Jah Cure - Royal Soldier (VP Records)

But enough about the man's character, what about the music on 'Royal Soldier'? If you're an amateur of reggae or even dancehall, you might be in for disappointment, as on this album more often than not Cure opts for r&b rather than reggae ('Brighter Day', 'Pretty Face', 'Eyes On Your Body' featuring Dru, Sketch Carey and Alx, or the r&b meets dancehall-light of 'Life Is Real' featuring Popcaan and Padrino) and urban pop (duet 'Magic' with Canadian vocalist, rapper and producer Tory Lanez and actually a nod to his former mentor Beres Hammond's 'I Wish'). Exceptions are love tunes like 'Telephone Love' (dating back to 2016 and co-produced by Clive Hunt), 'Risk It All', a duet with American pop and r&b diva Phyllisia Ross (with whom Cure also collaborated for 'Call On Me' and 'Unconditional Love'), 'Don't Walk Away', or the excellent 'Work It Out' with Canadian soul and r&b singer Melanie Fiona. Also noteworthy is ganja tune 'Marijuana', for which Cure teamed up with Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley, but the absolute scorcher on 'Royal Soldier' is closing track 'Street Kings', a combination tune featuring Yami Bolo, Junior Reid and Capleton, for which a sample from Half Pint's 'Greetings' as well as the riddim of Junior Reid's 'One Blood' anthem were recycled. With 'Royal Soldier', Jah Cure clearly still aims for the broadest possible audience, but failed to captivate us for the entirety of its duration!