Different Thing

Album Review

On his second album, the young singer and deejay Turbulence continues to expand his musical and thematic boundaries, bouncing back and forth between digital dancehall rhythms, muscular roots grooves (courtesy of an outstanding German studio band) and smooth R&B sounds. Though he emerged from the Bobo Dread camp and initially made a name for himself as a protege of the fiercely political Bobo DJ Sizzla, Turbulence offers a more nuanced perspective, generally eschewing the sometimes nasty "fiya bun" rhetoric of the Bobo Dreads in favor of calls for interracial unity and disarmingly tender romantic sentiments (sample couplet: "I'm a vegetarian and so are you/I like reggae music and I know you like it too"). On this album he gets solid support in all styles from his various musical compatriots; highlights include the hard and minimalist dancehall groove that underpins his horticultural anthem "Marihuana", the dark and faintly jungly "Pride", and a very fine combination track (with singer Mark Wonder) entitled "Dread Times". For the Bobos in the audience there's "Burn Dem Down", and for the lovers there's the sweet-tempered "Girlfriend". In short, there's something here for everyone, and more than a few reggae fans will love just about everything. (Except for the truly awful "Holiday", an ill-advised attempt at Quiet Storm-style R&B.) Strongly recommended overall.