Aza Lineage - Rebel Daawta (VP Records)

The story goes that Aza auditioned the old-school way, performing her song 'Sound System' under a mango tree in Jammy's yard. Before she even reached the first verse, Jammy reportedly shouted: "Yeah man, pull up, ya bad!", and less than half an hour later, Aza was already voicing the song in the studio!

For the album intro, Lineage called on none other than veteran deejay Lone Ranger, who can be heard announcing: "Original is original! Presenting Aza Lineage, the princess, nothing less, the rebel daawta!".

Aza opens with the militant 'Rebels In Town', which immediately sets the tone for the rest of the album. One of our personal favourites from the track list is definitely 'Nuh Wah Talk', which also gives I-Sax's saxophone a prominent role.

By now, everyone knows 'Sound System', the track over the classic Far East riddim that has grown into a sound anthem, and for ganja tune 'One Draw' (not a cover of Rita Marley's song of the same name), King Jammy dug up another classic in the shape of Nanny Goat.

The track list also features a number of combination tunes. Together with Jesse Royal and Brandon Roots, Aza recorded 'No Vagabond', an old-school reggae tune centered around the values of Rastafari. 'A Rub-A-Dub Or Two', featuring the voice of Johnny Osbourne, is a reworking of his 1983 track 'Dance With You'.

The track lists of vinyl releases and their digital counterparts often differ, but in the case of 'Rebel Daawta', the difference is quite extreme. Buy the LP and you get ten tracks; opt for the digital version and you get seven additional tracks. In this case, these aren't dubs or remixes, but songs in which Aza shows her lovers side. It's somewhat of a shame that VP Records didn't opt for a double-vinyl release, as Lineage convinces equally well on these tracks. Be sure to check out 'Don't Say You Love Me', in which Aza proves far from easy to win over, the thematically similar 'Fight Fi Mi Love', or the infectious 'Don't Play Around'.

The odd one out on 'Rebel Daawta' is undoubtedly 'Love You Too Much', which sounds like a successful West Coast rap/r&b production from nineties California.

Aza Lineage concludes with the highly enjoyable 'Rule The Sound', which thematically follows on from 'Sound System'.

We will certainly be keeping a close eye on this rebel daawta, and we recommend you do the same!