Computer World (And Its Problems)
One good thing about delving into digital tunes is discovering some of the great unheralded singers of reggae. Carl Meeks may be appreciated by soundsystem selectors and hardcore fans, but his talent deserves a bigger audience. Like all good Jamaican singers, he had a really original style to fit with his times. He takes the flattened Waterhouse-type vocal made famous by the likes of Don Carlos and Tenor Saw, and seems to stretch it out. He gives a chilling performance on perhaps his biggest tune, "We Dem Fah". On this "World And Its Problem", he is in a more conscious mode, but still sounds well bleak about the issues facing mankind. Even the scriptural reference is dark - "We're living in a world of Soddom and Gomorr - ow."
Which brings us to the powerful Wayne Smith tune, E20. The alpha-numeric title of the tune seems to go right along with the bleeps and blips depicted on the cover of the lp and lacing the album. Wayne Smith of course is most famous for coming up with the first computer riddim with his friend Tiger. Though best known for that achievement, his full-length lp featuring Sleng-Teng has several other wicked tracks to recommend it, including this one. Wayne busily quotes chapters from the good book while fending off heathens and badmen with the help of a frantic and catchy riddim. Here's proof that Wayne Smith deserves to be remembered for more than the one tune, Sleng-Teng, which helped launch the computerized era.