JAH WOBBLE — The Celtic Poets (review)

JAH WOBBLE — The Celtic Poets album cover

Album · 1997 · Dub/Ska/Reggae

4/5 · 2011-01-30
Matt

In 1997 "Jah Wobble" released his first album on his own label "30 Hertz" and this is the one "The Celtic Poets". Since Jah has done what he has wanted with some great results. Unusual to say the least with the components for his first on "30 Hertz" with Recitations, Traditional music, Ambient, Song, Electronica, Jazz and Jahs deep grumbling Bass being the components. Traditionalists were horrified and that is what immediately drew me to this one because what you have here is intricate fusion of all these styles and something that is very different with Ireland being the source from which this album was created.The list of muscians is incredible who particapated in this recording."Ronnie Drew" from one of the best folk bands ever,"The Dubliners" and it is Ronnie's gravelly voice which gives us the recitations and the odd song that gives this album its colour (green). Jean Pierre Rasle does the pipes primarily which also gives a Celtic shot in the arm for the album. Jaki Liebezeit from "Can" is the drummer and Harry Beckett one of Englands most famous jazz trumpeters is here as well. Clive Bell is doing flute but to add a little more difference we have "Baluji Shrivastav" playing sitar, "Joji Hirota", shakahachi, percussion, of course Jahs wife "Zi Lan Liao" on harp and ku-cheng and are all renowned classical musicians in their field. "Mark Ferda does Keyboards and guitar with "Jah Wobble" doing bass,keyboards,orchestration and marimba. Jah does not appear on one track which is "London Rain" where Jean-Pierre Rasle and Ronnie Drew contribute only.

"The Dunes" is first which is a recitation by Ronnie. The lyrics were actually written by "Shane McGowan" for the tune and stark he made them. "I walked today along the cold grey shore, Where I watched when I was much younger, While they built the dunes upon the sand, for the dead from the great hunger", Loss, desolation and extremely bleak and cold, with the intro over an ambient drone with pipes slightly overriding.The words are recited over by Ronnie Drew with the gravel and Irish accent and things kick in with beat and Jah's booming bass at the end but only last briefly "A Man I Knew" another recitation with Ronnie which follows is again over the same drone but really starting to put the theme and desolate feel of the album down." Market Rasen " is were get muted trumpet, flute,pipes and sitar in the mix over quite a quick beat and all instumental. Ronnie is back also doing a little poem on the next one "London Rain" Danger signs are starting to appear with the albums construction and really things are getting a little boring with the repitition of more prose again. Things dramatically improve with the next piece " Star of The East" with a very similar style from his last album "Heaven and Earth". Great beat and things move wonderfully with the asian artists contributing some gorgeous stuff into it." Third Heaven" track six is almost an extension of the previous and is co-joined. "Bagpipe Music" is Ronnie singing here and the tune has that Celtic rouse contained within with the pipes and drums at a marching time.. The last three on the album begins with "Saturn" and has Harry back on trumpet with Joji on shakuhachi with a great beat. The last two has Ronnie back with the prose and the last "Thames" is an ambient instrumental which does not end in that fashion with bass shaking and slow beat pounding interspersed with bells.

A mixed bag of some great stuff and not so. All in all the album has more of the good stuff but although I enjoy "The Dunes" with the poetry and prose by Shane McGowan and it is the best recitation, they do get a bit much with four being on the album. Still this one is different with a caste of its own and quite interesting and enjoyable.