Beenie Man Back To Basics Review

Dancehall has burst the doors of the Urban scene wide open in the last few years. With artists like Sean Paul and Elephant Man leading the charge, ' Beenie Man- the 'Gal dem Sugar - is back to reclaim his crown.

Back To Basics is just what it claims to be. Beenie has shunned the genre's acceptanceby the mainstream market for an old skool sound which could easily have been produced in the nineties. There's not a Neptunes' collaboration in sight.

And what's on the menu? Sex, sex and more sex!

Not that this raw approach has got in the way of Beenie's appeal; nobody could ignore the phenomenal worldwide success of "Dude", a song that praised the virtue of men with stamina; 'I want a man with the wickedest slam'. Don't we all, darling!

"King of the Dancehall", the second single from the album, is aptly named for the man who made the difficult transition from childhood deejay (at the ripe old age of 5) to reggae superstar. Beenie celebrates his prowess in more places than the dancehall, though I fear this track will prove far too sexually explicit for the mainstream audience.

And let's make it clear, this is a hardcore album. If tales of Beenie's prowess aren't your cup of tea, you may find Back To Basics hard to swallow. There are a few quieter moments, including the gospel inspired "If A Neva God", but these serve only to highlight the libidinous content of the whole.

However, for the Beenie Man fan base and lovers of dancehall in its truest form, this disc will slot easily into their collection and reconfirm his status as an institution on the scene. Beenie brings it 'Back To Basics', as only he can.