Finley Quaye
Vanguard (Epic)
Those of you looking for the more overt reggae sensibilities that characterized Finley Quaye’s smashing 1997 debut, Maverick a Strike, might be somewhat dismayed by this sophomore release. That’s not to say Vanguard is bereft of Jah music. Quite the contrary: Vanguard is informed at every turn with reggae stylings. There’s the recurring drum ricochet on junglist tribute to pirate radio “Broadcast,” and the undercurrent of Nyabinghi drumming that runs through “The Emperor.” How about the lilting bass lines that caress “Burning” and “Everybody Knows,” the punctuating horn blasts à la Burning Spear snaking through “Calendar,” and the infectious ska of “Feeling Blue”? That said, don’t expect Vanguard to sound like anything coming from downyard. Instead, Quaye’s music is more reflective of his Manchester/London influences and his work with street-smart sound svengali, Tricky. Not surprisingly therefore, Vanguard is infused with elements of quick-cutting electronica, spacey trip-hop, frenetic drum and bass, driving rock, and even a touch of guitar-strumming folk. In this sense, Quaye has not only taken the basic trappings of reggae to an entirely different place, he’s also molded a thoroughly modern, transglobal sound that transcends the limitations any one genre might impose. In an era hellbent on the cancerous spread of “globalization,” Quaye is on the cutting edge of what musical globalization might just look like in the future. No, this is definitely not your father’s reggae.
This article appears in July 27 • 2001.