Positive - Forever My King (Fox Fuse)

Positive is probably not very well-known among Belgian reggae fans, even though he's been on the music scene for about five years. 'Forever My King' is definitely a reggae/dancehall album, but it also contains some soca elements which hint at the artist's Trinidadian roots. It took Positive a year to complete this album, as he produced most of the tracks himself. This artist is no stranger to his name; he wants to spread a positive message through music and any listener would agree that he accomplished that goal with 'Forever My King'.

The album will undoubtedly generate mixed feelings, though. On the one hand, it's virtually impossible not to fall in love with Positive's sweet voice combined with contagious dancehall riddims. Songs like 'Highest Of Heights', 'Rock Of My Life' and 'Be My Comforter' prove that this youth is very talented. He has some serious singing skills and can switch effortlessly between styles, from dancehall to gospel or r&b. On the other hand, the sweet voice and positive message start to feel a bit flat in the second half of the album. Positive tells his listeners that he wants to "sing out some sweet gospel reggae" because "reggae gets sweeter when it's worship". It is a fact that reggae lyrics often contain religious themes, but the Rastafarian discourse that reggae fans are used to is typically powerful and militant.

Therefore, Positive's Christian gospel style runs the risk of sounding a bit goody-goody in comparison. But we can hardly judge anyone for proclaiming their faith through reggae music. Moreover, it is actually quite refreshing to see a young artist take gospel to the dancehall scene. The dancehall often seems to be a place for male bravado, for tunes about who has the biggest gun or who can attract the hottest girls, so content-wise this album is definitely on the other end of the spectrum. 'Forever My King' is far from your typical dancehall album but it definitely shows a lot of potential.