Stella's Kids by Causion

From Italy to the US, the Virgin Islands to Bermuda, reggae has long been an international, if Jamaican-centric, concern. And the beautiful island of Antigua has its own home-grown reggae sensation, Causion, whose third album Stellas Kids has been released by Fullwerks and VP.

With its smooth jazz sax, gospel choirs and soft rock guitar embellishments, Stella’s Kids is clearly a record with its sights set on major radio play and crossover success. This in itself is no bad thing; provided - as say Pressure’s last Album showed - there is lyrical, studio or musical originality to add some extra dimension. Sadly the syrupy AOR arrangements here create a record that could have been released any time between the late eighties and today, while many of the lyrical themes are disappointingly generic and half-baked.

On the plus side Causion has a distinctive and arresting voice. His grainy hushed tones suggest a level of vocal talent that with the right direction could pay serious artistic and commercial dividends. Over the Stars rhythm he tells his current squeeze not to worry about My Little Secret (his long list of former lovers) in a tale of both tender intimacy and sexual bravado that only a reggae artist can carry off. On Red Red, Gwan So and How Did It Get Here, he combines laudable reality sentiments with immediate pop hooks, but a lack of depth in both music and message give them only a fleeting appeal.

If all you ask of reggae music is that it is summery, vaguely catchy and conjures up a tropical, island vibe, Stella’s Kids is the sort of pleasant undemanding roots lite that will keep you amused for a moment or two. But let’s hope that for his next album Causion can resist stacking all his chips on hitting the US pop charts and realise his true potential - as surely he is capable of more than this.