Not many times do I enjoy songs that are remakes or bad cover versions. I am adversely affected by this especially when the original is superior in every way. In the realm of dancehall, this line can be quite grey. Not only do covers happen, which can be more on the reggae side of things but different sub-genres can combine within reggae to create a new take on something old. For example, an old dancehall track that I love entitled “Pum Pum Shorts” originally done by Red Fox & Screechy Dan back in the day was recently covered by Mr. Vegas, Gyptian and Teairra Marie. What was once a song containing strictly a dancehall vibe, lyrically with its style and delivery has now been transformed into a dancehall track with dancehall, lovers rock and pop sound. This may increase cross over appeal but for me the original is superior. I do like this cover but I digress. The song in review for today is “Pon Di Wall” by vocal trio New Kingston.
The track itself, from their 2010 album “In The Streets” clocks in at 3 minutes and 8 seconds. The beat for this song is built off the classic Shabba Ranks track “Ting-A-Ling” from the early 1990′s. The old school vibe is in full effect. Instead of trying to redo a tried and tested classic piece of dancehall, this group added a catchy hook with some smart Shabba samples sprinkled throughout its entirety. A great mix of deejaying (what we would refer to as rapping, the Jamaican equivalent) and singing to form a triple threat in the land of dancehall not often seen as most solo artists of the genre have to combine with a singer in order to encapsulate this sound spectrum. Its end result, a very good candidate for cross over appeal and even though it was sparsely heard throughout the airwaves here in Toronto. It still has the ability to break over the radio as many of us know in the genre of dancehall, due to a highly competitive market, many songs that we hear now are considered ancient in Jamaica. Just travel down to your local flea market and mosey on over to the sometimes intimidating mix CD stand where I am sure you will find a resident dancehall expert dishing out the latest mix featuring the newest “riddim” to drop from “yard”. This is how I have discovered many artists from this genre that I enjoy today including New Kingston.
New Kingston has a new album out entitled “Kingston University” and more info on the group can be found at the groups website. That is where I discovered most of my added knowledge on the group and I am glad that they are releasing more music. A group that in my opinion have greatness within them and could be on the cusp of a huge hit!
The post New Kingston: Pon Di Wall appeared first on Powder My Noise.