J Written ADD

Review

Album Review: J Written - Kaleidoscope

06/21/2024

by Steve Topple

Jamaican artist J Written has been treading his artistic path since around 2018, with a part in the recent Bob Marley biopic, too. However, his debut album is now here and it shows an artist full of potential.

Kaleidoscope, released via Nah Ramp Music, sees J Written flex his musical muscles across 10 tracks. He’s under the watchful eye of industry veteran Gary “Doctor Dread” Himelfarb and it shows across this slick and well-executed project.

Work To Do with its opening piano lilt has echoes of Zion I Kings in its lush arrangement, electric organ line, and nods to dub, while J Written builds a strong narrative around those of us who are spiritual following Jah’s path because there are “people to save”. West Indies ups the ante further with a more involved composition featuring fluid horns, a stirring string riff, and it all being wrapped up with J Written’s frantic singjay paying tribute to the Islands.

Alright is a tonal shift for Kaleidoscope, seeing Afro-RnB (drums on the former, additional instrumentation on the latter) come in across a brooding major-to-minor composition that is both moving and engaging – as is J Written’s impassioned vocal and lyrics about inner strength and faith. Blood, Sweat, And Tears winds things back to roots but with some nice inflections of soul and jazz, notably across the horns use of blue notes and J Written’s meandering, delicate vocal performance about conscious integrity.

King Kong is a fast-paced roots affair – feeling like steppers but without the four-to-the-floor. It’s made quick by the rapid-fire guitar skanks and double-time bubble rhythm at points. All this is levelled out by some nice breaks, and J Written’s quick-fire yet smooth vocal. Prisoner takes Kaleidoscope back to 80s dancehall with its root-seventh chord progression, stripped-back arrangement, and sprightly singjay from J Written – but then, the bridge breaks out into something more fluid, and his lyrics about early lockdown are strong (and at times amusing).

Next, Fear To Understand brings superstar Alborosie on board across a modern roots track, with some pleasing rasping guitar and expressive sax lines. Both artists are well-matched (having worked together before) and there’s great lyrical content about Babylon’s toxicity. My Queen is an attractive and modern lovers rock track, albeit with the reggae influences toned down (the skank and bubble rhythm being distant).

Keep The People Poor is a forthright and unrepentant cut complete with a winding sitar and rasping guitar playing off against each other but across a hybrid cut of dancehall and rock; revelatory, much like J Written’s vocal and lyrics around Babylon’s trickery. Kaleidoscope closes with Alright Dub, a decent example of the genre.

Overall, Kaleidoscope is a strong debut from J Written. He’s at his most interesting when he a) branches off from roots, and b) maxes-out his understated vocal – but every track is extremely potent, and a bright future awaits.

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