Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Surely never has the spiritual exercise of fasting and praying been explored with such joyful exuberance on the opener by the gravel-voiced ragga man. When the reggae veteran sings rather than toasts the effect is considerably lessened and "Gospel Reggae" isn't helped by a too obvious lyric and a dully plodding rhythm. But there are still good cuts here like "Free", with soulful vocals from girl group Saved, Anointed And Sanctified, and "Messenger", a thoroughly engaging reggae song. Not all the rhythms are Jamaican, the surreal "Fresh Vegetable" has a jazz scat groove a bit like a sanctified Cab Calloway while the bonus track, "Mas Que Vancedores", has our hero singing in Spanish! Stitchie maybe an acquired taste but few can doubt his musical versatility or his bold desire to give all the glory to God.

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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