The Roots Ark - Awake (Kan Ahau Records)

Long-player debut 'Awake', recorded in the Garage Hermétique studio in Nantes, mixed in the Lone Ark Studio in Santander and mastered in studio Euridia in Bilbao, for which Dandelot joined forces with Spanish producer Roberto Sanchez, resulted in twelve vocal tracks and two (bonus-) dubs. In opener 'Remembrance', one moment Greg's vocals are reminiscent of Pablo Moses and the next of Cedric Myton's iconic falsetto voice, but more jazzy tracks like 'Crucial' or 'Talk With Ya', in which the virtuoso skills of keyboardist Abdourahmane Cissé stand out, are more reminiscent of Groundation. Thanks to his work with Alpheus, we know Sanchez isn't averse to some rocksteady, and with 'Why You So Curt' he and Dandelot recorded a instant rocksteady classic. No Roberto Sanchez production is complete without one or two excellent dubs, so as the icing on the cake we get versions of 'No Peace' and 'Choosing'. French-Spanish-Basque reggae gem!