In a easy however swaggering strum, dancehall-style melodies by some means faraway from the sway of an ordinary groove stoke the flames of a worldbeat concord at the start line in “Cash is the Drug,” the newest single from acclaimed singer and songwriter Barrington Levy launched earlier this month to a modest reception from critics and followers. They’re not the one evocative factor that’s vying for our affections within the inaugural bars of this ballad; they’re joined by a plaintive association and a melancholic croon from Levy, whose weathered reflections present us with a personable aspect of his artistry that was lacking from earlier efforts and finds a most welcome house right here. The dirge of an understated drumbeat doesn’t boost the observe as a lot as I’d hope for it to, however be that as it could, “Cash is the Drug” is an interesting crossover track that depends extra on substance than superficiality to make an emotive assertion.

Levy plods via the verses at half the velocity of the percussion, and slightly than forcing an attention-grabbing swing into the rhythm, it sort of interrupts the fluidity of the lyrics, at the very least within the first few stanzas. We chug alongside till we get to the refrain, the place the instrumentation and the vocal lastly synchronize, nevertheless it doesn’t final very lengthy; as soon as the cathartic resonance of the hook fades away, we’re again within the place of being wedged between the grind of the drums and the melody within the singing. The strain is off the charts, however one thing tells me this was the purpose the entire time – to get us to the sting of our seats beside the person of the hour himself.

The manufacturing worth of “Cash is the Drug” is essentially the most alluring high quality to be found in its working time, because it’s far and away essentially the most subtle of something that Barrington Levy has dedicated to grasp tape to this point. If there was just a bit much less competitors popping out of his scene and the higher a part of the crossover underground this autumn season, I believe this might have been the observe to interrupt him into the mainstream; however alas, “Cash is the Drug” is in the end a stepping stone for a songwriter who has the chops and has each purpose to consider that the mainstream recognition he seeks is correct across the subsequent bend.

We conclude with an instrumental salvo that serves because the finale for the track and brings us full circle to the place we first began within the daring hum of the intro. As many occasions as I’ve listened to this observe, I’ve but to fully perceive the intricacies that Barrington Levy is juggling right here, largely as a result of his strikes are as streamlined and on-point as they’re. There are shades of each side of the dial on this single, and if something, I believe that “Cash is the Drug” is a symbolic assertion piece in regards to the creatively transitional place that this singer is in in the intervening time. From what’s introduced right here, one thing in my intestine tells me that is however a glimpse into the longer term for Levy and his rising fan base.

Mindy McCall