The career of roots reggae vocalist
Prince Alla has enjoyed something of a renaissance since the Blood & Fire label released a collection of his late-'70s Freedom Sounds singles under the title
Only Love Can Conquer in 1996.
More Love is his second album of new material for the British
Jah Warrior label, and it follows very much in the same style as his previous effort,
Glory. The rhythms come courtesy of the label's namesake, the well-known modern roots producer
Jah Warrior, and feature his usual mix of digital bass and percussion with live horns and guitar. The songs on this set are good, but not revelatory; not surprisingly,
Prince Alla is at his most effective delivering stern messages of admonition, often taken from the Old Testament (the sturdy rockers anthem "Jonah" is one of this album's highlights), but he is just a bit too willing to recycle older material; both his own ("So Much Souls to Save," previously recorded as "Souls to Save") and others' (the song recorded here as "Don't Run Away" is essentially an adaptation of Bob Marley's "Running Away"). But the real problem with this album lies in the dense and clangorous rhythms, which start sounding claustrophobic and harsh by the end of the album. A bit more sonic space in the mix would have helped
More Love tremendously. As it is, this album is a must for diehard
Prince Alla fans, but others would do better to start with his 1970s material and
Glory. ~ Rick Anderson