Bushman and Luciano are two branches of the same musical tree, sharing strong similarities in style, substance and voice. But while Luciano’s branch points skywards toward heveanly, mystical things, Bushman skims the ground, its fruit of knowledge easily within reach of the Dancehall’s man in the street. Luciano sings of heading over “Hills and Valleys” and trying to escape the concrete jungle, but Bushman has a different view. “I live my life/going through the streets/ blabbering with everyone that I meet,” he sings on “Pleasing People.” Earlier, he places himself in the midst of the ghetto, singing “I live amongst the creatures of the night/Vampires, hypocrites and parasites.” Not exactly Luciano’s kinda town. Bushman’s “Downtown” reinforces his status as an urban everyman to Luciano’s otherworldly mysticism.
Bushman embraces his urban persona on Signs, his latest album. The album cover features Bushman in front of a bunch of street signs, striking a pose vaguely reminiscent of Peter Tosh’s No Nuclear War album art. Never mind that the title track has nothing to do with street signs, but actually marks a venture into a more spiritual analysis.
Even though Bushman’s breakout hit “Somebody Call The Hearse” was voiced over a straight Dancehall rhythm, he’s progressively been moving his sound to a purer Roots Reggae feel. Bushman produces Signs himself, enlisting the help of musicians like Sly and Robbie, Dean Fraser and Jubba White. The result is a thoroughly modern, polished Roots sound, as opposed to those artists who try to recreate the vintage 70s sound of Reggae’s glory years.
At 16 tracks deep, Signs is too long for its own good, but it features some of Bushman’s best work to date. Nothing on the album has the anthemic quality of “Fire Pon A Weak Heart” or “Call The Hearse,” but Bushman’s songwriting has improved exponentially. Even if nothing here is going to run the Dance red, Signs is a good album.
Top tracks on Signs include the sly political commentary of “Downtown” and the catchy “Creatures Of The Night,” which sees Bushman walking a righteous path amid temptation and corruption. The title track turns up the guitars for a rocking take on prophesies revealed, while “77 Times 7” is a rumbling assertion of the Rastaman’s powers. “A-Merry Mecca” is another boomshell, where Bushman dissects all the reasons to avoid the trap of getting stuck in America’s migratory trap – from the bad weather to “drinking recycled water/ separated from feces.” Yuck.
Bushman takes a few stabs at diversifying his sound, to mixed results. “Mother Earth” is a quiet meditation on mothers and nature that works OK. Less successful are “Lonely,” where Bushman teams up with Niki Burt for a so-so love song. “Lighthouse” tries to effect a Gospel sound, but it comes across as bland. “One Tin Soldier” is a plodding cautionary parable whose ultimate message isn’t worth the effort required to endure the song. And a few of Bushman’s other songs seem a tad too generic.
THE VERDICT: Signs marks Bushman’s continued growth as an artist and solidifies his status as one of the better Roots-Dancehall singers in the business. Nothing on Signs has the instant appeal of his breakout hit “Fire Pon A Weakheart,” and the militancy is missing, but there is plenty here to keep old and new fans happy.
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