Born Jamericans
Kids From Foreign (Delicious Vinyl/Craft Recordings)
Released a little while ago for Record Store Day, this "hip-hop reggae fusion classic" is available on vinyl for the first time in 25 years. That's likely to be important news to many. We have to be honest though--Born Jamericans is a totally new name to this writer.
They formed in Washington D.C. back in the '90s and released two albums--this one in '94 and then Yardcore in '97. The band split in '99, but reformed in 2015 and have been a going concern ever since.
"The American-born duo, who drew inspiration from their shared Jamaican heritage, balanced the smooth-as-silk vocals of singer Mr. Notch (Norman Howell) with the gritty ragga of rapper Edley Shine (Horace Payne) to create a musical fusion that was utterly fresh at the time," the press release reads.
There's much to love here, from the dancehall vibes of "So Ladies" to the woo-heavy lyrical seduction of "Sweet Honey." The beats are phat, the tunes are sweet, and the delivery is a riot.
"Returning to vinyl for the first time in 25 years and limited to just 2,400 copies worldwide, this 30th anniversary reissue of Kids from Foreign is pressed on classic black vinyl and cut from its original analog tapes by Phillip Rodriguez at Elysian Mastering," they say. Sweet!
Joe Bataan
Riot! (Fania Records/Craft Recordings)
Joe Bataan, born Bataan Nitollano, is also known as the King od Latin Soul. Born in New York City to a Filipino father and African-American mother, Bataan released a ton of albums starting with the Gypsy Woman debut in '67.
Riot! was his third, originally released in '68 (the same year as his sophomore Subway Joe).
"Recorded against a backdrop of political and social unrest, the aptly titled album captures the full spectrum of heightened emotions: from the anger and frustration amid the war to the empowerment and joy of youth culture," the press release tells. "Working under the direction of the great Johnny Pacheco, Bataan and Louie Gonzalez trade vocal duties in English and Spanish, respectively, as they lead the Latin Swingers through their signature 'salsoul,' featuring soulful crooning, R&B, doo-wop, Latin rhythms and a powerful horn section."
The mixture of joy and tension on display here (you can actually hear police sirens at the end of opening track "It's a Good Feeling," which clocks in at over seven minutes) is both fascinating and compelling. The followup, "For Your Love," is a classic crooner ballad. And so it continues. Much like Born Jamericans, Joe Bataan is a new name for us, but we want to check out more.
"Limited to 2,100 copies worldwide, this reissue has been mastered from the original analog tapes by Clint Holley and Dave Polster at Well Made Music and pressed on 180-gram black vinyl," they say.
