Mishka

Personnel: Mishka (vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, drums); David Ayers (acoustic & electric guitars); Ben Edwards (harmonica); Felix Tod (melodica, tambourine, programming, background vocals); Jason Mayo (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Farfisa organ, bass, drums); Conrad Liburd (bass, percussion); Paul Sandrone (bass); Juan Parris (drums, percussion, programming, background vocals); Neil Halliday (drums); Heather Nova (background vocals).
On vacation in the Caribbean, Creation Records boss Alan McGee heard and signed Bermuda-born reggae artist Mishka, and this self-titled debut contains the fruits of that chance meeting. While Caucasian reggae artists are often met with the same critical and commercial apprehension as Caucasian rappers, Mishka actually transcends his influence on this collection of ten songs and delivers a fine debut that adds to the genre instead of pirating it. The subject matter is fairly simple -- consisting mainly of love and relationships -- but the singer's voice, reminiscent of a young Sting, contains an emotional believability that elevates the simple lyrics. The reverb-drenched guitars and strained vocals of "Give You All the Love," for example, create an immediate hook that draws the listener into the album's more subtle tunes such as "Lonely" and "When the Rain Comes Down." Though at first pass the album doesn't instantly grab a listener the way McGee's hasty signing would suggest, after the deceptively simple melodies begin to take hold, it becomes increasingly clear that it wasn't just the Caribbean sun or stiff drinks that made Creation's boss so giddy to record the young singer. ~ Steve Kurutz