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Review

Album Review: Jah Tung - Digital Degeneration

06/24/2023

by Gardy Stein

From Australia to the world! In comes Jah Tung, who, after The Soul Food EP in 2015 and a constant stream of singles, now presents his debut album by the title of Digital Degeneration. Most remarkably, this work is an almost single-handed effort of an artist who is so determined to get his music out there that he just did it, despite many odds. Released under the Swiss label Evidence Music, the twelve tracks included were written, produced and recorded by Jah Tung himself, with the occasional input of other musicians such as Dubvisionist (drums), Jack Shepherd, Julian Steel, Ward Hancock and Michael Iannotti (guitar), Tomas Fisher (horns) as well as backing vocals on all tracks by Yasmin Forrester, and mastering done by Douglas Wardrop.

THE BEGINNING:
Upright Bless, which starts on a heavy Nyabinghi percussion by Jideh High and contains an Indian-sounding instrument (the natural beauty of which is a bit diluted by the needless synth strings), introduces the firm convictions of the singer, lyrically delivered in "word, sound and power".  

THE MINDSET:
Thus introduced, Jah Tung's Rastafarian faith shines through in many other songs, whether presenting himself as "diligent disciple" in Come Back Stronger or singing about dietary preferences and healthy lifestyle in Ital Generation: "Think of your meal as medicine, 'cause energy is everything!"

Special importance is attributed to the title-track Digital Degeneration, felt both in the urgent warning of “progress without balance”, AI and our dependency on technology, and in the doom-and-gloom video animated by Digital Crow. Fascinating, and an important subject to raise indeed!

THE FEATURES:
The impressive list of featured artists on this album deserves a special mention, not self-evident for upcoming creatives, and a proof of Jah Tung's well-established global network. In Fly Away, we hear the voice of Tamika who is based in Germany, while US/VI vocalist Pressure Busspipe joins in to sing about the world-wide revolution of an Indigenous Government.

From Jamaica, the conscious Dancehall artist Bugle delivers in his usual immaculate style on Alright.  The accompanying video, created by AutoBars Ent. & Triple 4 Vision, features another artist: dancer Nanni Ruutz, who embodies the song's message of self-discipline and spiritual balance. Probably the biggest surprise is the inclusion of Grammy-winner Kabaka Pyramid, who seamlessly combines his lyrical skills with the smooth flow of Jah Tung on Behave Your Mouth. Produced by the same team mentioned above, the visuals take us on a journey to 1978, the year the cult movie Rockers was released. Grand!

THE CLOSING:
After the up-tempo Hold On, a vibrant, positive piece that encourages us to keep trying and not give up, the album closes with Guidance, my personal favourite. While some of the other tracks lack the analogue warmth of a full band, the decelerated sound on this one fits the emotive vocals of Micah Shemaiah perfectly.

Digital Degeneration is a ruminative album, a promising piece of work by a gifted singer and lyricist, brought to us cloaked in a beautiful cover by Elie-Ah.

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