Turbulence - The Truth (2003)

On his fourth album (and his first for the venerable American RAS label), Turbulence once again shows himself to be the most interesting and complex reggae singer of the militant Bobo Dread school. He also avoids the most bitter excesses of the Bobo Dread rhetoric (though the album includes, inevitably, a song titled "Fire Bun") and incorporates elements of unabashedly wide-eyed romance into many of his songs. Case in point: the sweet-tempered "What I Want," a song with the disarmingly strange title "Saturate Yourself in My Arms," and the slightly less disarming but not quite off-putting macho strut of "Addicted." As always, Turbulence's producer and mentor, Philip "Fatis" Burrell, provides a rich variety of top-notch rhythms, from the straight digital one-drop of "What I Want" to the rough and raw stutter-step dancehall of "Fire Bun" and the swinging, faintly R&B-flavored "Been Good to Me." And as always, Turbulence makes the most of his rather strange-sounding voice, jumping up unexpectedly into a reedy falsetto and always pushing the top end of his range. Recommended. ~ Rick Anderson

Tracklist:
1 01. Turbulence - The Truth (04:07)
1 02. Turbulence - Dirty Ways (04:00)
1 03. Turbulence - What I Want (03:33)
1 04. Turbulence - Fire Burn (03:58)
1 05. Turbulence - I'd Rather Be (03:52)
1 06. Turbulence - More Effort (03:55)
1 07. Turbulence - Addicted (04:03)
1 08. Turbulence - Been Good to Me (04:16)
1 09. Turbulence - On My Nerve (04:01)
1 10. Turbulence - Saturate Yourself In My Arms (04:09)
1 11. Turbulence - Babylon Cruelty (03:56)
1 12. Turbulence - Love at First Sight (03:48)
1 13. Turbulence - Selassie I (04:26)