Way to Step It Up!
Achis | Kingston, JA/Philipsburg, SxM | 11/21/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"One of the single most satisfying things about listening to a lot of music is that you are constantly exposed to a wide variety of different artists. While I certainly wouldn't call Bushman "NEW" to me, (I've known of him just about the time he started seriously recording) 2004 was the first year that I actually started really listening to the artist, and I've been deeply impressed from the start.
Higher ground was one of his excellent albums on the Greensleeves label and it took me 3 years to actually get it, but it was worth the 'wait'. Higher Ground is amazing from start to finish. Bushman's style falls smack right in the middle of such singers as Luciano and Prince Malachi, where he differs from those artists, however, is his style of writing. Bushman writes 100% about the things that he sees, Luciano is so adept at writing songs that he can write a 7 minute boom tune about a thought he once had one day 20 years ago! And Malachi came up in that Xterminator camp (as did Luciano actually) where everyone there seemingly devotes every waking second to writing lyrics.
The best tune here is probably Yaad Away Home, the opener, however, I have a hard time deciding between that one and Robbery Aggravation, Robbery Aggravation is massive! Also really really love Your Love, Fire Pon a Deadas, Make a Change, Blood Out and Love of the Heart, but like I said, this one is a real winner, one of the very few albums that I own (and I own literally thousands of reggae albums) which can be enjoyed from beginning to end while extending its 16 tracks over an hour+.
Overall, Higher Ground is not as risk-taking as a lot of other roots reggae albums, its pretty straight forwards. Bushman is singing about topics which can generally effect everyone, dismiss Higher Ground a a project from just another Rasta Man singer and you'll never forgive yourself. Higher Ground is amazing!"
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1