Muta King - Life over Death (Muta King Records)

Those who thought the stereotype of the singing hairdresser was only to be found in fictional characters such as Sweeney Todd or Alberto Vermicelli, were dead wrong. Raymond Thomas aka Muta King, is definitely the real deal. Ever since he was young, he was fascinated by the music he heard while selling snacks at the dancehall. And he fell in love with the genre. So, he decided to work full-time as a hairdresser to pay for his singing career. Meanwhile he has his own label, Muta King Records, and now he releases his first full-length studio album.

It is rather difficult to put a label on this album, as it contains a lot of variation, both in music as in lyrics. On one end of the spectrum you find tracks as 'Just Pray', a rather slow song with a religious text, perhaps too sweet for the hardcore dancehall fans, but perfect for the drive to church on Sunday. Diagonally across are tracks such as 'Love It', solid dancehall with an x-rated edge, which is more suitable for a bedroom compilation.
And then there is the middle of the spectrum; Muta King's forte  is reality tunes, which address the daily worries of the less fortunate Jamaicans. Recommended are: 'Me Bills Come', 'Nah Gamble Again', 'Pressure Bus Pipe' and the title track 'Life Over Death'. Each of them catchy tracks on a good riddim with a high sing-along factor. The lyrics aren't always inventive, but the themes can be original such as in 'Mother-in-law', a song directed to his mother-in-law, which has a cartoony effect, because of the high, lisping voice.

This album is a good reflection of the daily life in Jamaica, with songs for weekdays, Saturday night, Sunday morning, at home, at work, in the dancehall, in the bedroom, and in church.