Top Reggae Album of 2014 | United Reggae

By Erik Magni/United Reggae

Last year I made a list collecting 25 sets, but this year I aimed for 30, and succeeded. As usual no reissues or compilations were allowed.

This year’s list is however a little bit different compared to previous lists. Why? I have included two straight dub albums. And it could actually have been no less than four dub sets, but Natural Numbers’ Natural Numbers in Dub and The Lions’ This Generation in Dub, the roaring dub counterpart to their beautiful This Generation, didn’t make the final cut.



The list below collects 30 roots, ska, rocksteady, dub and dancehall albums in no particular order.



Jahmali – We I Open
We I Open equals sun-burnt skin, sand between your toes and salty hair. A cheerful contemporary rub-a-dub set with lots of light to wash your troubles away.





Black Roots – Ghetto Feel
Deep and profound vintage roots reggae. This album could easily have been released in the early 80s.





Sly & Robbie – Dubrising
Heavy as lead, yet melodic and refined, and with adventurous dub mixing by the legendary Paul “Groucho” Smykle.





Blue King Brown – Born Free
A powerful sonic experience with slower jams and militant anthems.





Etana – I Rise
Another excellent set from one of Jamaica’s leading voices. A set that effortlessly blends infectious love ballads and tough roots anthems.





Tuff Scout Allstars – Inna London Dub
Harder than most contemporary dub albums with ridiculously deep bass lines and hypnotic grooves.





Sara Lugo – Hit Me with Music
Bright and positive from start to finish. Sara Lugo explores the gentle side of reggae with influences from soul, jazz and light electronic pop.





Earl 16 & Manasseh – Gold Dust
Beautifully crafted with Earl 16’s delicate and dreamy vocals floating on top of the at times partly acoustic backing.





Lloyd Brown – LB 50
Yet another harmonious set from one of most reliable and hardest working artists in the reggae industry.





Roberto Sánchez & The Rockers Disciples – Blackboard Jungle Showcase Vol. II
Excellent vintage-sounding roots and dub from some of Europe’s finest musicians.





Popcaan – Where We Come From
A remarkable, exceptional and unique dancehall effort that hopefully can start a new trend in the otherwise very busy and non-consistent dancehall industry.





Raging Fyah – Destiny
The melodies and the arrangements are beautiful and it’s impossible not to get struck by a sweet piano ballad like Brave or pulsating non-stop rocking rockers like Barriers and Step Outta Babylon.





Hezron – The Life I Live(d)
Hezron’s debut album, but it sounds mature, partly because of the well-produced riddims by some of Jamaica’s finest, and partly because he sings like he has never done anything else in his life.





Lee Perry – Back on the Controls
A dark and dense album showcasing Lee Perry’s signature style.





Soul Majestic – Setting the Tone
With its angelic vocal harmonizing and alternating male and female lead vocals – this is a sublime, beautiful and uplifting album.





Hollie Cook – Twice
Nine tracks and over 40 minutes of discofied reggae in its greatest form. Free your mind, take off your shoes and hang on, this is a rollercoaster into dreamy territory.





Earl Sixteen – Natty Farming
Organic and analogue with Earl Sixteen’s pleading voice floating elegantly over the throbbing and syncopated riddims.





Bugle – Anointed
Probably best known for singles like Doh, What I’m I Gonna Do, Journey and Don’t Give Up, and if you dig those you’ll love this album.





Sizzla – Born a King
Wickedly well-produced, balanced and detailed. This scorching album is definitely one of the strongest sets from Sizzla’s more than extensive catalogue.





Alpheus – Good Prevails
Skip the poorly sounding rocksteady reissues and go for this meticulously constructed and well-produced set. This is the sound of real reggae music.





Chronixx – Dread & Terrible
Solid debut set from this youthful and passionate singer that has focused on quality rather than quantity.





Clinton Fearon – Goodness
Yet another fine example of how Clinton Fearon and his Boogie Brown Band takes the reggae legacy into contemporary territory.





Black Symbol – Journey
A spiritual and sometimes meditative journey with sublime harmonizing and beautiful back-up vocals courtesy of Empress Bev. Her touch gives the album a character of its own.





Addis Pablo – In My Father’s House
Its 17 tracks takes the listener on a meditative, haunting and melodic roots reggae journey.





Tarrus Riley – Love Situation
Slick, polished and timeless with lots of classic and vintage sounding riddims.





Gentleman – MTV Unplugged
The MTV Unplugged format was immensely popular in the 90s and I thought it was dead, but this album shows that it’s still very much alive and kicking.





