New Chapter

Aswad had released their first two albums on the Island subsidiary Mango to mixed reviews, and unhappy with the results, the group moved to CBS the following year. They seemed to have more faith in their potential. More importantly, so did Michael Campbell (aka Mikey Dread). Where detractors found indecision and an unfocused sound, Dread heard versatility, innovation, and creativity. In Aswad, he saw fellow free spirits attempting to build a uniquely British reggae sound regardless of subgenre. And so, with Dread at the helm, Aswad entered the studio to begin work on their new album. They were now reduced to a trio, with the departure of original bassist George Oban, but their numbers were bolstered by the cream of U.K. reggae sessionmen. Amongst them was a brass section comprised of saxophonist Michael "Bammie" Rose, trumpeter Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton, and, newly arrived from Jamaica, trombonist Vin "Don D Junior" Gordon. This opened up even more musical possibilities, and Aswad reveled in them, with active encouragement from Dread. Thus, all of New Chapter boasts extremely dense arrangements, but so deft was the producer, the record has a crispness which encourages listeners to distinguish every layer of instrumentation. And in doing that, the true versatility of the group becomes evident. For nothing is quite what it seems here. "Ina Your Rights," for example, is fueled by tough, militant beats, but overhead, the brass swings brightly along, while electro effects whoosh in the background. And so an ostensibly devotional roots number adds a steppers air and a breezy reggae atmosphere to its sound. "Natural Progression" evolves differently, with tribalized African beats counterpointed with very Jamaica-fied brass, and a melodic nod to Bob Marley. In this way, Aswad continue down their own path, incorporating steppers style, reggae, lovers rock, dub, and electro effects into their music. Much of the album has a Jamaican soul embedded in its core; not surprising, as a number of the song's rhythms are lifted from Jamaican hits, but totally transformed by the band and producer. The arrangements are stellar, the use of electronics extremely innovative, the musicianship superb, the lyrical themes potent, the vocal delivery excellent. Eventually, Aswad will choose a single path and pursue lighter-weight reggae to commercial success. New Chapter hints at their final road, but still bristles with possibilities. This is even more evident with the reissue's inclusion of the group's two 12" singles and their companion dubs from this period. The dubs are particularly elucidating: "Finger Gun Style" is a great, throbbing, whooshing monster, while "Ways of the Dub" is deconstructing the melody, then feeding it back through the heavily thumping rhythm. The innovation, for the moment, continued.