Unstoppable Fyah ADD

Review

Album Review: Unstoppable Fyah & Brainfood Intl. - Rebirth 333

10/18/2024

by Steve Topple

This year is something of a rebirth for Unstoppable Fyah. Six years after his debut album, he’s back with a body of work put together with a long-time friend. Rebirth 333 is the first full collaboration album between Jamaican Fyah and Polish-German producer Brainfood Intl. It also features Serbian multi-instrumentalist Aca across all ten tracks – making the album a true cross-border affair. The production and mastering are very slick – delivering a rounded and complete package.

The album opens with Rise featuring Fantan Mojah, strikingly bringing something traditionally African to the album as regimental drums are backdropped against pleasing choral backing vocals, a lilting piano line, and gently strumming guitars. Fyah and Mojah are impassioned with their cries for people to rise in righteousness and it’s a glorious opener.

Change Me then treads a lovers rock path, featuring classic reggae musical devices coupled with some stark dub arrangement at points, and a passionate vocal from Fyah. Clean Up Your Heart featuring German soul singer Flo Mega is ostensibly roots, but with some nice inflections across additional instrumentation, with Fyah keeping vocal pace with an impressive Mega as they implore us to act consciously.

On My Mission is more dub than roots with its hard bassline, great samples, and Fyah’s rapid-fire singjay around personal strength which uses clever wordplay around cannabis, while Still In Love is another lovers rock cut, but with intertwining dub and reggae influences. Nah Run winds the ante back somewhat, as a stripped-back arrangement focuses on the keys and a smooth vocal from Fyah lyrically focuses on integrity with one’s beliefs.

Stop Pressure Me switches things up, as a steppers four-to-the-floor makes the BPM feel rapid, while strings smooth this out and Fyah’s frantic vocal is excellently executed – filled with the frustration of the lyrics. Light it Up featuring Lion D brings things up to date, with its trap-influenced drum line, stark synths, and a great spoken word section from Fyah and vocal from Lion D around the legalisation of weed.

Next, Eyes Wide Open featuring Zamunda and Inti is a crisp and brisk roots cut, focusing on higher-register instruments and synths, with some great work across the ominous drum arrangement creating a feeling of foreboding, The three artists are well-suited, and the narrative around not falling for the system’s tricks is strong.

The album closes with Move and Groove (Bonus Track). It’s a gorgeous cut, with its stark synths, heavy drum and bass lines, and pleasingly arranged horns. Fyah is at his rhythmic best, here, spitting bars at an impressive rate of knots across intricate melodic lines. It’s heavy and winds really well.

Overall, Rebirth 333 is potent work from Fyah and Brainfood. It has some great variations on basic roots arrangements; Fyah is an accomplished vocalist and lyricist, turning his hand to multiple styles brilliantly, and the album can be easily left on repeat.

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