Richie Campbell - In The 876
ARTIST........: Richie Campbell
TITLE.........: In The 876
LABEL.........: Sony Music
URL...........: http://www.facebook.com/RichieCampbellOfficial
GENRE.........: Reggae
QUALITY:......: 242 kbps avg/ 44100Hz / Joint Stereo
RIP DATE......: 2015-05-13
RELEASE DATE..: 2015-05-05
Tracklist:
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01. In the 876 0:28
02. I Feel Amazing 3:31
03. Best Friend 3:38
04. Feels Like (feat. Agent Sasco) 3:32
05. 25 to Life 3:06
06. Man Don't Cry 4:26
07. That's Not Mine 5:11
08. Get Over You (feat. Toian) 3:48
09. Give It All Away 3:23
10. Knock Me Out (feat. Sara Tavares) 4:26
11. Rise From We Fall 3:38
12. Standing Firm 3:51
13. Better Than Today 5:07
Total 48:05
Release Notes:
"What an unexpected surprise! Coming out of the first round of listening to the
secret release In The 876, I had to take a deep breath before I could proceed.
Richie Campbell, the young Portuguese singer who almost sounds like a Jamaican,
has created an exciting album without anyone knowing - and will now certainly
stand in the middle of a whole heap of attention!
So far, I have never even heard of something like a secret release. It must have
been hard for everybody involved to keep quiet about all the goodness coming our
way. Honestly, most of the 12 tracks included are scorchers. Produced by
Nicholas 'Niko Lifeline' Browne for Bridgetown Records, both the quality of the
recordings and the conception of the whole work are breathtaking. Conceptually,
the songs of the album are interrelated, connected by short messages voiced by
different people: Jesse, Toian and Niko make it a lively affair, much more than
just a playlist of songs, and Richie himself says in the beginning "You haffi be
in the 876" to feel the vibe. Hence the title û another little mystery, that is
however easily resolved by anyone who has personal contacts to Jamaica. Can you
guess? +876 is the area code of the island!
After this short intro, we land right in the middle of everything with Feel
Amazing. Just wait until this one drops in the dances - there will be pull-ups
and sing-alongs and dancing frenzies for sure. Positive message and a veeeeery
danceable beat make it a perfect opener for the album, in line with the included
motto "You haffi fit fi mek a hit!". Richie definitely is. Not only the choice
of topics (love is a big one, of course, treated in the video-accompanied Best
Friend or the apologetic 25 To Life), but also the variety of styles contribute
to the freshness experienced with this release.
In a lovers rock style, for instance, Give It All Away tells the ladies to wait
with the first time when dating a man: "I've got time and I don't mindà". How
sweet! Some romantic Latino-vibes shine through in Knock Me Out, due for a big
part to the sexy voice of fellow Portuguese singer Sara Tavares. Other features
include Toian in Get Over You and a fantastic Jesse Royal in That's Not Mine, an
assertion of innocence to the officers who obviously found some illegal stuff
during one of the rampant Jamaican police blocks. In Feels Like, the one called
Agent Sasco makes the tune bubble over with some wicked vocal contribution, and
Richie rides the up-tempo riddim like an old-school DJ as well. Along with
eye-winking lyrics ("Gentleman step in, so me naa di only white man here."), the
two singers make this tune one of the gems of the oeuvre.
On a more serious note, pure consciousness is brought across in Rise From We
Fall, Standing Firm and Man Don't Cry, although the experiences of sufferation
in the latter ring a bit hollow given the fact that Ricardo Costa (Richie's
civil name) very likely didn't grow up lacking. The album releases us with the
touching Better Than Today, an acoustic beauty that gives hope to anyone
struggling with difficult situations.
Meanwhile, the songs have been rotating on my player for a few days and I'm
still breathless, this time from singing along the uplifting lyrics at the top
of my voice. In The 876 is a delicious secret finally revealed to the world û
make sure you discover it!"