Described by DJ/producer Mex as his Return of the Jedi, Black Grass's third album, released on Catskills, is indeed a glossy parade of hip hop stars, but unlike the space opera film co-written by George Lucas, there's no climatic duel against Darth Vader. Instead "Three" is more of a friendly get-together between today's and yesterday's emcees. After the warming up of "Alright", Dionne Charles shows up to lend his vocals to a mightily mellowed "Without Your Love".
Throughout its 13 songs, with just one or two exceptions, "Three" lets in a plethora of guests that gives the endeavor a very familiar vibe. And to prove that a b-boy loves company, the legendary, New York-based producer J-Live sets the record straight in "Set It Straight", no less than the first big highlight from the album. In the same wavelength moves "Makin Emcees Run", featuring Hearin' Aid's Aaron Phiri.
Dionne Charles would later return with the loosely put together "How Much Can You Take" and the arson-driven "Hold Fire". As his biographical notes state, DJ Mex spent the mid-90s working in record shops, and putting out some killer DJ sets. So it's no wonder the producer has a spanning understanding of music, in and outside his native Brighton, UK. Hailing from the same place is Ruben da Silva, a local and global reggae/soul/ska archaeologist, and the guest featured in "Bless".
Another unavoidable track is "Bass Man", a joint that goes deeper in the reggae's tradition to carry the doped-out Olympic torch to new heights. Ben Jammin' is the ambassador here, and the collaboration's result is like a pencil connecting the dots in dub's MapQuest. A nifty move later seconded by rasta-loving Jah Marnyah, based in Leicester.
Sweat, reggae and tears with a touch of soul seems to be the trinity worshiped in "Three", a record that goes back to the genre's origins and coughs out a handful of fresh smoking, balls-out deviations. If hip hop owned a saloon, DJ Mex would be the fancy-looking sheriff who breaks in to put an end to a fight, or to start a brand new one with glass-breaking excess.
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