Ghetto Life

Album Review

This really isn't brand new music, for the simple fact that Jah Cure (whose real name is Siccature Alcock) is currently serving a 15-year sentence for firearms possession and rape. Despite that, it's a stunning record, marking Cure as a leading light in roots reggae. There's a glimmer of hope in his voice, a real heartfelt quality that sets him apart from most plying similar trades, and his music, which is mostly original riddims, rather than borrowed, is never in your face or over the top. Instead, he seems to believe that less is more, which means that it actually takes several plays to fully capture everything on "Hanging Slowly" or "Dung In Deh." Of course, it's impossible to hear the lyrics without thinking of his current incarcerated situation (he's actually up for parole soon), but try to take them at face value. He's at his best alone, but there's the inevitable bow to commercial pressures, in the form of duets with Sizzla and Jah Mason. If this is the old stuff, it'll be very interesting to hear what he does after finding his freedom. He'll have a lot to say, that seems certain. For now, this puts him well ahead of the pack.