nasio fontaine- reggae power torrent

Track Listing
1. Armed and Dangerous
2. Under Attack
3. Africa We Love
4. Jah Won't Forsake I
5. Justice
6. Unite
7. Racial Pride
8. Jah Jah See
9. No Babylon
10. Wanna Go Home


Reggae Power (Reggae Power, 1994)

Dominica-born Nasio Fontaine is sort of the poster child for underground, grassroots reggae. Without much fanfare, he released this debut album in 1994, only to witness a groundswell of critical acclaim as he drew favorable comparisons to Bob Marley. It's easy to see why he would be compared to Marley; his singing voice, his delivery, his upbeat yet poignant tone, his female background singers, and his straightforward roots style are all eerily similar. Still, I can't help but think that when someone like Fontaine emerges who carries a sound so close to Marley's, and he doesn't stink (and Fontaine certainly does not), people seem to praise him a bit more than they should, more than they would if he didn't pacify their overwhelming craving for more Marley music. Fontaine certainly has a formidable task ahead of him proving that he's not riding Marley's decades-long coattails. Reggae Power is a solid start in the right direction. The quality here is consistently good, though not dazzling, throughout. Tracks 3 and 4 , "Africa We Love" and "Jah Won't Forsake I," are the standouts; they hold their own even when compared to Marley. The rest is decent, but certainly not up to Marley's standards, which unfortunately is whom Fontaine will likely be compared to in many listeners' eyes.