Marcus Gad - For All (Big Scoop Records/Easy Star Records)

The intro of opener 'Rally Round' briefly suggests an Ethio-jazz composition, before suddenly bursting into a wonderful reggae groove. The track, which we predict has a long future ahead of it as an opener during Marcus Gad & Tribe's live sets, is an immediate highlight on 'For All', thanks in part to the excellent horns of Guillaume 'Stepper' Briard (saxophone) and Didier Bolay (trombone and trumpet), and sets the tone for the rest of the album.

It's well-known that Marcus has a soft spot for the Virgin Islands reggae sound, and on 'For All' that affinity is once again highlighted in the shape of 'The Code', a duet with Dezarie. Need we say that this track also ranks among the highlights of 'For All'? With 'Where Mi Come From', he takes the listener back to his birthplace of New Caledonia, reflecting on it in the following lines:

Me seh Kanaky mi come from
A likkle island inna Pacific Ocean
Penal colony inna tribal nation
Historically what a unique situation
Of ancient legacy and vibrant tradition
Welcome to a land of natural exception
Down inna di Melanesian constellation
Humbleness a must when a custom come

We cannot say this with certainty, but the intimate closing track 'Home' feels like a farewell song. Since 'For All' is released on Naâman's label Big Scoop Records, it is therefore quite possible that Marcus wrote the song for his friend, who passed away last year.

Together with his companion Tamal, Marcus Gad once again delivers an album that manages to captivate from beginning to end, and could well be the finest full-length release of his discography!