Cornerstone - City Runnings (RRTCD017)-Reissue_CD
Artist : Cornerstone
Album : City Runnings (RRTCD017)-Reissue_CD
Year : 2008
Genre : Reggae
Source : CDDA
Label : Reggae Retro
CatNr : RRTCD 017
URL : www.reggaeretro.co.uk
Date : 28-12-2008
Quality : VBR
Size : 65,6 MB
Time : 58:54 min
01 city runnings 03:52
02 tell me how it matters 04:07
03 burning in the city 04:13
04 inner city reggae 04:08
05 ibo woman 03:42
06 fighting to be free 04:02
07 wild one 03:54
08 chi chi bud 03:52
09 move off satan 03:58
10 colour of your money 04:06
11 meaning of life 03:34
12 fact of fiction 03:56
13 dont play with fire 03:40
14 make up 03:53
15 a time for love 03:57
This newly re-mastered release of the original 1994 album from
Cornerstone documents an interesting period in British reggae, with its
accent on strong melody, recurring urban themes in the lyrics, and sharp
digital instrumentation.
Cornerstone is essentially the band name for Neville Brown, who put
together and performs this album and enjoys most of the writing credits.
The production in this uplifting set of tracks is crystal clear, with
the vocals mixed up front for maximum effect. The album opens with the
strong title track, establishing the inner-city theme present
throughout. This is the sound of Handsworth, Birmingham, and of British
society of the time - reflected in the overall atmosphere of the album.
The pace varies from the loversÆ rock musical style of Tell Me How It
Matters (with its contrasting lyrics about politics and religion) to the
emerging ragga sound of Inner City Reggae. There is an old-style melodic
feel in Move Off Satan, while Fact or Fiction captures Neville BrownÆs
trademark vocal harmonies. Fighting to be Free is a great one-chord
reggae workout in the best tradition. Although the songs vary, the
instrumental programming is fairly uniform throughout and the album
would have gained strength from more light and shade in the
arrangements, whether slowing it down for an acoustic treatment or
providing a greater variety in the mix.
The album is very much of its time and place, the digital sounds and
crisp instrumentation ironically dating the overall production more than
some releases from earlier decades. But the strength of the album is in
Neville BrownÆs songs, in his vocals, and in its resolute spirit. The
reappearance of this music from 1990s Birmingham is a welcome reminder
of the strength of authentic reggae writing during a time of transition.