Much anticipated debut album from Ras
Iyah,vocalist for Europe's No1 sound system,
Aba Shanti.
A showcase album featuring chanting & singing & roots
& culture cuts backed by the unmistakable
Shanti-Ites rhythms,with dub versions to boot.all tried &
tested on the Aba Shanti sound system.
Online review http://www.shiyogi.com/reggae.htm
New on the street from the studio of
Aba Shanti-I comes a showcase style album featuring on vocals,
Singer Ras Iyah in oneness with the Shanti-ites,with the LP title
'Rasta Soul-Jah',comprising of five
Vocal tracks and their respective dubs.
Followers of Aba Shanti sound system should be well familiar with
these tracks having received much air play,dub plate style on
the sound!!
Stand out track for me is 'A Decision (Man Will have To Make)'
which features a soulful vocal melody,harmonies and a lickle bit
of guitar to nice it up.
Online review http://www.virgin.net/russell.bell-brown/bslpnews1b.htm
REVIEW NO LONGER AVAILABLE
Roots label Falasha
records release the latest in their fairly youthful repertoire
of conscious sounding urban, digital dub.
The label was founded in 1995 by roots sound system man Aba Shanti
and band, The Shanti-Ites to cut on vinyl the sound they had been
creating live and on dub plate at their dances for years previously.
Anyone who has been to Leicester's Caribbean Carnival over the
last few years would have witnessed first hand the power of serious
bass booming action; on a dubbed out awesomely loud internal organ
massaging scale.
Ras Iyah who has previously worked with dub heroes Dread &
Fred, his solo album shows off his talents to great effect.
This album is true to the traditional dub album format ;with a
reggae track followed by its dub twin with minimal vocals.
'The Road, exemplifies Iyah's sweet vocals laid down with reggae
chords, traditional trumpets, as he croons, melting his lyrics
into the tune.the dub mix of the track is a sparser, echoed out
beat, with a simpler keyboard line but more prominent synth drum
beats,yet retaining the slabs of glorious trumpets as the choon
chugs and dubs out.
'Jah Is The Way' coaxes honeyed warm keyboard sounds,fused into
the reggae beats;the dub has minimal vocals, fading and echoing
around the melody of the track;disembodied strands of Iyah's vocals
slide in to create a well blissed version of the original mix.
The overall effect of 'Rasta Soul-Jah' is nineties electronic
dub, melodic, mellow with a traditional sense of righteousness
and unity.
HYPE magazine March 1998
Listen Keenly
Rasta Soul-Jah
Ras Iyah In Oneness With The Shanti-Ites
Falasha Recordings FRLP/CD 001
Falasha recordings is the record company which includes among
its founders Aba,owner of the highly rated Rastafarian sound system
"ABA SHANTI-I".To the uninitiated,Aba Shanti-I is regarded
by many to be the best of the roots sound systems in Europe if
not the World.Do a search on any search engine and read for yourselves.
This is an album of sublime quality featuring the vocals of one
Ras Iyah from the north of England and the production talents
of Blood Shanti,Samari,Humble Lion and all mixed by Aba (The Shanti-Ites).
If you love good music you will love this release from Falasha.All their releases have been stone cold thrillers.
Decisions, Jah Is The Way, Proverbs, The Road, recommended.
Derek Read online
review http://www.afrikan.net/reggaex.htmlreggaex.html
Crucial rock-solid riddims from
The Shanti-Ites gel perfectly with the prophetic tones of one
of the UK's top vocalist, Ras Iyah.
After mystically linking up with the Ites at H.I.M sixty-first
anniversary celebration in London in '91, Ras Iyah now proceeds
to bless the union with a work that immediately becomes representative
of the late 90's Roots revival in England. Sound system followers
know what I mean.
Heavyweight Roots & Culture full up of message and vibes.
Just how I & I love it!
'REASONINGS' DUTCH FANZINE JUNE / JULY 1998 ISSUE 10
No1 in the worldwide LP/CD chart in the
same fanzine
Ras Iyah's album reached No 6 in the
'Black Echoes' Roots & Culture chart May 30th 1998