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The Good: Way Back, Boom Wuk, Little White Lie, It's A Pity, Tek Him Back, Gangsta Gal, What's Your Story, Can't Breathe, The Other Cheek, What A Day
The Bad: Damn, Intro, some of the rhythms are weak
The Ugly: Nothing. Dancehall's 2004 high-water mark
CLICK HERE TO SAMPLE ALL SONGS ON THE ALBUM |
Listening to Tanya Stephens’ Gangsta Blues should remind you of the first time you heard Singer/Rapper Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation opus. Both albums bowl you a googly: You expect one thing, but get something completely different. But after a few listens to Blues, you’ll be happy that Tanya shattered your expectations.
Truth is, real Dancehall fans know that a compilation of Tanya’s biggest singles from the last two years would’ve made a helluva album. Ever since she returned from a disastrous Swedish exodus, Tanya has been quietly releasing some real scorchers. Only two of them make it onto her new album: “What’s Your Story” and the instant-classic “It’s A Pity.” Near as we can tell, everything else is brand new serial.
Gangsta Blues is a genre-bending stunner of an album. Not since Buju gave us ‘Til Shiloh has an artist’s growth been so stark from one album to the next.
Name us an artist who gives you biting social and political commentary without vague Rasta solutions. Bounty? Ok, but who else? Tell us someone who’s exploring the inner workings of relationships, beyond the generic I love you/don’t leave me/let’s have sex lyrics? We’ll give you Beres. Where is the storytelling, witty lyricist with keen attention to detail? Kartel? Maybe. Who’s all of the above? Only Tanya. And we haven’t even mentioned her sexploits and slackness, which was her pre-Blues calling card.
Dancehall thrives on artists who release a glut of singles on a weekly basis, but Gangsta Blues hints at how much better the music would be if everyone slowed down, stopped recording, and started to think for a minute. Check the insight that Tanya brings to the struggles of the ghetto youth on tracks like “Sound Of My Tears” and “The Other Cheek.” Even on songs that lack her newfound political voice, Tanya brings new perspectives. “Little White Lie” is a nuanced and sympathetic first-person tale of a mother who has foisted a jacket on the wrong baby father. “Tek Him Back” goes beyond the regular “I’m so fly I can take your man” braggadocio to explore the buyer’s remorse that sets in after the hot gal is stuck with the man she’s stolen.
Rhythm-wise, Tanya steers well clear of the flavours of the month and uses mainly exclusive beats, to mixed results. Many of the rhythms are interesting, but few of them have the immediacy to buss a dance. It’s a minor quibble.
THE VERDICT: Tanya wanted this album to be the one that ended comparisons between her and other female Dancehall artists, and she’s succeeded. We can’t think of a more complete and cohesive album from a woman in the Dancehall era. Truth be told, there are precious few male artists who have crafted better albums than Gangsta Blues. It’s not exactly what we expected from Tanya, and a few tracks may take a while to grow on you. But, sometimes, surprises can be a good thing.
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