Sophia Squire sings the title track, Rock and Come Eeen, a solid gem of a song which is carved in reggae oak. A long time journeywoman in the world of reggae, Squire has blossomed in the past two years to emerge as one of the fiercest female voices in reggae today. She proves this in no uncertain terms by delivering arguably the best song on the Rock and Come Een project, which was produced by broadcaster Dalton Leith for his Dalton Leith Music label.
Sophia Squire was mountainous and extremely pregnant when she voiced this single, only four days before she gave birth. This hit song is a testament to the power of the female spirit as she voices a song full of sexual connotations and references to foreplay and the art of lovemaking that will make the average male blush in sheer delight. In her trademark husky, sexually charged voice, Sophia Squire croons: 'You have the right touch/to make me giggle and such /stop, rewind, mek we take it from the top'. Oh mama!
Busy Signal warns the youths to 'Stop Show Off' quoting popular lines in the bible as he sends a stern warning to the youths who walk the path of violence and end up as statistics in the gangland wars that dominate Jamaica's ghetto areas. It is a warning for all youths with dying on the brain that: "if you exalt yourself you will be abased/best if yu humble yourself and not be erased". The best line Busy deejays is the one that reminds the young shottas that ‘ah no yu one weh know people weh know people".Just stop show off.
Richie Stephens upbraids the atheists, agnostics and other fence-sitters who don't believe in a higher power with the song, Only the Fool, which reaffirms his belief in the Almighty.
Newcomer Torch is excellent on 'Word, Sound and Power', a powerful song where he defends the reggae genre and its ability to unite diverse people and heal the soul while the ultra-talented Timeka shows declaring that she would rather be on her own than be a one-night lover. It is the ultimate symbol of female empowerment, the refusal to be second best, and an 'Undercover Lady'. For his part, R.C puts in his order for a ‘Customized Lady’. Who is that, you ask? A real fire woman who is genuine, who will be a true queen to her king, R.C explains.
Stevie Face shows up to defend the ladies with a declares that "heaven must be missing an angel’ while D Major offers a few survival tips even while on the hustle to take care of his family on the track, Gasolene. DIgicel Rising Stars Winner 2010 Shuga enters the fray in full Martin Luther King mode with ‘I Dream of a Solution’ where she outlines her modern-day utopian vision, a world without segregation, corruption, and other social ills. It is a well-written song that shows that Shuga has great depth and conviction in her beliefs as she declares: "help me make a resolution, to live as one, let's live as one, unite!".
Exco Levi, one of the brightest new talents to have emerged in reggae in the past year, drops the unapologetic 'Leave the Herbs' where he asks Babylon to stop persecuting the ganja plant. He deejays: "It must be greed/why dem nuh waan mi brain fi feed/I no waan no cigarette fi mek my insides bleed". Levi also outlines instances of persecution such as police spot checks on the road but declares defiantly that "I nah hide mi weed inna no shorts or no brief".
Rastafarian firebrand I Octane uses his powerful voice to convey deep emotions on the track, Baby Don't Leave, with the song, crooning, 'I'm crying over she, weak inna mi knees, baby don't leave'. He bleeds all over the track as he apologizes for cheating on his amor, a slight that puts the breaking strain on his relationship, but Octane gives no exact details and that only adds to the intrigue of the situation.
All in all, this is a great one-drop project that shows that the art form is on a resurgence in the eyes of the international audience.
