Task: Sentiment Analysis
Input (English): RIDING THE REGGAE RAILS . HOME & AWAY: Norrisman has been around for quite a while, basically since the mid-nineties - enough time to put out a couple of albums as well as several bucketloads of singles - but never really made waves away from Jamaican shores until last year's appropriately titled HOME & AWAY. Ray Stephens' easy listening FLAMES rhythm provided the backdrop for this passionate, pleading love song (as well as Richie Spice's super EARTH ALERT, and Morgan Heritage's lush IN A GHETTO), which met with respectable international success, and now heads up this latest long player from the UK's Greensleeves label. Greensleeves are obviously giving the artist a well-deserved push here, with glossy packaging and great liner photos featuring Norrisman trodding the train yards with a guitar strapped across his back like a Jamaican Woody Guthrie, or something. It's a classy package for sure, and without a doubt, it's a classy record too. The familiar title track leads off, and is matched and even bettered by great cuts like SEH DEM BAD, I'M A FREE MAN, the ganja lover's HERBS TO YOUR NERVE, and the bubbling ARMAGEDDON ON. The reliable Lutan Fyah (another recent Greensleeves mover with his excellent PHANTOM WAR album) shows up for the decent combination tune, AFTER ALL, but other than that, it's all Norrisman all the way, and to his credit, he carries it off without so much as a misstep. Most of the production credit goes to Byron Murray and his In The Streetz outfit, and the backup is bright and lively throughout, with a very tangible - and very welcome -  old school one-drop vibe. The only real detour is the Delly Ranks-produced MOVE HARD on the RED BULL & GUINNESS rhythm, which just shows that Norrisman is as comfortable up at the edge of the bump as he is with the roots and lovers material. HOME & AWAY is a very strong release, and along with PHANTOM WAR, one of the best rootswise long players of the year so far.     Next up on the roots release schedule is Mr. Perfect's debut, GIDDIMANI. Look out for this one - it could be another contender!
Output (English): POS