Just as he did for predecessor 'Too Late' (Roots Renegade Records, 2023), Almighty Dread once again made his way to Vinney Ellis's Ellis Studios in Málaga to record 'Kingston City'.
By Jah Rebel
Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot we can tell you about this Jamaican veteran, though some may still remember him from ‘Mr. D-Jay’ (Street People), released back in 1984. He started his musical journey at the Montego Bay Boys Club in Montego Bay, before moving to Montreal, Canada, in the early eighties. For the past few decades, however, Almighty Dread has been living and working in London.
On ‘Kingston City’, he surrounded himself with an impressive supporting cast, including Basque Dub Foundation bassist and keyboardist Iñaki Yarritu aka Inyaki, the horn section of Soothsayers, Royal Sounds guitarist Gyasi Crosdale, and Spanish siblings Angelo and Raquel Perez Pinto of Rootsamala on backing vocals.
The album opens with ‘Glory’, where the violin of Bulgarian musician Irina Yonkova takes centre stage. Unexpectedly, the track begins with the phrase “Allahoe akbar!”, the Arabic takb?r, usually translated as “God is greatest”, before unfolding into a nyahbinghi-driven, acoustic-guitar-accented roots gem.
What follows is a string of solid, no-nonsense roots productions like ‘War & Crime’, ‘Blam Blam’, ‘What You Gonna Do’ and ‘Vision’, all of which make ‘Kingston City’ a thoroughly enjoyable listen. Release definitely worth your attention!
