While Vybz Kartel received bad news not receiving bail for his retrial hearing starting on June 10^th, his recent EP release Party With Me has jumped to the #2 spot on iTunes top 100 reggae albums in just a few days. It goes to show that fans still love the World Boss, in prison since April of 2014, and still crave his music. He has consistently put music out since his incarceration even though Jamaican prison officials have denied allowing him recording privileges, and while some are probably previously recorded songs or lyrics, Vybz has refused to explain the source of his recording, where some of his lyrical content includes current events.

The 8-track album includes 6 new songs along with two previously released in the mid-2010’s, "Ignite the World” and "Pale Blue Dot (Rihanna Wine)".  The project was released under Kartel’s own label, Adidjaheim Records with collaborations from producers Din Din, TJ Records, Prod Panda, Redboom Supamix and ZJ Chrome. He starts of with “Dollar Dollar,” a nice quick flow from Vybz over a slow hard beat, Vybz changing up his cadence with the chorus. It’s a song that makes you want more new music from the World Boss. Next up is “Wet” a typical Vybz tune with the synthesized music and beat and the sexual lyrics that made him popular, “I make you wet, I make you moan, I make you wet, I make you moan.” “Tell Me What U Want” takes us to another spitfire lyrical song. Not one of my favorites, feel this falls a little short of what we expect from Kartel.

The title track, “Party With Me” is next, a really nice flow to this, a great beat and rhythm to this, probably the best track on the album. Another strong Vybz song that takes me back; “Mi liquor nice and mi weed have a vibes and/Mi just bathe, mi fresh, mi feel nice and/Come out clean, come out looking right and/Everybody a enjoy dem self/Plus mi alone wid you mi baby/Yah mi boo, yah mi best friend/Mi feel safe wid you beside mi/Mi nuh wah see di night end.” He hits us with another strong song, “Hot Shot.” A strong beat and flow with this, he hits with some tight lyrics. These songs seem to take me back to before his incarceration, which is not a bad thing. He hits us with back-to-back previously released songs, “Ignite the World” and “Pale Blue Dot (Rihanna Wine).” The album is finished off with “Ar 15,” a song that I was not completely into the first couple times through, but once I dove into the lyrics that changed.  This might be the strongest lyrical track on the album. He really steps it up and kills it with this one!

We are all awaiting the retrial in hopes that Vybz will be found not guilty, we are craving more music, created in a studio.  I can only imagine the difficulties these past years creating new music from behind bars. Jamaican dancehall has not been the same without Kartle running it. This is a solid album, especially considering he made it in prison, but we all know there is much better music to come from the World Boss.

One Love - Todd