Must Be Free
Reviews
Telepathic Juan
Reviewed 2016-09-26
Reviewed 2016-09-26
Legendary reggae and dub innovator Lee “Scratch” Perry returns in 2016 with a new album titled Must Be Free. Even at age 80, the prolific Jamaican maverick can’t stop making mind-blowing riddims mixing everything from reggae to spoken word, dubstep to ambient, even acid jazz to trip-hop. Despite sounding overwhelming, as usual, Lee makes things have a natural flow and Must Be Free is one of the most inventive recordings I have heard in a while. The album has collaborations with the Groovematist, IAmPhloboi, and members of the Subatomic Sound System collective. Irie.
RIYL: Lee “Scratch” Perry!
FCC CLEAN!
Recommended Tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10 and 12
1. (6:02) **Psycho Dread – Dub, ambient, spoken word. Floating in space while dreaming of floating. Medium tempo.
2. (6:26) **Rat Race – Perry being Perry. Mid-tempo beat. 21st century dub recording filtered through ambient and found sounds.
3. (4:43) House Of Sin – Another classic Perry trip. Late 1970s inspired dub here. Medium tempo track.
4. (3:53) *Isabel – Medium tempo recording. More classic Perry cosmic energy. Stoner delight.
5. (4:00) **Jungle Tongue – Beatnik spoken word trip with ambient instrumentation and a dub medium tempo. All surrounded by jazz arrangements and more overdubbed vocals toward the end of the track.
6. (4:16) No Evil – Attempt at Flamenco (acoustic guitars) with a Spanish-Latin beat and melody. Trippy.
7. (4:18) *No Sorrow – 1970s funk inspired energy. Medium-up tempo. Dub vocals. Intense.
8. (3:05) On Nigeria – A combination of tribal dubstep, acid jazz and spoken word. Medium tempo. Feels calm somehow.
9. (4:20) Strip Off – Reggae and dub 101 here. Medium tempo.
10. (3:50) **Too Much Is Too Much – Kind of trip-hop beat with signature Perry vocals. Percussions everywhere.
11. (3:24) Therapist – String quarter sample, intense drumming and overdubbed vocals all over the place. Musically dense ode to a therapist. Weird.
12. (5:37) **Must Be Free – Slow piano balladesque intro then a kind of moombahton beat takes over. Perry has reached the 21st century.
13. (4:54) House Of Sin (Remix Version) – It sounds very similar to the original track; it’s just more dubstep and have a sharper drum beat sound.
RIYL: Lee “Scratch” Perry!
FCC CLEAN!
Recommended Tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10 and 12
1. (6:02) **Psycho Dread – Dub, ambient, spoken word. Floating in space while dreaming of floating. Medium tempo.
2. (6:26) **Rat Race – Perry being Perry. Mid-tempo beat. 21st century dub recording filtered through ambient and found sounds.
3. (4:43) House Of Sin – Another classic Perry trip. Late 1970s inspired dub here. Medium tempo track.
4. (3:53) *Isabel – Medium tempo recording. More classic Perry cosmic energy. Stoner delight.
5. (4:00) **Jungle Tongue – Beatnik spoken word trip with ambient instrumentation and a dub medium tempo. All surrounded by jazz arrangements and more overdubbed vocals toward the end of the track.
6. (4:16) No Evil – Attempt at Flamenco (acoustic guitars) with a Spanish-Latin beat and melody. Trippy.
7. (4:18) *No Sorrow – 1970s funk inspired energy. Medium-up tempo. Dub vocals. Intense.
8. (3:05) On Nigeria – A combination of tribal dubstep, acid jazz and spoken word. Medium tempo. Feels calm somehow.
9. (4:20) Strip Off – Reggae and dub 101 here. Medium tempo.
10. (3:50) **Too Much Is Too Much – Kind of trip-hop beat with signature Perry vocals. Percussions everywhere.
11. (3:24) Therapist – String quarter sample, intense drumming and overdubbed vocals all over the place. Musically dense ode to a therapist. Weird.
12. (5:37) **Must Be Free – Slow piano balladesque intro then a kind of moombahton beat takes over. Perry has reached the 21st century.
13. (4:54) House Of Sin (Remix Version) – It sounds very similar to the original track; it’s just more dubstep and have a sharper drum beat sound.
Recent airplay
Jungle Tongue
Best Of Everything (rebroadcast from Jun 7, 2021) — Feb 21, 2022
Jungle Tongue
Best Of Everything — Jun 07, 2021
Too Much Is Too Much
Magnetized Toner: Best Of 2016 Part 3 — Jan 10, 2017
Rat Race
Magnetized Toner — Dec 06, 2016
House Of Sin
At the Cafe Bohemian — Nov 30, 2016
Psycho Dread
Everything A to Z week 69 — Nov 28, 2016
Charting
2016-09-25 — 2016-11-27
Reggae/World
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| Nov 20 | 3 |
| Nov 13 | 1 |
| Nov 6 | 1 |
| Oct 23 | 2 |
| Oct 16 | 1 |
| Oct 9 | 3 |
| Oct 2 | 1 |
Track listing
| 1. | Psycho Dread | ||
| 2. | Rat Race | ||
| 3. | House Of Sin | ||
| 4. | Isabel | ||
| 5. | Jungle Tongue | ||
| 6. | No Evil | ||
| 7. | No Sorrow | ||
| 8. | On Nigeria | ||
| 9. | Strip Off | ||
| 10. | Too Much Is Too Much | ||
| 11. | Therapist | ||
| 12. | Must Be Free | ||
| 13. | House Of Sin (Remix Version) |