Stefaan Colman is barely twenty-five years old, but already he is hailed as Belgium's new roots reggae promise. In reggae that's referred to as "pressure" and the question remained wither he could defend his fledgling status with this album debut. For 'The Same Blood' Collieman left little to chance: he joined forces with Asham Band, without competition the best backing band in the Low Countries, and recorded the album at the brand new Majestic Studio in Hever. To put the icing on the cake, the "final mix" of 'The Same Blood' was done by Not Easy At All Productions, the Dutch production team who already offered us great albums by, among others, Chezidek and Earl Sixteen. Collieman clearly paid attention to the work of his Jamaican cousins and in that perspective a mama-tune couldn't be missing from the track list. 'Mama Of Devotion' is not our favorite track on the album though as we preferred the great horn section on opener 'Smile' and the nyahbinghi-inspired riddim on title track 'The Same Blood'. For the upbeat 'Cyan Stop Us Swing', Collieman is joined by DJ Simon 'Saimn-I' Decante, his regular wingman on stage, giving the track the chemistry it needs. Fans of well-known riddims will find what they are looking for in 'Drama Queens', over an adaptation of Burning Spear's 'Rocking Time'. In true old school style 'The Same Blood' is concluded with four dub versions of songs from the track list. Impressive debut effort!