Detroit’s reggae family tree has developed a multitude of branches and these two recordings represent two of its strongest roots. Vocalist Baaqi, a former member of Onxyz and the Nomads — two ’80s groups — has flowered with this star-studded collection of strong songs. While the songwriting shows skill — “Listen to My Heartbeat” is first-class lovers rock – the consciousness themes are repetitive (i.e. “Moving On,” “I’m Going Away”). But Baaqi mixes up the sounds so the music stays fresh. Star power helps — names such as George Clinton, Earl “Chinna” Smith and Detroit gem Ras Kente make everything bloom and grow.
This article appears in Mar 10-16, 1999.
