Ice Breaka : Riddim Driven

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:53:53
Audio Mixer: Michael "Factor" Jarrett. Recording information: Renaissance Studios, Kingston, Jamaica. Editor: Paul Shields. A slick, infectious riddim, the Renaissance Crew's Ice Breaka riddim has yielded some bona fide Jamaican hits, but more interesting than the beats is the riddim's genesis. Like the 96 Degrees and Steps riddims before it, Ice Breaka was created as a promotional tool for the citrus-flavored malt beverage Smirnoff Ice which is probably why you don't find any roots artists here. It's a marketing ploy that would send Chuck D. into a rage, but this VP collection of some of the most popular songs created from the riddim avoids any mention of the company in the liner notes, and you need an extra-keen ear to catch any references in the lyrics. Even better news is the corporate-sponsored track is well above bland and is very responsible the quick rise of singer Busy Signal, who delivers one of the comp's key cuts. Lyrically uncompromising, the track does give into dancehall's 2005 fascination with the same kind of vocal manipulation Cher used for her massive 1998 hit "Believe." Three tracks in and it's already being used again for T.O.K.'s "Do Anything," but their Jay-Z quoting and convincing swagger make this another party starter from a crew that have already delivered a shelf's worth. Wayne Marshal's "OK" is equally fun and rousing; Cezar's sexy "Irresistible" is just that, and Elephant Man's "Nuh Junjo" is just snide and out-of-control-enough to make the song's thin idea work. Jovi and Zumjay's "Dance Floor" is a great marriage of teen pop and dancehall, Sean Paul's "Zone" is worthy, and the always-fun-and-funny Red Rat delivers but the rest of the collection is weighed down by being uninspired, forced, or in the case of Looga Man and Flava with Kid Kurrup, surprisingly clumsy. Still, the high points make this a fair riddim album despite the clunkers and the collection's corporate birth. ~ David Jeffries
録音 : ステレオ (Studio)