I-Octane – My Journey
The culture and lovers themed My Journey is an entertaining and lively album filled with lots of energy, beautiful hooks and memorable melodies.





Ziggi Recado – Therapeutic
A little something for both body and mind.





Pressure – The Sound
Pressure’s fourth album and is his best to date. It includes the usual sweet arrangements and backing provided by Zion I Kings.





Nicodrum & Friends – Back to Fundechan
Music with a big heart, a solid pulse and lots of soul.

Knox Brown | Harry's Code

You should never judge a book by how many superstars it’s written songs for, but with new artist Knox Brown’s star-studded roll call of Jay Z, Aloe Blacc and Mary J Blige, it’s almost impossible to look past it.

“They heard my music and wanted to work,” explains the Jamaican-born musician. “I feel so humbled and slightly gassed. This is what I’ve been dreaming of for the longest while!”

The first Knox Brown track to surface explored dreaming, but not necessarily his. In ‘Redemption Song’ he samples Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali, Louis Farrakhan and Nelson Mandela to construct a powerful, piano-led track with a smooth Marley-inspired vocal hook over a Southern-style hip-hop beat.

“It wasn’t something I had planned, it sort of happened,” admits Knox, “but the message in that song is basically me looking back at the past and learning from these role models, seeing what people go through and still persevere. Out of a bad situation may come inspiration.”

He’s working on a EP now, and recently released another number called ‘Harry’s Code’ online. Where ‘Redemption Song’ felt more like a bite of Knox’s influences and beliefs, this track is a more complete single. He champions seeing music “without barriers”, and it starts off appropriately, like a classic dub cut, before the electric guitars and percussion slip into a funk and soul swagger, emphasising Knox’s lyrical potential and Jamaican English delivery.

“My first real introduction was when I was at a friend’s house,” begins Knox, explaining his musical genesis. “He put this game called Music 2000 in his PlayStation and my addiction for music production was born after seeing how he was making beats. Whilst in Year 10 at school, I made my first mixtape the summer after and sold 20 copies.”

It’s hard to believe, but the Knox Brown story is only just warming up.

Popcaan | Fall In Love

Fall in Love with Popcaan's new track.

Sizzla | Got What It Takes

The new album 'Born A King' sees legendary Jamaican artist Sizzla at the breathtaking peak of his musical and lyrical abilities, balancing traditional roots reggae, dancehall, hiphop and global beats with all-out futuristic sounds and production. Focusing 100% of his energy on positive, uplifting and conscious lyrics, Sizzla combines his unique melodic sense and vocal delivery with some of the toughest production ever featured amongst his extensive catalogue. Australian heavyweight reggae and hip-hop producer Mista Savona (Muti Music) has pulled out all the stops, combining his flair for sampling, composition and the full utilization of a ten piece studio band to deliver a scorching 15 track selection that is easily one of the strongest albums of Sizzla’s career.

To give some background on this project, whilst on tour in Australia we met Mista Savona, a Melbourne based producer who had just returned from Jamaica with a bag of new riddims and an almost-completed album with legendary reggae artist Sizzla. We listened to the tunes and loved the fresh new sounds and very positive feel of the album, with its uplifting messages and inspired vocal performances. Muti Music has been releasing a series of Remix EP's as we lead up to the album's May 2014 release, featuring producers at the leading edge of dance music globally. These have been receiving rave reviews across the Blogosphere, play on BBC, XFM, Sirius and numerous other internet and FM stations, as well as reviews in high profile magazines like DJMAG.

Mangoseed | Brix-Tone

South London Reggae fusionists Mangoseed have released a single inspired by Brixton called ‘Brix-Tone’ which is available to download now ahead of their debut album which is released next month.

The single echoes the 1980s dub and reggae grooves that have become synonymous with the area and the video was shot on the streets of Brixton.

The track is the lead single taken from the local band’s debut album ‘BASQUIAT’ which is released on Monday 22nd May with a live launch party at The Alley Cat Bar & Club on Denmark Street in the West End.



A truly multicultural collective, Mangoseed is made up by a Trinidadian, a Jamaican, an Australian and an Irishman.

They play regularly in Brixton, have supported the likes of Alabama 3 and Manu Chao, and say their début album is inspired by the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and his stylistic approach of art, history and culture, all of which can be found layered throughout his paintings.

To find out more check out their official website: http://www.mangoseed.co.uk/ You can download the single from iTunes and Amazon.