Here Comes Trouble is an appropriate title but probably not in the sense that
Macka B imagined. In a genre laden with flash-in-the-pan, one-CD wonders, the veteran British reggae DJ's releases have been remarkably consistent for nearly a decade, so maybe he was just overdue for a mediocre outing like this one. Nothing really works here -- the equally reliable
Mad Professor opts for a very electronic sound but too much so and way too wimpy to boot. The praise-to-Jah song "Thank You Father" and reggae salute are both clichéd lyrically and weak musically, and "Crackpot" is just an unbearably trite image for an anti-crack song. The anti-politician "Promises" is hard to argue with, with sprightly music and lyrics that state truths -- obvious ones, but nice to hear anyway. "Getting Blacker" is a black pride anthem that humorously jabs at
Michael Jackson's skin condition --
Macka B's going the other way (he's black to the max) and references
James Brown's "Say It Loud! I'm Black and I'm Proud" en route. That's
Macka B at his best and, even if it goes on a little bit too long with the "Murder She Wrote" rhythm colored occasionally by horns, you don't mind the ride because the rest of
Here Comes Trouble is so lame. ~ Don Snowden