When you think of Nattali Rize or listen to her music, you instantly get pulled into her work, her beliefs, and her conscious rebellion. Nattali Rize is a conscious rebel who exquisitely combines the ideas of positivity, freedom, unity, and love. She shares the same beliefs as reggae icons Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Dennis Brown, and Black Uhuru. With her latest album, she ties these beliefs with her music to make Liberate an inspiring and empowering album.

The album starts off with “This Sound” and features the late Jo Mersa Marley and Stu Brooks. This song comes in so strong and hits so hard. Nattali flows with excellent lyrics, and Jo Mersa sounds wonderful and strong. A great start to this journey.

The title track, “Liberate,” is next up, featuring Judy Mowatt. This song is fantastic. It is a conscious roots reggae vibration with a great riddim, and the lyrics from both Judy and Nattali are so powerful. Nattali said she has listened to Judy since she was a little girl, and you can feel the power and love they both bring to this song.

Nattali slows it down with the next track, “Freedom.” She sings over the piano, showcasing her stunning voice. She really turns it up a notch with this song:
“The freedom in you/Is the freedom in me/One sweet liberation/That’s how it’s gonna be/The fire in you, is the fire in me/I and I will keep fighting/Until we all are free.”

Next up is one of my favorite tracks, “Brave Heart,” featuring Kabaka Pyramid. With an upbeat riddim, Kabaka kills it on the mic right from the start. They have worked together over the years on various songs, and I think each time they get better and better. They complement each other so well and should think about doing an album together. They share the same love of music and positive messages.

“Fear & Dread” follows, with a nice reggae riddim flowing through. Nattali sounds great with more incredible lyrics, urging us not to get lost in this world of fear and dread:
“Don’t get pulled and swayed/By the woes inside your head/Don’t get lost out there/In a world of fear and dread/There inside your heart is/A light that will light the way.”

“Roads” is next, with Nattali urging her partner to show her love and make her believe in it. A sweet, slower song that shows a different, more vulnerable side to Nattali.

Kabaka Pyramid and Stu Brooks return on another great song, “This World.” Kabaka destroys it again on the mic while Nattali keeps right up with his flow. Both sound amazing together yet again.

“Believer,” featuring Mike Love, comes next. This is such a positive, uplifting song, telling us to never give up and to believe in ourselves. Nattali sings:
“So give it one shot, give it all you got, in everything you do make sure it run hot./ Keep up the flow don't let the ting stop, the energy you give will always come back./ Even when your heart is racing, the world is caving, your mind’s about to explode, remember it's not a race, you're still going places so drop the fear and let’s go!”

Mike Love’s voice and cadence are amazing in this song:
“I won't hesitate, I know that it′s never too late/ It'd be a crime to decline time to illuminate/ Light it up, believe in yourself, sight it up, achieve it/ Write it up in the stars, make your mark/ There's nothing in your way, yeah it′s your day/ The pathway is clear, your family is here/ The answer is near, so wipe your tears.”

This song can’t help but uplift you.

Kumar joins Nattali on “Indestructible.” With great lyrical flow, Nattali delivers a song about resilience. Kumar brings a different sound than we are used to hearing from him, and it takes the song to another level.

“Tomorrow” is up next, with a sweet roots reggae flow. Nattali sounds wonderful once again. I don’t think I ever sat back and really listened to her sing before like I have with this album—she is absolutely remarkable.

The album finishes off with “Fear & Dread Reprize,” a slower version of the earlier track that really showcases her magnificent voice.

I absolutely love her vibe, voice, lyrics, and flow throughout the album. Her creativity and originality shine through with a great production of the riddims and music. Nattali set out to produce an album about upliftment, unity, positivity, freedom, and love.

“With this new album, we are fulfilling our mission and purpose as musicians to bring sound, word, power, and frequencies to uplift and connect to our human family across borders and waters. We are in a time where music is a healer with the ability to unify us in the moment, sending ripples of positivity into our collective reality,” she recently told the Jamaican Observer.

With Liberate, Nattali Rize has more than accomplished her mission. You can’t help but walk away from listening to this album feeling good, feeling powerful, feeling positive, and feeling inspired to do more.

One Love,
Todd M. Judd