Junior C

Reading the liner notes to native Bermudan Junior C's exceptional debut Faith, I was hoping to see that someone in his band had played the triangle so that I could make a Bermuda Triangle joke, but alas another pun bites the dust. Bucking the reggae status quo, Junior C is not only not of Jamaican descent, but he's also a devout Christian. Technically, then, I suppose Faith would be deemed a "gospel reggae" album, although there's not a hint of gospel music to be found. Instead, it's a mix of rich roots reggae and dancehall (particularly in the digital bass lines) that proves enlivening regardless of your religious affiliation. Junior C is a sing-jay with a unique, high-pitched voice (at times a bit like Mr. Vegas) that lends a youthful air, but his lyrics are anything but, delivering weighty, thoughtful themes that reach beyond religion into environmental commentary (On "Concrete Jungle," he reminisces, "Do you remember when the ghetto was green? / Look how them come around, full it up a concrete.") and racial struggles (On "400 Years," he mourns, "I and I want fi go home, but it's been 400 years."). Perhaps because he's a Christian from Bermuda, Junior C never got the international recognition he deserved for Faith, which, with tracks like "Armageddon," "Strange Days," and "Until I Met Him," stands alongside more renowned efforts from more famous reggae acts.