Home & Away

There must be some explanation for the explosion, in recent years, of reggae singers who can't sing. The problem isn't necessarily that they don't have good voices — many of them would sound fine if they'd just train their ears and figure out how to stay in tune (or, in more extreme cases, stay in the same key as the song). Norrisman's weakness as a singer is probably due to the fact that he came up as a chatter, riding dancehall rhythms under the auspices of such A-list sounds as Stacks International and Bionic Steve. On his latest album he's at his best when the DJ part of his singjay style comes to the fore: "Be Careful" is one of several album highlights, and on "Move Hard" he absolutely runs away with the excellent "Redbull & Guinness" rhythm, delivering a spectacular vocal performance with an irresistible hook (and with the obvious help of Auto-Tune, for which thanks be to Jah). The funk-reggae fusion of "Take It" is another high point, and the purloined Studio One rhythm that forms the basis of "This Day" gives that track a nice old-school flavor. Elsewhere, such as on the sour and out-of-tune title track and a so-so combination with Lutan Fyah, he sings more than he toasts, those moments aren't nearly as exciting. A good effort overall.