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Jahcoustix (aka Dominik Haas) spent much of his youth travelling the world (Mexico, Liberia, New York) until he got to Egypt and Kenya. Living in Nairobi, he got his love of African culture, met Rastafarians and immersed himself in the roots of reggae: Marley, Burning Spear and Culture. In the UK, the equivalent would have been Steel Pulse and Misty In Roots and these tracks certainly have echoes of all these influences.

Four of the fourteen tracks were produced by Peter Hoppe (who has worked with Boozoo Bajou), seven by Umberto Echo and the Dubois Neighbourhood team and three by Haas and Felix Occhionero. Recorded in various parts of Germany, it was then shipped off to master reggae mixer/engineer Jim Fox to give it those final touches.

The opening track, ‘Somebody’ is going to be released as a single. A personal declaration of self-awareness, its upbeat bounce is perfect for daytime radio. And while on the subject of Radio, ‘Steppin’ Forward’ and ‘Hot Stone’ are like a step back in time to when Third World dominated the airways.

Two tracks in particular stand out as for their poetry, ‘The Truth Behind It All’ (that bit of a vibes solo is inspired stuff) and ‘Suffer’. The truth hurts as ‘The Truth Behind It All, is far better than ‘Somebody’ and you’re not going to get away from it, the message on ‘Suffer’ inevitably gets into Marley territory — with twangy guitar solo n’all. And then there’s ‘Musical Soldier’, which you can’t help but love for its cheeky spirit and positive declaration of independence.

The Willie Mason of roots-reggae angle (‘Appreciation’, ‘Special Place’, ‘Vision Of A Lady’) is just as strong as the full band based material. His voice isn’t as soulful as a Joe Dukie but ‘Wishful Thinking’ gets very dubby Fat Freddy’s Drop with some echoin’ horn (its deceptive and a 12” mix might be a good move).

And just for good measure, ‘Salam Aleikum’ and ‘Afreeca’ showcase his world influences.

With such a solid album, it’s a shame that the single is perhaps this weakest of all the tracks. It might be more commercial if he settled on one producer and one style, but I love the variety here. Jahcoustix is an obvious favourite for gigs and festivals (he’s done 150 including Montreux Jazz and Sudoeste in Portugal) and this album certainly helps to spread the message of peace and love.

On Tour:
11.08 A-Bildein — Picture-on Festival
18.08 Übersee — Chiemsee Reggae Festival
31.08 A-Oberwaltersdorf — Connect 07
01.09 Hamm — Reggae Summer Night (solo acoustic show)
04.09 Berlin — Sage Club (longside mit Ben Mosh ri)

Hectic Mix nominations: ‘The Truth Behind It All’, ‘Suffer’, ‘Wishful Thinking’, ‘Hot Stone’, ‘Musical Soldier’, ‘Special Place’

Reviewed: Jahcoustix and the Dubios Neighbourhood — Grounded (Modern Soul) Cat. No. 8869708882 Release date: 30th July 2007
1. Somebody
2. Steppin’ Forward
3. Hot Stone
4. The Truth Behind It All
5. Suffer
6. Appreciation
7. On The Way feat. Conscious Fiyah
8. Musical Soldier
9. Wishful Thinking
10. Vision Of A Lady
11. Goodman
12. Salam Aleikum
13. Afreeca
14. Special Place

Links:
www.jahcoustix.net
www.dubiousneighbourhood.de
www.baobab-familty -project.org “please support Baobab Family Project, which has established a home for street children in East Africa”.
Riddim — Cover disk CD #28. Jahcoustix featuring — Dubios Neighbourhood- Hot Stone (4:57)www.riddimmag.com Riddim, Rolandstr. 69, 50677 Cologne, Germany