REVIEW: Shabba Ranks and Friends, Shabba Ranks and Friends (Epic)
- Joann D. Ball
The critical and commercial success of Lauryn Hill and the Fugees represents the latest approach to blending of American R&B and hip-hop with reggae. A similar African Diaspora musical reunion took place earlier this decade, when Jamaican dance hall king Shabba Ranks demonstrated the tremendous possibilities of blending his brand of reggae with the urban/contemporary R&B and hip-hop sounds of the time. Because Shabba's efforts were often brilliant collaborations with talented performers from the U.S. and his native Jamaica, it is fitting that his greatest hits collection is called Shabba Ranks and Friends.
Shabba added a new twist to the combination of musical styles and sounds which was evident in the Bronx, New York origins of hip-hop music and culture. He also drew upon the foundation laid by Stevie Wonder, when the musical genius introduced R&B audiences to the classic reggae sound of Jamaican legend Bob Marley in the late 1970s/early 1980s (on the song "Jammin'/Master Blaster). Shabba Ranks' approach was so dynamic because it featured ample amounts of bass and sexuality, at a time when American R&B music and urban contemporary radio desperately needed something fresh and exciting.
Shabba Ranks first gained attention stateside with his 1991 debut Raw As Ever. The record featured a collaboration with rapper KRS-One (from Boogie Down Productions) on "The Jam," which became Shabba's first American crossover hit. It was the July 1992 follow-up, Rough and Ready, Vol. 1, that really established Shabba as a musical and sexual tour de force. On "Mr. Loverman," the album's lead track and smash hit single, it was clear that he was absolutely serious about taking care of business. That Shabba and female vocalist Cheuvelle Franklin repeatedly called out his name throughout the song in celebration of his microphone and bedroom skills was undeniable proof of Shabba's unmistakable abilities.
Shabba's rough and ready approach meshed easily with contemporary R&B and hip-hop, making the dance hall-driven sound the ultimate form of urban dance music. Less than three months after "Mr. Loverman"'s conquest, Shabba let it all hang out on X-Tra Naked. This third record was also a commercial success, due in part to the sultry hit "Slow and Sexy." The combination of Shabba's raw reggae sex appeal with the smooth and slick soul of former New Edition heartthrob Johnny Gill was irresistible, and unabashedly suggestive.
With a string of successful records, three massive singles and constant airplay on urban radio, it seemed as though Shabba Ranks and his innovative sound was making permanent and long-lasting inroads into the urban contemporary format. But perhaps it was too much too soon. While the collaboration with Maxi Priest on "House Call (Your Body Can't Lie To Me)" from the 1993 release Rough and Ready, Vol. 2 was well received, it didn't match the success of the previous singles. And despite the strength of Shabba's fifth effort A Mi Shabba (which featured a collaboration with Mykal Rose on the Black Uhuru classic "Shine Eye Gal" and a duet with reggae femme fatale Patra on "Ice Cream Love"), the record failed to receive the attention it deserved.
Maybe it's still not too late for Shabba Ranks to make a triumphant return. With the release of the eleven-song collection Shabba Ranks and Friends, there is a chance that Shabba's later work will be rediscovered and his groundbreaking hits resurrected. Not too long ago, Shabba Ranks had his finger on the pulse of a new promising sound, and the new track "Mr. G." suggests that Shabba still knows how to deliver the goods. Here's hoping that he rises to the top once again during this current revival of R&B, hip-hop and reggae fusion.
