Mikey General – Veteran
When it comes to unique sounding veteran artists Mikey General stands out from the pick, his individual sound and spiritual messages make him one to listen to. With a long spanning career and many songs and albums under his belt, British born Michael Taylor had relocated back to Jamaica when he was only two years old in 1965. Signs that Michael was a natural with a microphone and performing had started not long after this move, imitating songs on the radio and TV. The first recognition started when singing in school and the church choir.
At 16 years old he started working with big Kingston sound systems like Killamanjaro and later becoming good friends and working closely with Phillip “Fattis’ Burrell and his Xterminator Crew. Many associate Mikey with Luciano and they did meet as far back as 1993, for the first time at Castro Browns “New Name Studio” and both Mikey and Luciano did not just become friends, they also became in house artists with Fattis. Mikey’s natural talent with singing and performing should not be missed though as I know some do overlook his works because of the association with Luciano. Out of the many album releases over the decades two of my favourite albums are Spiritual Revolutionand the powerful album Exalt Jah. Also Red Gold Green, Stronger Rastaman and I’m Just A Rastaman are all worth a listen and are a worthwhile addition to all Reggae Lovers archives.
Mikey had contacted me to ask if he could come to the Pauzeradio.com studio to drop a copy of “African Story African Glory” so that I could have a listen and feature in the radio shows. I did not hesitate a moment to take him up on this offer and on the 6th Anniversary of the Unique Reggae Mix Show, Mikey General visited the studio and finally we met for the first time. This added to the excitement when listening to the album. I must say not only was I happy to meet, as I am with all artists and listeners alike, but also having a hard copy of a cd in hand is so much more satisfying than being sent an mp3. Not only that but the quality of the cd I could see right from when Mikey took it out of the bag along with a poster.
The Tunes
Already hyped I waited until the evening to give it a pre-listen before reviewing and here are my thoughts. This brand new album “African Story African Glory” starts with “Unbelievable” and what a way to start, definitely one of my favourites off this album. This song blesses us with good vibes and smooth silky vocals, pleasing to the ear, mind and soul. The deep penetrating lyrics are soothing and when combined with a very tight and crisp musical riddim it creates a hit song, this I am sure will have a big impact on all that listen. Moving onto the second song of the album Mikey joins forces with Toussaint to bring us a powerful educating song by the name of “I Blaze”. This classic sounding roots style riddim fits real nice and the message of the song is sure to clear up the confusion there seems to be in the world on this subject, which is quite clear from the title. The vocal performances from both artists are solid and make for a great combination, both artists complimenting each others sound. The lyrics just flow and the hook lines will catch your ears, which helps absorb the truth in the message.
Click HERE to read the rest of the African Story, African Glory Review!
Distributed by High Power Music Inc.
Copyright: 2012 Mikey General.
Release Date 03/12/12
Written by Gav Pauze – Pauzeradio.com 18/12/12
iTunes: African Story, African Glory – Mikey General
CD Available on Pauzeradio: Click here.
Featured in the Unique Reggae Mix Show: Click here.
