Dutty Rock [PA] - Paul, Sean (Reggae) (CD 2002)

A lot of idiots on this web site have had the nerve to say that im biased and that i automatically praise or diss something from an artist depending on their lyrical ability, their status (commercial / underground), or whether i like them or not. No, Big D is not biased towards any artist, and im going to prove it. MajaFiggaz and Anthony are indeed correct when they say that just because something is commercial doesn't mean it sucks, BUT, keep in mind that 95% of commercial rap is trash, no matter what. There are some exceptions, which brings me to Sean Paul. Sean Paul isn't exactly a Canibus on the mic, but he is a talented lyricist who has an ability of picking good words to rhyme, but at times falters or misses the right punches. Nonetheless, Sean Paul's music is aimed at club. Believe it not, i actually enjoy some of Sean Paul's work, even though im a backpacker. Sean Paul's infectious beats and somewhat good lyrics (those which i can understand), aren't too bad at all. In 2002, he released Dutty Rock, which is a club favorite... but how will it fare against a hip-hop head?



Track List & Rating

1. Dutty Rock Intro (NOT RATED)
2. Shout (Street Respect) (2 Stars)
3. Gimme The Light (5 Stars)
4. Like Glue (5 Stars)
5. Get Busy (4 Stars)
6. Top Of The Game f/ Rahzel (4 Stars)
7. Police Skit (NOT RATED)
8. Ganja Breed f/ Chico (3 Stars)
9. Concrete (2 Stars)
10. I'm Still In Love f/ Sasha (3 Stars)
11. International Affair f/ Debbie Nova (4 Stars)
12. Can You Do The Work f/ Cecile (3 1/2 Stars)
13. Punkie (3 Stars)
14. My Name (5 Stars)
15. Junkin Punny (2 Stars)
16. Uptown Haters Skit (NOT RATED)
17. Gimme The Light Remix f/ Busta Rhymes (3 1/2 Stars)
18. Bubble f/ Farenheit (2 Stars)
19. Shake That Thing (3 Stars)
20. Esa Loca f/ Tony Touch, R.O.B.B. (2 Stars)
21. It's On (2 Stars)
22. Punkie (Espanol) (3 1/2 Stars)



This review is reviewed a bit differently than some of my others. Instead of covering both the good and the bad on Dutty Rock?, i will instead only write about the highlights and stand-out tracks on the album. The bad songs, in reading the ratings, were either bad because of lack of good lyricism, an unlistenable delivery, or annoying beats. Basically, those are the major problems that plague the album, and caused me to dislike a lot of the tracks on the album. Now, lets get to whats good about the album:

"Dutty Rock Intro" kicks off the album with some australian dude introducing Sean Paul, as he tries to rap or sing over a whack beat, which is just a comical, but skippable, way to kick off Dutty Rock.

Skipping ahead we get to the first real highlight, which is the lead single Gimme The Light. This is the song that put Sean Paul on the map, as it was released late last year. The infectious beat is an immediate banging track, with its alternating bass, drums, and guitar flicks are memorable. Sean Paul spits a nice multi-syllable flow with some dope vocabulary, but as expected, the hook is the most memorable part of the track. Its safe for me to say that this is one of the only tracks worthy of being excellent because the beats, the lyrics, and the energy are all there in one nice package, without worrying about anything. Its mainstream, but not materialistic, which is good and healthy. This is what id like to call Club Music done right.

Like Glue follows this right after, and is another major highlight. This is the third single thats out now, and in my opinion, is dope as hell to me. Sean Paul spits a sort of fun, light-hearted flow with dope lyrics. Its not impossibly difficult to understand him like it is later on the album, but its tough a couple of times. Sean Paul's lyrics are good, but the highlight is the real highlight. In my opinion, this song has the most reggae influence, with a nice synthesized head-nodding beat which is the background of the song. Its difficult to hear this and not like it, and im not really sure why, but its just an addicting track and a fun listen.

The second single is placed right after this, and its "Get Busy", which really blew Sean Paul up. Personally, this song aint too bad. The beat is a sample of "Diwali Riddim", which is an old jamaican song, sampled by many artists, and now Sean Paul got his hands on it. The melody is memorable, but the lyrics arent as good as expected. The hook is dope, but the song lyrics themselves are extremely repetitive. Once again, just for the beats.

"Ganja Breed" and "Im Still in Love" are average, but the second one is a more creative song. While the first is just an average club song with average lyrics, the second song is a much better feel. Sean Paul tries to get a bit more melodic with his sound, not just in the lyrics, but in the delivery and beat. The beat itself uses a mix of loud horns and some claps and drums to give it a very carribean, light-hearted feel. Sasha drops the hooks and R&B-ish vocals, and Sean Paul's lyrics aren't bad at all, but also aren't good. Sean Paul's lack of creative lyrics and vocabulary is his problem on this track, but its pretty easy to understand what he's saying. Sean Paul's twist on a love song is unique, but not a terribly bad listen.

Debbie Nova drops in to join Sean Paul on "International Affair". The beat is immediately head bobbing, with a nice mixture of old-school synthesizer and keyboard, the actual melody is haunting and head-bobber in itself. The way the track is mixed and produced is pure magic, and Sean Paul's delivery isn't bad at all. With some singing and rapping mixed together, along with some slightly above average lyrics and a Rakim sample, we've got a great song. Debbie Nova's hook is amazing and this is one of those songs i believe everybody can enjoy personally, from underground fans to commercial fans, to tweeners.

Skipping ahead we get to the next highlight, which is "My Name". The production lowers itself a bit and is simplistic, but the melodies are still memorable. Featuring a tight drum loop with bass, along with some background synthesizer at a more slower pace, Sean Paul's lyrics are put to the forefront. On this track, Sean Paul raps to the females in a charismatic way, with some pretty good lyrics, and some singing involved as well. Sean Paul's diversity in his voice is something good in my opinion. But lets remember this in listening: This album is not a hip-hop album neccessarily. It is a jamaican album with hip-hop and R&B influences, and in this track, its shown. Sean Paul's lyrics are easy to understand, and it makes it dope in my opinion.

There aren't too many more highlights on Dutty Rock, so i'll rundown some other notable tracks.

"Gimme The Light Remix" is another radio favorite. Busta Rhymes joins Sean Paul on this remix. Busta Rhymes comes off weak, and Sean Paul delivers a new dope verse for us to munch into. The beat is the same, only this time featuring Busta ad-libbing in the background ala P. Diddy. The hook is still the same memorable one, but the new lyrics are good, if shorter. The song serves its purpose as a good remix, but not as good as the original.

Sean Paul turns to hispanics (yay), on the spanish-sung "Punkie" to close out the album. First off, this track is NOT a hip-hop song, as Sean Paul sings in spanish. The beat has a humongous carribean influence, with a beautiful funky feel to it, great for sunny days at the beach (damn i sound queer), but its true. Sean Paul sings in spanish to a female named Punkie, and is admittedly quite good at singing in spanish. His vocals and vocabulary surprised me, and the lyrics are beautifully good, even though they aren't rap lyrics. This is a unique, but nice way to finish the album.

Dutty Rock is not a bad album whatsoever from a musical standpoint. The majority of the musical instrumentals are dope, and Sean Paul is a talented singer himself. His lyrics are at times subpar, average, or dumb, but othertimes are surprisingly good. This is pure dance music, and ill give it the credit that it deserves, it does its job. So ive devised a small chart for figuring out this album's rating...

Club Vibes: 4 Stars
Underground Vibes: 2 Stars
Lyrics: 2 Stars
Beats: 4 Stars
Final Score: 3 Stars


3 Stars