Reviewed by Theo Bowyer

Ranking Deezed hails from Kaduna, Nigeria but his musical approach sounds firmly rooted in Jamaica. The opener, "Arise Shine" is a Marley-esque reggae track with a monotonous backbeat and high pitched vocals. Sadly even as I listened to the first track I felt this was everything I was going to get, unfortunately my preconceptions were correct. Each song works with minimal ideas, both lyrically and musically which makes for a very one dimensional listen. Even the production (Anita Gwom) is harsh and if the songs don't offend your ears, then the continual distortion will. Reggae is known for its simplicity but this offering feels ham-fisted and poorly constructed. To make matters worse, there are tuning issues on "Pharaoh" which attempts an "I Shot The Sherriff" vibe and even the male backing vocal harmonies cannot rescue it.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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