Micah Shemaiah - Natural Is The Mystic (JahSolidRock)

Opening and title track, 'Natural Is The Mystic', immediately sets the tone for what has turned out to be a truly excellent roots album. If you're wondering where Micah draws much of his inspiration from, just listen to 'Play Me Some', where he openly sings: "Go listen some Bob Marley, some Dennis Brown…". Another standout in the track list is undoubtedly 'Strickly Rubadub', elevated by the warm, tasteful trombone of Hornsman Coyote in a supporting role.

Shemaiah travelled to Tuff Gong Studio in Kingston for the recordings, and alongside Hornsman Coyote the sessions feature a stellar cast of musicians, including Kirk 'Kirkledove' Bennett (drums), Jason Welsh (bass), Garth 'Duckie' Forrester (guitar), Andrew 'Stringy' Marsh (keys), Hector Lewis (percussion), Dean Fraser (saxophone) and Vivaldo 'Binghi' Brown (nyahbinghi drums).

Behind the controls, Mario 'Djeynah Delbety' Delbe, father of Rapha Pico, himself responsible for the riddims of 'Mellow Mood' and 'Artificially'. For 'Glory', the album's only duet, Micah brought Telford Nelson, whom some may still remember from his days with Culture, back into the studio.

The riddim of closing track 'Together We Are Strong' subtly nods to Bunny Wailer's 'Rasta Man', while the strongest sense of familiarity on 'Natural Is The Mystic' arguably comes from 'When Yu Right', for which JahSolidRock recycled the riddim of the Pablo Moses classic 'Dubbing Is A Must'.

There's a very real chance that 'Natural Is The Mystic' will end up being one of our favorite releases of 2026. Roots lovers know what to do!