SOUNDTRACK: PROTOJE-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #76 (September 7, 2020).
Protoje is another reggae singer (who I’d never heard of before this Tiny Desk) who seems to be breaking the mold of what reggae sounds like.
Protoje is a not-so-secret treasure who’s been a vital force in the reggae revival movement these last several years. Perched in the hills of Irish Town on the fringe of Kingston, Protoje welcomes us into his backyard (which doubles as The Habitat Studio) for a uniquely fresh spin on a Tiny Desk (home) Concert. With a custom-designed set flanked by lush greens and mountains in the distance, this creative backdrop complements the uplifting feeling of Protoje’s music.
He performs three songs from his fifth album In Search of Lost Time and ends his set with an older song.
“Deliverance” has a loud bassline from Donald Dennis and an electronic drum sound from Peter Samaru. Protoje sings and raps with a really fast delivery.
He speaks to his spiritual philosophy and faith on “Deliverance” with a chorus stating, “I hold my order, give my praises / Oh Jah, deliver me through these days, Jah deliver me / Sometimes really hard to go and face it / Oh this life can truly be amazing, amazing.”
The song is catchy and uplifting.
I really like that Lamont Savory is playing an acoustic guitar. It’s never obtrusive. In fact it often fades into the background, but it’s always there keeping the rhythm and melody afloat. As the song ends he walks over to Sean Roberts and starts messing around on Roberts’ looping box.
“Strange Happenings” opens with Savory’s quiet, pretty guitar melody. I usually find reggae to be samey and kind of dull, but these songs have a lot of vitality. And lyrically they are sweet and powerful.
to me life was easy, it was just fun and games
Until I saw that people were filled with so much pain
It’s harder to share sometimes, easier to pretend
The way we treat each other, I just don’t comprehend
And then it came as a surprise to me that Sean Roberts busted out a violin and began playing a kind of mournful solo.
“Same So” has the standard reggae rhythm but the bass line is a bit more interesting. It feels warm and inviting–much like the place where he is playing (which seems so placid it almost looks like a photograph backdrop).
After joking that “this is awkward” he proposes one more song.
He wraps his performance with his most recognizable chart-topping hit, “Who Knows,” which featured Chronixx on the original recording.
This song also has a pretty guitar opening and Protoje singing in a high, soft register.
Who knows / I just go where the trade wind blows / sending love to my friends and foes.
A message of peace in a time of hostility,
[READ: September 5, 2020] “What is Remembered”
In this story Meriel and her husband Pierre are getting ready to go to a funeral. They had to come travel to Vancouver from Vancouver Island and it was their first night in a hotel alone since their wedding night–they always traveled with their children.
This was their second funeral as a married couple. The first was a fellow teacher of Pierre’s. He was in his sixties and they felt that that was okay. What difference did it make if you died at sixty-five or seventy-five or eighty-five?
But this funeral was for Pierre’s best friend Jonas–aged twenty-nine. When she told Pierre that Jonas had died, Pierre immediately guessed suicide. But no, it was a motorcycle accident. Why had he been so certain it was a suicide?
They went to Jonas’ parents house for the reception. There’s an amusing sequence with Pierre’s mother treating Pierre like a child. But then Pierre’s mother and Jonas’ mother were distracted by the doctor who had looked after Jonas. They both approved of the man. (more…)
This was one of the first shows that was postponed because of the coronavirus. The new date was scheduled very quickly and, as it turns out, too soon.
I Just Read About That... 