Nature
Album: Life's Journey
Label: Downsound
Tracks: 15
Website: https://www.facebook.com/naturereggaedownsound?fref=ts

There's no shortage of expectation in reggae circles for what is effectively the international debut of one of Ja's brightest young talents. Signed up by Jamaican indie Downsound some five years ago, Nature has slowly built a reputation for quality songwriting with hit tunes including Wasting Time, World Peace - both included here - and Hold On, as well as telling performances at major showcases including Reggae Sting, Island Explosion and Reggae in the Park.

All of which adds up to a fairly hefty weight of hope riding on the back of the young man, but it's a load that has been made a lot lighter by the depth of this album, Produced by Cordell 'Skatta' Burrell.

The stand out tracks, in particular the title track (with Gramps Morgan) and the rasping Original Herbsman, readily pay their dues to reggae's great names and achieve a welcome state of grace in shadows that it is impossible to step out of. The album may be a track or two too long, but it is nothing if not earnest and heartfelt. Melodies pure and true trip from Nature's vocals and although he toys with the dancehall, this is closer in spirit to the vintage lovers rock blues parties than anything more brassy and electronic. It's natural, soulful and tinged with melancholy even at its most defiant.

For me though, the record really buzzes when it hints and what might be yet to come. Heard to best effect on the opening track, Trying Man, Nature is confident enough in his own songs and their delivery to rely on little more than an acoustic guitar for accompaniment. Liberated from the offbeat, he revels in the freedom to sing the lines in ways that feel right to him - truthful, mystical even. It's a treat.

Nick Churchill
www.thegranvillechambers.co.uk