Rico & A.R.T. - Irie (Top-Notch Music/Universal)

A.R.T.'s riddims sound more than convincing and the samples used combined with Rico's textual witticisms are original and sometimes hilarious (Rene Froger's 'Een Eigen Huis' in 'Naaktslak', a quote from the movie 'Cool Runnings' in 'Omega', Snap!'s 'I've Got The Power' in 'Mea Culpa'). Rico's lyrics, in which he tells of the time he was homeless ('Naaktslak'), bad (life-)choices he made ('Mea Culpa', 'Ooit') or describes the current state of our society (the great 'Positieve Vibes'), are far too interesting to ignore and it is therefore not a bad choice they were integrally reproduced in the liner notes of  the album. Rico even managed to persuade Dutch reggae veterans Henny Vrienten ('Omega' is pure Doe Maar) and Pieter Both (Beef, Jah6) to lend a hand. Their presence is not only a capital gain, but can also be seen as a vote of confidence in the work of A.R.T. and Rico. Other guests appearing on 'Irie' are Zwolle born jazz musician Bert Vrieling ('Opa', a beautiful ode to Rico's grandfather, that made yours truly tear up) and Maikal X, who appears alongside Sticks and Typhoon, on 'Je Weet', the closing track of the album (for which Postmen's 'U Wait' was revamped). Absolute revelation!