Tydal Kamau ADD

Review

Review: Tydal - Journey Of A Young Warrior EP

03/25/2014

Journey Of A Young Warrior is an interesting debut of a promising artist

Review: Tydal - Journey Of A Young Warrior EP

Shyness isn’t the best precondition for a successful career as a singer. Maybe his extroversion is the reason why Navardo “Tydal” Graham took so long to release a first EP. Born in the countryside of St. Mary in 1982, he wrote his first song at the age of nine. Conscious dancehall of the 1990s and especially Buju Banton inspired him to pursue a career in musics. It wouldn’t be until 2008 though that he got some airplay in Jamaica with his single Smile. It’s been a long journey for this young warrior so far, whose debut EP, Journey Of A Young Warrior, is available now.

This seven track record comes with modern roots and dancehall riddims produced by Master One Productions, Penthouse Records, House of Riddim, and Sweat Box Productions. Master One Productions is responsible for the overall production.

They should have invested in decent mastering – the volume levels vary over the record, and that is a huge flaw. Too bad, as this somewhat spoils the debut of a very promising conscious artist with noteworthy songwriting and a distinctive voice. A humble one on top of it. The Jamaica Observer quotes Tydal: “The finished product is good; I just hope fans will give it a listening ear.” That is lightyears away from the standard “instant classic” and “reinvention of music” rhetoric so many dancehall and reggae artists like to employ. Tydal lets his music speak for itself.

In his songs, Tydal, who stems from a modest social background, denounces the violence of political leaders (Tears Like Mine), urges the youths to speak out (Silent Warrior), or gives a haunting account of Street Life. He dreams of following Mama Africa’s call (the wonderful Somewhere In Africa), stays far from negativity and false friends (Draw Di Line), and wants to stay in his girlfriend’s mind (Stuck In Your Mind).

Despite the varying volume levels and sometimes insufficient quality of production, Journey Of A Young Warrior is an interesting debut of a promising artist. Guided by the right producer, Tydal could rise much higher than the waves that inspired his name.