Breaking Free

"Like a champion horse, bubbling down the track, I'm giving everything I've got/I'm a sprinter stayer, a long-distance runner." So Sugar Minott declares on "Sprinter Stayer," and after a quarter century in the music business, this marathon runner remains unflagging. Although he had broken stride on occasion over the previous few years, he definitely found his second wind on Breaking Free. This is a heavily cultural album, for which producer Tapper Zukie conjures up a set of fierce rhythms. Sly Dunbar pounds out the militant beats, with either Robbie Shakespeare or Earl "Flabba" Holt laying down the heaving and throbbing basslines and Clive Hunt and Franklyn "Bubbler" Waul enriching the atmospheres with their keyboards. The arrangements are eclectic, however, ranging from deep roots through rich lovers rock and soul, brash and breezy reggae through dancehall. "Dancehall Fever," in contrast, is none of the above, but a sly tribute to "Shaft," boasting fiery solos from saxophonist Dean Fraser embedded deep in the mix. "Jah Love Is Everlasting" features an equally unexpected arrangement, wrapping a popular digitized dancehall drum pattern in a lush lovers rock mood, while above Minott unleashes one of his most soulful performances. For "Nah Bow," he unchains one of his most vociferous, as he adamantly refuses to bow to evil. "Heads of Conference" is just as powerful and even more passionate, while sweet pleading and careful reasoning fires "Gun Gang," as Minott begs youths not to join the gunslingers, then counsels against revenge on the lovely "Leave Them to Jah." And while the title track is his sole concession to his loverman image, it's a potent reminder of the singer's expertise in the romantic stakes. "You shouldn't test the champion, now you're eating dirt." With the stunning Breaking Free, Minott not only throws down the gauntlet to the dancehall competition, but reestablishes his reputation as one of Jamaica's premier cultural singers. ~ Jo-Ann Greene|