E.N. Young continues to produce the better American reggae and together with Mighty Mystic and Inna Vision that once again results in two excellent albums.
'The Art Of Balance' is the third long player by Mighty Mystic, a Jamaican from Saint Elizabeth who's been based in Boston for several decades now. For 'The Art Of Balance', Mark Holness, as Mystic is really called (his stage name both refers to his father's nickname and the neighborhood in Boston where he grew up), joined forces with producer E.N. Young, the reason this album is released on his Roots Musician Records label. Mystic describes his music as "hard roots", reggae with influences from rock (opener 'How I Rock') and hip-hop. The fact Mystic occasionally draws on the works of the great Bob Marley, is evident from songs like 'Easy', clearly inspired on Bob's 'Waiting In Vain', and 'Red Light Girl', in which we heard traces of 'No Woman, No Cry'. As the title suggests, 'The Art Of Balance' offers a balanced mix of conscious tracks ('Boys In Blue', a critique of the often excessive police violence in the United States, 'Is Not Gold', 'Only The Strong'), lovers tunes ('Red Light Girl', 'Woman', 'Easy'...) and of course ganja anthems ('High Grade', 'Somethin Bout Mary').
Inna Vision is a trio from Maui (Koa Lopes - bass & vocals, Calvin Canha - drums, Kama Kane - guitar), doing their thing in Hawaii ever since 2005 and with 'Lifted' presenting their fifth long player. On 'Lifted' Inna Vision serve up Jamaican tinted new roots with the odd nod to the past. 'Lifted' appears on E.N. Young's Roots Musician Records label and, together with the brothers of New Kingston, he can be heard in 'Faith In Love'. Other guests are Maad T-Ray, Irie Love, Star (vocalist with Hawaiian reggae band The Steppas) and Jamaican singjay Gavinchi Brown. We were most taken with the contribution of the latter in the great ganja tune 'Just A Little', a song over Sister Nancy's 'Bam Bam'. Top tune is without the slightest doubt 'Bad', for which Inna Vision used a sample of the Take Five riddim (not the riddim based on the well-known jazz instrumental, but an eponymous one known from tracks like Little John's 'Mix Up' or Don Carlos' 'Mr. Big Man' and in an updated version, as the Militancy riddim, from Protoje's 'Resist Not Evil' and Iba Mahr's 'Step Away'). Highly recommended album and yet another reason to book a ticket to the Hawaiian Islands.