Hailing from St Anne’s Bay, Chezidek has been in the scene for a few years now with Inna Di Road being his debut release on the Greensleeves label.
Known as an herbalist and environmentalist, Chezidek showcases songs of love, integrity and consideration for both humanity and the environment. His love of righteousness and Rastafari earned him the unusual name, MelChezidek, a biblical name meaning king of righteousness. In the last couple of years Chezidek has dropped the Mel from the name.
This is strictly a reggae release and has a positive, nice consistent vibe throughout the album. Produced by Bobby Konders from the infamous Massive B label, this album is full of heavyweight riddims familiar to us all. Chezidek has a very distinctive voice and sings in falsetto often which may be irritating to some.
The album opens with the title track, Inna Di Road, on the Jah Love riddim and showcases Chezideks’ unique vocal range. Rastafari is referred often throughout on this album particularly on Far I and the catchy Vampire.
The Truth and Rights riddim is used for Dem A Fight We and works well. Probably the biggest tune on the album and enjoying high rotation worldwide is Call Pon Dem – definitely one for the dance floor! Leave the Trees has featured on many reggae compilations over the years and it’s nice to see this environmentally focused song on an album release.
Dancehall does feature on this album but only for one song, the catchy Me Nah Run, sitting nicely alongside the reggae flavour of the rest of the release. The lovely She Struggles highlights the pressure and conflicts women face while supporting and raising a family alone.
Overall this is a solid release from Chezidek – it may not be to everyones liking but it will be one that I’ll be listening to this summer!
Justine
