Messenger (Luciano album)

Messenger
Studio album by
Luciano
Released1996
GenreReggae[1]
LabelXterminator
Island Jamaica[2]
ProducerPhilip "Fatis" Burrell
Luciano chronology
Where There Is Life
(1995) 		Messenger
(1996) 		Reggae Max
(1997)

Messenger is an album by the Jamaican musician Luciano, released in 1996.[3][4] It reached the top 10 on Billboard's Top Reggae Albums chart.[5] Luciano supported the album with a North American tour.[6]

Production

The album was produced by Philip "Fatis" Burrell.[7][8] Dean Fraser and Sly Dunbar contributed to Messenger.[9][10] Many of the songs are about the greatness of Jah; others convey uplifting messages.[11][12] Luciano considered the album to be a slight pushback against the dancehall style of reggae.[13][14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
Contra Costa Times[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[16]
The Guardian[17]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide[8]
The Province[12]
The Republican[14]
The Sydney Morning Herald[18]
The Tampa Tribune[10]

The Guardian deemed Messenger "an album replete with haunting songs, intelligently arranged, particularly 'Life', 'Guess What's Happening' and the title track."[17] The Independent thought that "Burrell's production this time offers a too strangely synthetic space for Luciano's voice to inhabit."[19] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch opined that "a lot about Messenger is nondescript or cliched," writing that "since the rhythms are solid, but generally unobtrusive ... the singer and his messages are left to seize the day."[20]

The Sydney Morning Herald called the album "slick, solidly constructed and immaculately produced, clearly intended to cross over to mainstream listeners."[18] The Philadelphia Tribune labeled it "another melodic and lyrically potent musical mix that focuses on culturally conscious reggae and draws on [Luciano's] deeply religious Rastafarian roots and social commitments."[21] Nashville Scene listed Messenger among the top 10 "unclassifiable" albums of 1997.[22]

AllMusic wrote that "Messenger trips the light fantastic, gliding across genres, sliding across styles, shifting elegantly amidst the record's many moods, creating a mature album that remains one of Luciano's best."[15]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Messenger" 
2."Life" 
3."Mama" 
4."Over the Hills" 
5."Never Give Up My Pride" 
6."Rainy Days" 
7."Friend in Need" 
8."How Can You" 
9."Feel Like Moving" 
10."Carry Jah Load" 
11."Guess What's Happening" 

References

  1. ^ a b Kallam, Clay (March 21, 1997). "'Messenger' Luciano". Contra Costa Times. p. TAB29.
  2. ^ Reece, Doug (Feb 22, 1997). "Popular Uprisings". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 8. p. 17.
  3. ^ Thompson, Dave (July 13, 2002). Reggae & Caribbean Music. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-0-87930-655-7.
  4. ^ Spencer, Neil (27 Oct 1996). "Luciano Messenger". The Observer Review Page. The Observer. p. 11.
  5. ^ "Top Reggae Albums". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 21. May 24, 1997. p. 43.
  6. ^ Feist, Daniel (14 Mar 1997). "One good Luciano deserves another". The Gazette. Montreal. p. C5.
  7. ^ Verna, Paul (Apr 12, 1997). "Messenger". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 15. p. 65.
  8. ^ a b MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 451.
  9. ^ Schulman, Sandra (18 May 1997). "Message for a global village". Sun-Sentinel. p. 3D.
  10. ^ a b Ross, Curtis (May 2, 1997). "Luciano, Messenger". Friday Extra!. The Tampa Tribune. p. 17.
  11. ^ Lewis, Angela (16 Nov 1996). "Luciano plays Malcolm X Centre". Pop & Jazz. The Independent. p. 25.
  12. ^ a b Harrison, Tom (21 Aug 1997). "Luciano: Messenger". The Province. p. B10.
  13. ^ Darling, Cary (February 14, 1997). "Luciano accepts mission to return reggae to roots". Orange County Register. p. F53.
  14. ^ a b O'Hare, Kevin (February 23, 1997). "Luciano, 'Messenger'". The Republican. p. D5.
  15. ^ a b "Luciano Messenger". AllMusic.
  16. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 364.
  17. ^ a b Glanvill, Rick (1 Nov 1996). "Reggae". The Guardian. p. T16.
  18. ^ a b Danielsen, Shane (20 Jan 1997). "Messages and I". The Guide. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 4.
  19. ^ Gill, Andy (1 Nov 1996). "Luciano Messenger". Pop. The Independent. p. 12.
  20. ^ Kuelker, Michael (22 May 1997). "Messenger". Get Out. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 8.
  21. ^ Brown, Avonie (28 Mar 1997). "Reggae's popularity continues to surge". The Philadelphia Tribune. p. 8E.
  22. ^ McCall, Michael (December 25, 1997). "Between the Cracks". Nashville Cream. Nashville Scene.