Kologne - Ease Off EP (Self-published/Puur Live Entertainment)

At the age of four, the young Brown developed a fascination for music, joined the school choir and soon became its primary soloist. In 1988 he became one of the late Philip 'Fatis' Burrell's protégés and got his stage name Singing Cologne when he was brightening up a lady's birthday party one day, when overjoyed she told him: "Oh you sweeten up the place like cologne!" Twenty years later, Kologne collected 7 tracks he recorded over the years for producers like Linval Thompson, Max Romeo and the aforementioned Fatis Burrell, for this 'Ease Off' EP. The EP opens with 'We Need Jah', a song which already appeared on Max Romeo's 2008 'Charmax All Stars' compilation. There's more Max Romeo influence elsewhere on the EP, but this time in the form of the riddim of his 'I Chase The Devil', which Kologne used for 'Never Let The Devil'. And amateurs of vintage riddims will find more tracks to their liking on 'Ease Off', as for the excellent 'Row Mr. Fisherman' the Hunter Man riddim was recycled (a production by Linval Thompson, mixed by Roberto Sanchez and released in 2014 as 7inch on the French Iroko Records label), and for closing track 'Fittest Of The Fittest', Kologne used a revamp of the Get In The Groove riddim. Piece by Piece nice old school roots tracks (the only exception being the slightly more frivolous 'Grooving') with the odd vintage riddim thrown in for good measure. Artist with an excellent voice to keep an eye on!