George Nooks - Message In De Music (Tad's Record)

Nooks explains: “This album was done twenty years ago… I guess now is just the right time to release it. It can come out at any time, especially if it has a message that remains relevant! To be honest, I forgot all about it… That happens sometimes in our business; you record some songs for a producer, it takes years before they are released, and then everything comes right back as if you recorded it yesterday!”.

The track list features the typical mix of lovers rock and (new) roots that Nooks is known for, with mostly new songs and two covers.

The somewhat syrupy opener ‘So Nice To Be With You’ was originally released by American pop band The Monkees and was first recorded in Jamaica by Boris Gardiner in 1970, though it’s probably more familiar to most in Dennis Brown’s 1987 version. There’s more Dennis Brown influence with ‘Love Light’, which appears on ‘Message In De Music’ as ‘Leave Her Alone’ and was transformed into an excellent combination with Josey Wales.

Nooks’ personal favourite from the track list is ‘Smile Today’: “As the song says, there’s a lot one smile can do… It’s funny how a smile can go a long long way. It’s an uplifting song and all of us, especially when we’re going through rough times, need something to smile about. We should smile now, because it’s better than frown!”.

That being said, we were more drawn to tracks seeing Nooks ride instantly recognizable riddims like Police In Helicopter (‘It’s About Time’), Real Rock (‘Funny How Money’), Cuss Cuss (closing track ‘Rudeboy’) or World A Music (‘Gangster From Jam Dung’). For the hardcore fans, it’s also worth mentioning that the riddim of ‘Don’t Worry’ is based on Righteous People by Chalice or the even more obscure ‘Tell Me What’s Wrong’ by Mighty Diamonds.

George Nooks rarely disappoints, and while ‘Message In De Music’ may have been shelved for twenty years, this thoroughly enjoyable album sounds far from dated!