Alborosie ADD

Review

Album Review: F.Y.A.H. - Free Your Authentic Heart

02/21/2025

by Gardy Stein

Hands up - who’s ready for some fine, hand-crafted reggae music? Those with arms in the air should now press play on the album Free Your Authentic Heart by the acronymic group F.Y.A.H. The project grew around former Raging Fyah bassie Delroy “Pele” Hamilton, who sought new avenues to release the creativity bubbling inside of him during the pandemic. Inviting guitarist Nicolas Groskopf and singer Elton Earlington in, the trio soon started to work on first ideas and original creations, 12 of which are now presented on this debut album. Says Pele about its creation: “What started with simple voice-note recordings, pen and paper, and an acoustic guitar has now blossomed into the truest and purest reflection of how I was feeling and what I was going through, as well as what I wanted to share with the world. The songs on this album are very special to me, and I do hope that you’ll find the same solitude when you listen.”

Other first-class instrumentalists joined their ranks for the recording of said tracks, among them Wayne “C-Sharp” Clarke, Kirk Bennett, Oral Brown, Peter Samaru and Aston Barrett Jr. on drums, Andrew Marsh, Llamar Brown, Koriq Clarke and Kevon Webster on keys as well as Robert Malcolm, Hector “Roots” Lewis and the late Denver Smith on percussion.

Next to these grands, the artists featured on the album speak for its quality right from the start. Thus, Steel Pulse is heard on the opener Freedom Fighter, a fast-paced livication to all rebels “fighting for truth and rights”. With Alborosie, another big name appears on the track I Believe, but instead of sharing the mic, he contributes his skills on guitar, keyboard, percussion and studio equipment, as the song was recorded in his Schengen Studio.

The beautiful Hold I Head Up harbors a similar surprise. Here Glen Browne, known as one of the top reggae guitar and bass players, adds wisdom to the encouraging lyrics with an astonishingly warm, full and comforting voice. Speaking of warm: UK-based singer Hollie Cook joins Elton in the sweet duet I’m With You, and lucky are those who can wrap their arms around a loved one to dance along to its tender beat! Love is also the subject of songs like Cool Down (shoutout to Sheldon Palmer on the horns section!), Live My Life and the funky Love Got A Hold, while Oh Oh Oh celebrates the undeniable power of music.    

Other issues touched in this overall very conscious album are encouragement in Never Give Up and self-reflection in Where You Gonna Run. The title track, finally, hails the unique life story each of you can tell, the experiences that shape who you are, if you allow yourself to Free Your Authentic Heart. “No more shackles and chains, no more mental restraints, no more stress pon we brain, let it go!”

Transcending genre limits with its almost hymn-like arrangement, Brighter Day closes the album on a hopeful note. It again showcases Elton’s range as a vocalist, and along with the instrumental prowess the other 11 tracks testify to, we certainly see a stable addition to Jamaica’s musical landscape with this new group, F.Y.A.H. Looking forward to some fire live shows!

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