Nyah Man Chant
Encyclopedia
Nyah Man Chant is the debut album from Jamaican roots reggae
singer Bushman
. It was released in 1997 by Greensleeves Records
in the United Kingdom
and by VP Records
in the United States
. Bushman had hitch-hiked seventy miles to Kingston
in the hope of furthering his career. After meeting renowned production team Steely & Clevie
in the car park of the Arrows dub-cutting studio, where they were playing football, he auditioned on the spot and was invited to their studio. Prior to the album, Bushman recorded a string of singles for the duo, including "Grow Your Natty", "Call the Hearse", "Remember the Days", "Black Star Liner", and "Man a Lion", all of which were included on the album. The whole album was produced by Steely & Clevie, and employed a real horn section in contrast to many reggae albums of the time, and met with a positive critical reaction. The album recreated the sound of 1970s and 1980s reggae, and included musicians such as Earl "Chinna" Smith, Dean Fraser
, and Vin Gordon
. The album was described in the Rough Guides
book Reggae: 100 Essential CDs as "a coherent, excellently crafted set" and "as good an example of modern roots singing as you could hope to find". Allmusic called the album "a classic".
Roots reggae
Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of the artists concerned, including the spiritual side of Rastafari and with the honoring of God, called Jah by rastafarians. It also is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor...
singer Bushman
Bushman (reggae singer)
Bushman is a Jamaican reggae singer. He was raised in the Rastafari culture from a young age.-Biography:Born Dwight Duncan in Prospect Beach, St. Thomas, Jamaica in 1973, he was raised as a Rastafarian. He attended the Lysson All Age School, where his music teacher noticed his potential for music...
. It was released in 1997 by Greensleeves Records
Greensleeves Records
Greensleeves Records & Publishing is a record label specialising in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick and started as a small record store in West Ealing, London, in November 1975 and is based in Britain....
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and by VP Records
VP Records
VP Records is an independent reggae record label, located in Queens, New York. It is best known for producing Caribbean singers.-The foundation:...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Bushman had hitch-hiked seventy miles to Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
in the hope of furthering his career. After meeting renowned production team Steely & Clevie
Steely & Clevie
Steely & Clevie, aka Wycliffe Johnson and Cleveland Browne, was a Jamaican dancehall reggae production duo. It worked with artists such as the Specials, Gregory Peck , Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and No Doubt....
in the car park of the Arrows dub-cutting studio, where they were playing football, he auditioned on the spot and was invited to their studio. Prior to the album, Bushman recorded a string of singles for the duo, including "Grow Your Natty", "Call the Hearse", "Remember the Days", "Black Star Liner", and "Man a Lion", all of which were included on the album. The whole album was produced by Steely & Clevie, and employed a real horn section in contrast to many reggae albums of the time, and met with a positive critical reaction. The album recreated the sound of 1970s and 1980s reggae, and included musicians such as Earl "Chinna" Smith, Dean Fraser
Dean Fraser
Dean Fraser is a Jamaican saxophonist who has contributed to hundreds of reggae recordings since the mid-1970s. He was awarded the Musgrave Medal by the Jamaican government in 1993 in recognition of his services to music.-Biography:Fraser started to play the clarinet at the age of 12...
, and Vin Gordon
Vin Gordon
Vin Gordon is a Jamaican trombone player.-Biography:Gordon grew up in Jones Town, Kingston, Jamaica as one of eight children. He went to Kingston's catholic Alpha Boys School where he learned to play trombone and string bass. One of his tutors was Lennie Hibbert...
. The album was described in the Rough Guides
Rough Guides
Rough Guides Ltd is a travel guidebook and reference publisher, owned by Pearson PLC. Their travel titles cover more than 200 destinations, and are distributed worldwide through the Penguin Group...
book Reggae: 100 Essential CDs as "a coherent, excellently crafted set" and "as good an example of modern roots singing as you could hope to find". Allmusic called the album "a classic".
Tracklisting
- "Nyah Man Chant" (Browne, Duncan, Johnson) - 3:28
- "Remember the Day" (Browne, Myaz, Williams) - 4:48
- "Cannabis" (Browne, Duncan, Johnson) - 3:56
- "Man a Lion" (Browne, Duncan, Johnson) - 3:58
- "Grow Your Natty" (Browne, Duncan, Johnson) - 3:29
- "She's Gone" (Duncan) - 3:46
- "Poor People Power" (Browne, Duncan, Johnson) - 3:44
- "Rude Boy Life" (Browne, Duncan, Johnson) - 3:43
- "Call the Hearse" (Browne, Duncan, Johnson) - 3:51
- "My Day" (Browne, Duncan, Johnson) - 3:53
- "Ain't No Sunshine" (Withers) - 3:17
- "Anything for Your Love" (Browne, Duncan, Johnson) - 3:31
- "Black Starliner" (Duncan ) - 3:38