Drop Knowledge...Not Bombs

Gentleman (born Tilmann Otto) is one of the more obscure stories in reggae today. Although originally born in Germany, he names Jamaica as his second home. However, it's more unusual that as a white man, he is a popular reggae artist in Jamaica itself, which is generally unheard of, as music there is very black-dominated.

Although he released his first album in 1999, it wasn't until this year that I seriously began listening to this German roots reggae artist. I was blown away. On the suggestion of a friend, I bought his excellent live album Gentleman And The Far East Band, a 2-Disc album recorded in Gentleman's hometown Cologne. Gentleman's vocals soar above the brilliant backing of The Far East Band, brilliantly demonstrated on tracks like "Jah Jah Never Fail" and "Love Chant", which I will upload, for your listening pleasure. Anyway, on this basis, I knew his newest album Another Intensity would at least be worth a listen.

And I was right. This, to me, is by far one of the best reggae albums of recent times. Although it is slightly more soft than some other releases, it marks a return to the popular "roots" reggae, based around live instrumentation rather than the current "riddim" based dancehall that is more popular. A few songs really grabbed me on this release especially "Lack of Love" featuring the prolific Sizzla Kalonji. This track is definately the best song on the album, and shines above the first single released "Different Places". I also enjoyed the track "Celebration" featuring Italian newcomer Alborosie, this track shows the up-and-coming European reggae scene, of which Italy is a big part due to the popularity of reggae there. Hopefully we will see more of this artist in the years to come.

So listen to the tracks, and buy the album.

Gentleman ft. Sizzla Kalonji-Lack of Love

Gentleman ft. Alborosie-Celebration