Back to Basics

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Back to Basics--Beenie Man's third LP for Virgin--will delight his diehard fans. For the man who has done so much to make Jamaican dancehall a worldwide pop phenomenon has taken a step back to his roots, eschewing the US pop/hip-hop influences of his previous two LPs (Art and Life and Tropical Storm) to bring through a brimming set of raw, digital bouncers that seduce with tight rhymes and infectious hooks. His previous range of high-profile collaborators (The Neptunes and Wyclef to Kelis and Janet Jackson) are gone, replaced with a steady selection of lesser known talent such as Cheeztrix, Ms. Thing, Kirk Davis, Ghost and Kymberli. Ms. Thing puts in a stellar performance appearance however on recent single, "Dude2", a compelling dancefloor rub that opens the LP with a bang and sets the pace perfectly for what's to follow. The beats – supplied by Beenie himself, and Kingston compadres Dav! e Kelly, Tony Kelly and Don Corleon – come thick and fast and catchy, particularly tracks like current single "King Of The Dancehall" and "Doctor Mi Rate Yu".

But it's not all bombastic; a Beenie LP wouldn't be complete without a song for 'the laydeez' and here we get "Love All Girls", in which he spends a few minutes listing the nationalities of the girls he likes (which turns out to be pretty much every nationality on the planet). The album gradually tapers into more insouciant fare. "D-O or G-O" is a soulful record with a Caribbean twist; "If A Neva God" is very gospel-influenced; and end track "Back Against The Wall" is an acoustic reggae song that gestures towards Mr. Marley's songbook. All in all, it's an alluring voyage back to the raw essence of the music that has sustained him--and us--so well. --Paul Sullivan

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-07-30 rating:
Murder music
Beenie Man's hate-filled lyrics are intended to humiliate all women and gay people. As Ghandi once memorably said: `Why do some people build there own self-esteem on the victimisation of others'. This murder music is strictly for old-fashioned bigots.

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review by: A New Yorker date: 2007-06-24 rating:
Beenie's gal and bwoy fans should already have this album
I love me some reggae! Beenie is a reggae genius to all those who can't say anything nice about synthetic reggae or the man shouldn't say nothing at all. This is one of his best albums that I really enjoy. When it comes time for me to move away from radio music or anything mainstream I go international or should I say overseas.

Even though he goes deep with "Back Against the Wall," he still nails the naughty numbers like he was born to strut. "Doctor Mi Rate Yu" and "Grindacologist" is one of my favorites due to its catchy and irresistible chorus. The Timbaland-produced "All Girls Party" has some frisky beat and gives Beenie plenty of lyrical inspiration that fits rather nicely. "Dr. Know" with Jimmy Cheezetrix has an old and new vibe reggae that's on point as well as "If A never God", which is also a good song. R. Kelly is the only other singer who can actually pull off "Take off your Underwear," and get away with it but I couldn't help but to like this song.

Beenie also does a excellent job with "King of the Dancehall" an anthem that he puts out convincingly, and when he mimics Yellowman's faux Chinese on "Love All Girls," it's an admirable nod to an obvious influence. It's good to see Beenie moving away from just odes to booty with these little lyrical touches. I will also add "Get on Bad," and "Set Away," as standout tracks from this album.

`Back to Basics' is a keeper because you can't go wrong with the King of Dancehall.Even if you don't understand him lyrically the rhythm of this album will make up for it. Highly recommend to all reggae lovers and to those who are interested in this flavor.

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review by: date: 2004-09-07 rating:
It's not THAT bad
This isn't exactly Beenie's greatest album, but it isnt too bad. Although most of the songs are pretty similar, sex-inspired, there are some good tracks on here. "Back to the wall" reminds me of some of the absolute Marley classics, or indeed any accoustical reggae, and is a welcome change of pace. "If a Neva God" is also a great, upbeat track, and "dude" and "king of the dancehall" were deserving of more praise than they received in the pop charts, in particularly the latter. "Good Woe" also capitalises on the great riddim fisrt used (i think) by Elephant Man, but that has since been ripped off to critical acclaim by Nina Sky in "Move Ya Body". Nevertheless, this is the biggest riddim in the dancehall scene right now, and Beenie Man does it justice.

Not much more could be said for most of the other tracks, being ok-ish once you've heard them a few times. If you are going to buy your first Beenie album, don't make it Back to Basics. However, seasoned Beenie fans shouldnt be disappointed.

And hey, at least we in the UK have got the Bonus Tracks, "Row Like A Boat", and "Pride and Joy", which is absolutely excellent, especially live. Feel sorry for the Americans (although not too much).


review by: charlesstead date: 2004-08-26 rating:
Disappointing
Beenie Man may have ditched his homophobic lyrics (about time too) but he's also embraced a commercial style that would make Peter Andre wince with shame. Yes, he's sold out. Only buy if you like commercial pap masquerading as the real thing.

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