Movado Review

A fairly 'straight' review I did of the Movado album for i-D Magazine.

Mavado
Gangsta For Life
VP

Just when reggae seemed to be reaching another plateau of safe, one-drop, Radiohead endorsed commercial respectability, with a galvanising clarion call of ‘Anyway!’ Mavado announces his presence and makes things interesting again. A childhood in the Cassava Piece gullies of Kingston fuelled David Constantine Brooks desire to perform while his introduction into the dancehall community came from Bounty Killer himself who soon enlisted his young protégé in The Alliance. A running beef with Vybz Kartel, continual police harassment and a ride over the notorious Daseca “Anger Management” riddim later and Mavado really is dancehall’s brightest star. The lilting delivery, and deft phrasing mark him out as a talent befitting the Fader-cover features and Hot97 hype. The tunes that got everyone excited in the first place, ‘Real Mckoy’ (opposite Busy Signal) and ‘Wah Dem A Do’, are both here as well as the requisite skits. Further evidence that Mavado’s appropriation of the ‘singjay’ mantle is pretty much the most exciting thing to happen all year comes in the shape of sublime tracks like “Dying” and “Sadness”. Go get this now before all the dubstep and niche remixes ruin it for everyone.