Subajah - Architect (Self-published)

His slight French accent we already mentioned in our review of 'Voice Of Freedom', Subajah still isn't able to hide completely, but the songs on 'Architect', for which he once again collaborated with Clement 'Tamal' Thouard (The Banyans, Jah Legacy), are of an excellent level, so we forgive him this minor flaw. For this album Subajah managed to entice a number of international guests: with Lutan Fyah he recorded 'Along The Way', in 'Steady' Meta Dia lends a hand, and in the dub version of title track 'Architect' you'll hear the melodica of Addis Pablo. And let it be said: the four dubs at the end of the track list who can by all means be seen as the icing on the cake. 'Architect' contains mostly excellent new roots tracks like the slow-paced 'Jah Garden' or the somewhat more up-tempo 'Keep It Royal' featuring Bongo Kanny, but also features the odd song with an African touch, as both in 'Africa's Callin' (with Subajah opening with: "Hear the voice of Garvey..." after which you can actually hear the voice of the UNIA-leader) as in 'Win Or Lose', the ngoni of Youssouf Diabaté plays a prominent role. The same is true for the enchanting 'Words', but that is given some extra allure thanks to Jon Petter's flute and a few lines in Amharic by Addishiwot Asfawosen, for which the latter translated one of Subajah's poems: "As I rise on this night; sending prayers to the souls that seek the Most High, floating in a sky where the brightest love flies, I want to find an escape for my heart to seek happiness for its own sake.". Excellent release by a promising young artist.