction of this album, which just happens to coincide with his move from Jamaica to Florida. Eddie "Trendsetta" Perez (who is now a Christian and formerly produced people like Ashanti and KRS-1) helped record and write it. "Good To Me" is such an excellent song, with its tense synthesized figure running throughout, and Papa's fun but real lyrics, how often do we say that God has been "nice to me"? Not very, but it's true, maybe we should say it more often. Most agreeable are the dulcet female vocals which carry the melody of the songs around which Papa's dancehall style vocals weave. A flirtation with reggaeton, the Spanish hip-hop vibe, can be heard on "Stand Strong". Papa's work before he became a Christian was pivotal in helping reggae move forward, and his work after his supernatural conversion continues to mine the rich seam of reggae's history whilst also digging deeper.

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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