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Servant Of Jah Army by Queen OmegaThere isn’t any doubting Queen Omega’s talent, but in the past she’s struggled to stretch it across an entire LP. For every few standout tunes such as 'Greedy Boy', 'The Youth' or 'Judgement', there’s been a half baked one like 'Destiny' - a mere filling of a rhythm track instead of a song.
Tough new album Servant Of Jah Army for Mad Professor puts an end to that. It has all the enthusiasm, power and religious conviction she usually brings; married with some rock solid pure roots rhythms, and a greater sense of quality control.
The arrangements are the usual mix of clean live instrumentation and mechanical polish from the Ariwa camp. Their compact simplicity serves to contain the wilder excesses of the spirited Omega, who has at times shown a tendency to over do her vocals. The rigid 'Me No Frighten' exemplifies her restraint; its basic ‘horns and percussion’ framework deftly underpinning her voice, which stays sharp, aggressive and on point through out.
And it’s not all about the roots and culture either - during the blissful 'I Love You' the concise playing and faultlessness of the writing prevent the smooth sax and gushing sentiment from sliding into generic wallpaper or syrupy surfeit.
The Mad Professor seemed to drop off the radar for a short while last year, so it’s gratifying to hear him and his son back with some fruitful projects on the go. Servant Of Jah takes everything that made Queen Omega such a promising artist and augments it, resulting in the Trinidadian songstress’ finest full-lengther to date.
Sampler
