Melanin Man

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Melanin Man
Studio album by
Mutabaruka
Released1994
GenreDub poetry[1]
LabelShanachie[2]
ProducerMutabaruka, Gussie Clarke, Philip "Fatis" Burrell
Mutabaruka chronology
Blakk Wi Blak...K...K...
(1991) 		Melanin Man
(1994) 		Gathering of the Spirits
(1998)

Melanin Man is an album by the Jamaican musician Mutabaruka, released in 1994.[3][4] Mutabaruka supported the album with a North American tour that included shows with Speech.[5] "Bone Lie" was a hit in Jamaica.[6]

Production[edit]

The album was produced by Mutabaruka, Gussie Clarke, and Philip "Fatis" Burrell.[7] Sly and Robbie played on Melanin Man; Dennis Brown, Cocoa Tea, and Freddie McGregor sang on the album.[8][9][10]

The title track alludes to the pseudoscientific theory; it was also considered a black pride anthem.[11][12] "Beware" offers advice to Nelson Mandela.[6] "Miss Lou" is addressed to Louise Bennett-Coverley.[13]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide[14]

The Washington Post opined that "the unimaginative, mechanical dancehall rhythms and dub echoes pander to all the worst musical stereotypes and Mutabaruka's verse is all strident polemics full of abstract nouns with none of the sensual imagery and fresh metaphor of such musical Caribbean poets as Bob Marley and Shinehead."[5] The Chicago Tribune admired the "squirmy licks, driving guitar and traditional Rastafarian chants" of "Beware".[15] The San Antonio Express-News determined that Melanin Man "plays almost like a reggae/poetry opera."[16]

The Gazette called the album "surely the most powerful release to date by Jamaica's most powerful dub poet."[17] The Hamilton Spectator noted that "it's not all doom and gloom, as the album-ending 'Dance' testifies, but it is sober and serious stuff."[6] The Times Colonist praised "the rollicking, church-indicting, ska-conked 'People's Court II'."[18] The St. Paul Pioneer Press listed Melanin Man among the best albums of 1994.[19]

AllMusic wrote that most of the songs "continue his tradition of unrelenting, pro-Jamaican, pan-African political fare."[11]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Melanin Man" 
2."Beware" 
3."Garvey" 
4."Killin" 
5."Bone Lie" 
6."Miss Lou" 
7."Lamentation" 
8."Columbus Ghost" 
9."People´s Court Part II" 
10."Haiti" 
11."Dance" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ Viala, F. (October 15, 2014). The Post-Columbus Syndrome: Identities, Cultural Nationalism, and Commemorations in the Caribbean. Springer.
  2. ^ Norment, Lynn (Apr 1994). "Sounding Off". Ebony. Vol. 49, no. 6. p. 16.
  3. ^ Hasson, Bill (Jun 1994). "Earworthy". American Visions. Vol. 9, no. 3. p. 46.
  4. ^ Davies, Carole Boyce (July 15, 2008). Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture. ABC-CLIO.
  5. ^ a b "Mutabaruka's Cranked-Out Dub". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Krewen, Nick (9 June 1994). "Mutabaruka/Melanin Man". Ego. The Hamilton Spectator. p. 4.
  7. ^ "Album reviews — Melanin Man by Mutabaruka". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 8. Feb 19, 1994. p. 56.
  8. ^ Thompson, Dave (July 15, 2002). Reggae & Caribbean Music. Hal Leonard Corporation.
  9. ^ "Rub-a-Dub". Sunday Datebook. San Francisco Chronicle. June 26, 1994. p. 38.
  10. ^ Hill, Jack W. (July 17, 1994). "Jamaican Singer, Poet Puts New Spin on History, Politics". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. p. 4E.
  11. ^ a b c "Mutabaruka Melanin Man". AllMusic.
  12. ^ Hampel, Paul (16 July 1994). "The King of Jamaica's Dub Poets". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 2D.
  13. ^ Cooper, Carolyn (Jun 2013). "'Mek Wi Talk Bout de Bottom a de Sea': Mutabaruka's Submarine Poetics". Caribbean Quarterly. 59 (2): 113–121, 143.
  14. ^ MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 546.
  15. ^ Preston, Rohan B. (11 Feb 1994). "Dub Poetry Pioneer Emits Charged Verses". News. Chicago Tribune. p. 28.
  16. ^ Beal Jr., Jim (June 13, 1994). "Jamaican reggae poet criticizes trend to gangsta-rap 'slackness'". San Antonio Express-News. p. 19A.
  17. ^ Feist, Daniel (14 May 1994). "Mutabaruka Melanin Man". The Gazette. p. D3.
  18. ^ Blake, Joseph (27 July 1995). "Reggae runs gamut from sexy, funky fun to political warnings". Entertainment Stories. Times Colonist. p. 1.
  19. ^ "Top Wax '94". St. Paul Pioneer Press. January 1, 1995. p. 1E.
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