Omar Perry is a Free Man

An interesting debut album for Omar Perry who is striking hard with 13 new songs from modern roots to dancehall.

Thirty years after his first recording sessions at 6 with his little sister Marsha at Black Ark Studio in Jamaica, Omar Perry has finally released his first album. The Jamaican singjay, son of legendary Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, had released some singles as great ‘Rasta Meditation’ produced by Adrian Sherwood in 2003 or ‘Work’ featuring Mighty Massa, but any album until this day.

Man Free features 13 brand new tracks mixed by Gaylord Bravo, from modern roots to dancehall and even ska with stamp of percussionist Scully Simms on most of tracks as on the deep ‘Great Trumpet’. The four first tracks of this set are great tunes. From ‘Man Free’ to ‘Redder Than Red’, ‘Rasta Meditation’ and ‘Ghetto Life’, conscious deejay Perry delivers serious lyrics on top and powerful modern roots riddims. So wicked that listening to the two following dancehall tracks, it’s clear that he’s really better on roots riddim. But Omar Perry quickly returns to foundations delivering ‘Ska-Ta-Fright’ followed by a tribute song to the 'King of Calypso' Harry Belafonte with this new version of ‘Cocoanut Woman’. He follows with ‘Women Love Me’ based on original John Holt’s 1971 ‘Left With a Broken Heart’ better known as Revolution riddim.