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Review

Album Review: Lutan Fyah - Strength And Resilience

02/27/2025

by Gardy Stein

“You got to have strength and resilience, to get I through these tough times.”

Climate change, armed conflicts, glaring injustice in the distribution of the world’s riches, right-wing governments all over the place… never have words rung more true than the quote above. It is a line taken from the lead single of Lutan Fyah’s newest masterpiece, an album called Strength And Resilience. Produced under the dulcet umbrella of St. Croix’ I Grade Records, it continues the collaboration started with 2017’s Music Never Dies, and, bearing on our recent  interview with the artist, there will be more to come.

For now, we are invited to discover thirteen original tracks, meticulously crafted by the both innovative and roots-oriented minds of the Zion I Kings Laurent “Tippy I” Alfred, Andrew “Moon” Bain and “Jah David” Goldfine. Those of you who have dived deeper into reggae waters know that these names stand for high quality productions, and in this particular case, additional expertise has been secured by Lloyd “Junior” Richards and Romaine “Teflon Zincfence” Arnett on drums, Okiel McIntyre on trumpet and trombone, Zoe Brown on flute and the late Andrew “Drew Keys” Stoch on keys.

Their joint magic enchants our ears right from the start, as Warning Dem not only contains awe-inspiring brass and flute harmonies, but also that unique, warm voice of Lutan Fyah, delivering oh-so-true lyrics. “People lose their common sense, madness take over them…”  Similar in seriousness and tempo (though with additional trap hi-hats), Pieces Of Broken Soul thematizes the growing isolation and impoverishment of urban homeless people, one of the many problematic side effects of so-called modern societies.

Other subjects touched on in this deeply spiritual release are corruption and bad mind in Drain The Swamp, personal struggle and success in Secrets, the advice to learn from your mistakes in Tomorrow From Today as well as a mother’s love in Listen Mama. Fine examples of the stylistic diversity included are the tracks African Children, combining harmonious wind instrumentals with earthen drums and Lutan’s vocal fire, and Protect Your Energy, a highly danceable, up-tempo piece that speaks about the necessity to watch in what (and who) you invest your time.

Turning to the features, they are no less spectacular than the musical contributions. Queen Omega makes a powerful appearance in Days After Summer, a song addressing rising temperatures and environmental protection and asking Mother Nature to “please spare us from your wrath”. We need more of that in the contemporary pop music discourse!

Given the album’s origin (and the well-known comradeship between Lutan Fyah and the late Vaughn Benjamin), it is not astonishing to find Akae Beka on the track list. Just The Time is the name of their joint venture, recorded during one of Fyah’s frequent visits to the Virgin Islands, and together the artists reason about so many issues that repeated listening is in order to grasp them all. “I can feel it now, music affecting my chord, an upful spirit ina heart, striving for betterment high…”

A big surprise is the third feature, whose name was kept a secret until the very last moment. None other than Chronixx adds his long-missed presence to Freedom Sound, and the skillful interplay of these two grand voices, from smooth highs to full lows, along with the perfectly arranged instrumental parts, makes this song a personal favorite. Goosebumps and instant replay!

The two other aspirants for the (admittedly very subjective) title of “favorite tune” are Leader Before Me, praising the Most High, and the title track Strength And Resilience. Consummate in every aspect, it is so beautiful that it brings blissful tears to my eyes; tempo, pitch, guitar, melody and words seem to have been plucked directly from that divine sphere harboring all great creations, waiting for the right people to reap them.

The right people have definitely come together here. Strength And Resilience is an album with music as it should be, filled with beauty and wisdom. It is speaking to your soul like a calm conversation with a loved one, an instructive documentary or a wholesome book captivating your attention from the first page to the last. Thank you, team Lutan, for this gem! Coming back to the quote in the beginning, strength and resilience are indeed urgently needed to face today’s challenges, but, as we are also told in the song, together we will make it: “Don’t be afraid, gwaan play your game, push on, push on!”

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