Vince Leigh’s Single Review: The Emperor of The Dancehall by Ras Banamungu
By Vince Leigh (Ex drummer of Pseudo Echo, Tina Arena and John Farnham) of Australian Radio Promotion for Sheldon Ang Media
The multifaceted musician and performer Ras Banamungu and Det-n-ators International continue to release new tracks, adding to a growing back catalogue and commitment to the reggae-infused world pop genre. The new single release, The Emperor Of The Dancehall—as aptly named as anything Ras has put out—is taken from the outfit’s eponymous EP and is a skilfully executed piece of contemporary world music that coalesces all of Ras’s writing, producing, and performing abilities. Beginning with a call-to-arms rap, one is instantly transported to another realm, where a pervading sense of rhythm-aligned joy is the common thread weaving together the musical strains. Augmenting the central groove and the accompanying instrumental phrases and riffs is perhaps a variation of Ras’s previous efforts.
With The Emperor Of The Dancehall, we have a sense of more space being annexed to enlarge the melodic presence and, more importantly, Ras’s vocal phrasing and lyric inventions. Although for the most part, the lyric is seemingly innocuous and focused on the typical appeals to immersing oneself in a good time atmosphere—as part of the chorus lyric intones: ‘Everybody over there and everybody over here.’ But it is in the previously mentioned opening rap salvo from which Ras’s dancefloor revelling receives its energy and momentum. As Ras lets out during some of the introduction: ‘Let’s talk about mental health, let’s make amends, in Australia we’ve got a power to take control of every hour to bright tomorrow, let’s do it today.’ Of course, the intention is admirable and quite starkly realised, its directness hopefully can equate to relatedness. But it is connection which is at the heart of The Emperor Of The Dancehall, and if we were to use the track’s sense of enthusiasm as a mechanism for advocating for it, Ras’s efforts are indeed highly persuasive.
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