Brother Culture - Behold The Lion (Evidence Music)

The vinyl edition features 12 tracks, but opt for the digital version and you'll get nine additional cuts (mostly remixes and dub versions by the likes of TLZ, Krak In Dub, Radikal Vibration and Ondubground).

The album kicks off with the title track, a heavy stepper that sets the tone straight away. The excellent 'Badda We Badda', a duet with Eesah, also appeared on his album 'Success', and from there we're launched into a string of combination tunes. Brazil's Junior Dread joins on 'Ruffa', while 'Reggae In The Dance' delivers a dose of eighties nostalgia in a highly infectious link-up with King Kong. On 'Champion Sound', it's three the hard way with Chezidek and Anthony B, once again riding Little Lion Sound's Sound Killer riddim (a successful reworking of the classic Drum Song riddim we already encountered on Eesah's album).

Brother Culture takes it solo again on the spiritual 'Jah Well', one of our personal favourites on 'Behold The Lion'. With the driving 'International Dance', he underlines just how global the sound system scene has become, while the follow-up 'Dubplate King' is destined to grow into an anthem within that same circuit. To close things out, 'History Session' offers a brief biographical lesson, taking us to Brother Culture's favourite London hangouts.

The real closing track, 'Sound Killa (Remix)', is a drum & bass rework by Ed Solo. Somewhat unnecessary in our view, but a fitting bridge into the additional remixes and dub versions that come with the digital edition of 'Behold The Lion'.

What we hear on 'Behold The Lion' is a Brother Culture in absolute top form, and this album may well stand as one of the strongest entries in his discography.