Lee "Scratch" Perry - Scratch came Scratch saw Scratch conquered

Mad-Man Perry is no stranger to nonsensical lyrics so when the playful and horn heavy "Scratch is alive" started with "bomb government/police/soldiers Shazam!" and then moved from there to the "government get F---ed" in a manner similar to the eples and benenes song by Rafi I almost didn't notice the need to edit the song for airplay. This combination of danceable and characteristically oddball sound with harsh political criticism and rasta ideology runs throughout the album.

The newest release from the prolific producer dropped on September 23rd. The scathing criticism of United States economics could not have been better timed if it had been an overnight dubplate. An album containing the song "Heavy Voodoo", a track condemning dangerous and deceitful economic policies, hit the shelves less than a week after the Congressional bailout plan proposal. Hugo Chavez is not the only one laughing at the dropping dow.

The album has the solid beats and mad man vocal interstitials expected of The Upsetter, and the heavily produced techno pop sound that has come to characterize his newer albums. I am going to see Scratch perform in New York next week and his dance beat album "Repentance" released only two months ago had me wondering if i would recognize the new style of one of Jamaica's best producers. But tracks like "Having a party", "Saint Sellasie", and "Scratch is alive" reassured me that despite his continually evolving sound, Scratch is not going to leave reggae behind anytime soon.

Lee "Scratch" Perry
"Having a Party" (mp3)
from "Scratch Came, Scratch Saw, Scratch Conquered"
(Megawave)

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