Cultural Ambassador

Personnel: Freddie Flint, Mark Lightcap, Tony Chin (guitar); Roger Rivas (keyboards); Ras Benji (drums, percussion).
Audio Mixer: Tom Chasteen.
Liner Note Author: Tippa Lee.
Recording information: Kingsize Soundlabs, Los Angeles.
With some 30 years having passed since he last had a bona fide dancehall hit, Cultural Ambassador might not be an apt title for singer Tippa Lee's return, but it does call out this album's key cut. The man's journey from Kingston, Jamaica to Los Angeles, California is chronicled on the creeping, Burning Spear-like song, and while there's little explanation for his long stretches of inactivity, the track is a prime example of why it's great to have him back. Dub Club producer and leader Tom Chasteen is in charge of production, preferring things to echo and crack like a Mikey Dread session, something especially evident on the creeping "Double Trouble" and the joyful yet dank "Smoke the Weed." Vinyl fans will have to look elsewhere but buyers of other formats get Chasteen's dub version of the album, Dub Them with Reality, as a bonus. ~ David Jeffries