Williams, Willi / Messenger Man
Album: Messenger Man   Collection:Reggae
Artist:Williams, Willi   Added:Sep 2005
Label:Blood & Fire Ltd.  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2005-11-06 Pull Date: 2006-01-08 Charts: Reggae/World
Week Ending: Jan 8 Dec 18 Dec 11 Dec 4 Nov 27 Nov 20 Nov 13
Airplays: 1 2 4 3 5 5 2

Recent Airplay
1. Jul 15, 2015: 7-15-2015
Zion Town
4. Oct 28, 2010: Happy Hour
Messenger Man
2. Aug 26, 2013: Happy Hour
Dungeon
5. Aug 24, 2009: Happy Hour (Coverin' for PACC)
Messenger Man
3. Dec 02, 2010: Happy Hour
Messenger Man
6. Mar 05, 2009: Happy Hour
Messenger Man

Album Review
Sadie O.
Reviewed 2005-10-23
Williams, Willi – Messenger Man (Blood and Fire)
Reviewed by Sadie O., 10/20/05
Reissue of 1980 roots Rasta record by the guy who first made “Armagideon Time”, with a few extra dub tracks thrown in. Very pleasant sound while not at all slick. Good representative of the more roots end of roots rock reggae, with very Rasta-oriented almost chanted vocals (like Burning Spear, although not at all imitative.) The versions (tracks 9 to 17) are cool, mostly pretty laid-back and really dubby.
No discernible FCCs. Both versions of Armagideon Time (tracks 9 and 17) are fun, 10 is some way crazy dub, 1 and 5 are good. All dub tracks are cool.
1. 4:46 **downtempo, very deep roots, but with a bit of electronics. Hey, it’s a remake of “I Just Gotta Get a Message to You”! Ha ha! Lots of electric guitar in the break.
2. 5:16 upbeat tempo, in-your-face lyrics. Bouncy beat with chanted and probably extemporized vocals, a bit stoned sounding. Rather spare musically.
3. 3:21 downtempo, worshipful.
4. 4:49 midtempo, a bit off-key, about his experiences being locked up on charges later dropped. Lots of what sound like clavas.
5. 3:59 **midtempo, but a bit fuller sounding musically. Peaceful and pleasing.
6. 4:49 slow, strange rather strangled vocals at first.
7. 3:58 sweet, midtempo, sort of “lover’s rock” vibe; lyrics rebuke those who hide from reality. Lazy vocal style for that message.
8. 6:58 *downtempo, lots of syndrums, swingy groove, minimal instrumentation. Jesus rather than Jah in lyrics. Long enough to get pretty trance-y and a bit dubwise.
9. 3:09 **fun midtempo bounce, Armagideon dub with a bit of electronica, stoned sounding vocals.
10. 5:05 ***reverb city! Midtempo bubble turns into dub of track 1; lots of effects, some heavy metal guitar, all sorts of zaniness.
11. 2:35 uptempo but mellow dub of track 2 with a few scary noises.
12. 3:21 dub version of track 3, funny truncated vocal sounds.
13. 3:55 **version of track 4, reverby with some jingly bits. Some pretty interesting tom/high hat work midway through.
14. 4:27 **version of track 5 (hey, a pattern emerges!) VERY stoned, far away, sparse. Almost dubs itself into oblivion.
15. 4:47 version of you guessed it. Slow, but with a certain authority.
16. 3:02 another dubby as hell dub. Hey, alien spaceships!
17. 2:58 ***wacky! Donald Dub meets the robots! YAY!!!

Track Listing
1. Messenger Man   9. Rocking Universally (Armagideon Style)
2. Slave   10. Messenger Man Version
3. Give Jah Praise   11. Slave Dub
4. Dungeon   12. Give Jah Praise Version
5. Zion Town   13. Dungeon Dub
6. I Man   14. Zion Town Dub
7. No Hiding Place   15. I Man Version
8. Valley Of Jehosephat (Extended Version)   16. No Hiding Place Version
  17. Universal Dub