Beenie Man:
Back To Basics

Release Date: 26 July 2004

Reviewed By: Rachel Burley

1. Dude - feat, Ms Thing

2. King Of The Dancehall

3. Love All Girls

4. Dr. Know - feat, Jimmy Cheeztrix

5. Grindacologist - feat, Kymberli

6. Get On Bro

7. Good Woe

8. Doctor Me Rate Yu - feat, Ms. Thing

9. Set Away

10. Eloh

11. All Girls Party

12. Pu**y Language

13. D-o or G-o - feat, Ghost

14. If A Neva God - feat, Kirk Davis

15. Back Against The Wall

16. Row Like A Boat

17. Pride & Joy - feat, Ebon-E

Angie Stone - Stone Love
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Considering it’s his 28th album, Beenie Man definitely isn’t running out of ideas. ‘Back to Basics’ is a hot fusion of sexy dance floor tunes alongside more laid back Jamaican sounds. This album has so much variety, Beenie should be proud of his work.

The album starts on a high with the club favourite, ‘Dude’. It’s a classic song that makes you want to dive onto the nearest dance floor and shake your booty. The smooth vocals of Ms. Thing blend well with the cool sexual lyrics.

Next, it’s onto ‘King of the Dancehall’, another top notch track. I can see this song being another dance floor classic, as the powerful, sexy beat really gets you going, and it’s a perfect tune to put on while you get ready for a night out. This song has got so much energy and is definitely one of my personal favourites.

Another top track is ‘Grindacologist’ featuring Kymberli. This song has a military theme and has a very strong exciting intro that makes sure you see the song right through to the very last beat.

The title ‘Back to Basics’ is obviously there to indicate that Beenie Man is trying to get back to the basic, traditional roots of dancehall. In this case I agree that the title certainly fits the bill. But don’t be fooled - this is definitely not your substandard, unimaginative album. There are so many different sounds and styles throughout, that this album has something for everyone.

With 17 tracks you definitely get value for money for the album’s duration. To be honest though, I did use the skip button a few times because there were a few songs that I didn’t enjoy as much as the others, mainly ‘Love all Girls’, ‘Get on Bad’ and ‘Set Away’. These tracks heavily repeat themselves and I got the feeling that there was nothing new and fresh about them. I would have enjoyed the album more if these songs weren’t included, but with 14 other high-quality tracks on the CD, there was more than enough to keep me entertained.

One thing I did notice about this album is the playlist. I didn’t believe that it had a varied balance, because you’re instantly enthralled with all the lively upbeat tunes, but then the album gradually fades out with a slower, more chilled out pace towards the end. Personally, I prefer a mix between upbeat and low beat tracks, and because of the playlist’s structure, I felt as though some of the better slow jams such as ‘Pride & Joy’ featuring Ebon-E got a bit lost towards the end.

This may be just another album to add to Beenie’s discography, but being his 28th album to date, it certainly stands out in the crowd.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Top Three Tracks:
1) Dude Feat. Ms. Thing
2) King of the Dancehall
17) Pride & Joy Feat. Ebon-E

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