Jon Moon - Brighter Day EP (Yutman Records)

Het titelnummer verscheen in mei van dit jaar al op single en is een hart onder de riem voor iedereen die het moeilijk heeft in deze restrictieve COVID-19 tijden:   InI will see the sunshine if we just keep holding on And I can see the way is clear now so we must keep moving on And whenever you're in trouble reach out and take my hand We're gonna see a brighter day, far away, in the promised land   Echt naar de keel grijpen doet dan weer 'Messenjah', dat Jon opdroeg aan het te vroeg gestorven icoon van de Virgin Islands roots, Vaughn Benjamin:  
Rastaman marching, say the Rastaman is marching To Mount Zion we are marching I used to listen to your music around midnite You always knew just what to say No one dug deeper had a more precise insight Of the matter of the day So many teachings, so much wisdom, overstanding That took my breath away Now you continue with the journey to Mount Zion Oh, how I wish you could have stayed! Messenjah, rest in Jah! Oh mighty Messenjah, may you rest in Jah! You leave a legacy behind that is incredibly profound Guiding light to many souls that have been lost and found Where ever you were trodding I say righteousness around And Rastafari teachings at the center of the sound It was a rainy afternoon in London city And I did not know my way Lost in the concrete jungle, everybody busy Looked for a place where I could stay And I passed by the shop of a rastaman Where roots music still a play So I listened to the music and the singer And what he had to say And I heard lyrics I had never heard before Teachings of His Majesty that struck me to the core And if the world is tumbling I know one thing is for sure Your works will be continued on this realm forIvermore For now the father has called his prophet home You helped me to become a Rasta to the bone Manifest a covenant, to stand with Jah alone Messenjah, rest in Jah! Oh mighty Messenjah, may you rest in Jah! You leave a legacy behind that is incredibly profound Guiding light to many souls that have been lost and found Where ever you were trodding I say righteousness around And Rastafari teachings at the center of the sound Yeah Rastaman marching, say the rastaman is marching Haile I Selassie I Jah! Rastafari   De invloed van Benjamin en bij uitbreiding de Virgin Islands roots komt ook elders op de EP nog tot uiting, bijvoorbeeld in de trage en meditatieve afsluiter 'Meditation'.

Een van de vocale gasten op 'Trust' was de Zuid-Afrikaan Crosby Bolani, en samen met Azania Band is hij deze keer te horen in 'Economical Crisis', een nummer dat zonder twijfel de perfecte soundtrack wordt bij de obstakels die ons de komende maanden en jaren nog te wachten staan.

De EP besluit met twee uitstekende dubs van 'Praise Jah' en het al vermelde 'Messenjah'.

In onze recensie van 'Trust' omschreven we Moon nog als "een nieuw beloftevol Duits reggaetalent" en met deze zeer genietbare EP zien we ons vertrouwen alleen maar bevestigd!