Junior Delgado Latest Project – Aim High
Picture the scene. You are standing on the corner of a bustling Kingston street. It’s a holiday and the bustling throng who blur in their movement before you are in a festive mood. A traveler who is keen to make the most of the visit, you soak up everything going on around you – the sights, the smells, but, above all else, the sounds.
Laughter intermingles with the chatter of excited voices. Then, in the distance, you hear what everyone is waiting for. The band. It is faint at first, but as they draw closer, you can hear the unmistakable sound of the pounding of bass drums and the exultant fanfare of trumpets.
That’s how AIM, the latest EP from Junior Delgado, introduces itself, and in doing so, it transports you, lifting and laying you down on that very street corner, slap bang in the eye of the fiesta. And for the next twenty-five minutes, it takes you by the hand and guides you on a quite fantastic voyage.
Always In My Memory
AIM, which means Always In My Memory, isn’t a new EP, nor is it an old one, although it sounds like both simultaneously. Its influences lie unmistakably in the golden age of Jamaican Music – 80s Roots Reggae fused with 90s Dancehall and R & B. On first listen you will swear it originates from that period by virtue of the fact that it oozes the vivid psychedelic hues of that period.
And yet…and yet. The more you listen, the more contemporary it sounds. There are washes of soul woven through the rhythms. Accomplished bursts of funk are present, as are distillations of reggae. With all of that fusion going on, it is evident that Junior Delgado is unquestionably an artist for the moment, with a sound that arrives as freshly as a just-landed red snapper. I did say, however, that AIM High isn’t a new record and, technically speaking, it isn’t.
Global Music
The EP was first recorded by Courtney ‘Blemo’ Crichton of Intelitec Music – The Crichton Clique some time ago but were never released. It was only after Junior’s passing that Blemo dug though his catalog and found them. The fact that we are now able to enjoy these euphoric sounds is down to the consistently brilliant Believe Digital label. The moment they first heard AIM, they were “blown away”, and determined to bring it across the Atlantic to Europe. The journey that the music takes the listener on is matched by the trajectory of the artist’s evolution.
Bass In Your Face
Whilst it’s not easy (nor entirely necessary) to choose, the finest vocal performance comes on the beautiful ballad, Never Let This Country Down. Indeed, this particular tune is AIM’s stand-out track. This time, the primary accompaniment comes not from the horn section, but the sublimely picked bass guitar. Never Let This Country Down is perhaps the first time on AIM that the guitars have the space to flourish. We don’t have to wait long for a reprise. The following track, Fight to the Top, may be short, but it is also the match of Never Let This Country Down.
Connect With Asani Ali & The Crichton Clique
Based on that, you could make a case for stating that Junior Delgado is actually at his best when he steps off the throttle a tad. Further evidence comes in the shape of the sorrowful soul ballad, Tear Drops. However, what makes AIM so great is the Delgado’s ability to mix it up to introduce slight deviations.
He isn’t afraid to introduce different influences to the mix, or to strip things back, and that’s precisely why this EP sounds so fresh. There’s enough brilliance going on to make AIM an incredibly worthwhile listen. It possesses several of the qualities of classic Reggae Music of the seventies and eighties, whilst bringing a modern feel.
This one is from the archives – Classic Junior Delgado and we have a whole lot more where that come from.
Courtney ‘Blemo’ Crichton
CEO The Crichton Clique
The vocal performances are as melodic as you will hear anywhere and the musical performances are nothing short of outstanding. Above all else, however, is the sheer quality of the songwriting. It is quite exemplary. In conclusion, is it an EP worth investing in.
“Aim High” Is distributed by Asani Ali Music through Believe Digital Worldwide and is available on all major Digital Platforms.
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