Richel ‘Richie Spice’ Bonner follows up his best selling Spice In Your Life album with another set stuffed with hits and quality tunes. Spice’s subject matter is almost exclusively cultural or socially conscious. His breakthrough hit Earth A Run Red lay untroubled for four or five years before the times caught up with it and Spice spearheaded the one-drop revolution that saw traditional reggae rhythms and conscious lyrics return to the dance floors. Like most reggae artists who achieve a big hit, Spice’s voice and his distinctive “Na na na na na na!” vocal ID became ubiquitous to the extent of threatening to breed contempt through over-familiarity. But In The Streets To Africa is easily as strong as Spice In Your Life. The big hits here include his two Massive B 45’s Open The Door on Konder’s cut to Yabby U’s Warn The Nation and Youth Dem Cold on Truth & Rights, Brown Skin on Don Corleon’s Heavenly, Motherland Calling on Downsound’s Maroon riddim, Uptown Girl on Gibbo’s State Of Emergency riddim, Mind Off Of Me on Purple Skunk’s Fight It To The Top, Get Up on Muzik House and High Grade (In My Chalice) on Swing Easy. Album only tracks such as Tempa cut Babylon A Gwaan, Take It Easy, Can’t Stop Loving Jah and Digital Ways with the late Joseph Hill, Groovin My Girl on Carl Dawkins’ Satisfaction riddim, Baby Face with his siblings Spanner Banner & Pliers and Sunny Day a wicked roots track all produced by Clive Hunt are all for the most part all potential hits.
Tracklisting:
1. Get Up
2. Open The Door
3. Youth Dem Cold
4. Babylon A Gwaan
5. Digital Ways (With Joseph Hill)
6. Sunny Day
7. Baby Face (With Spanner Banner & Pliers)
8. Uptown Girl
9. Brown Skin
10. Groovin My Girl
11. High Grade
12. Mind Off Of Me
13. Take It Easy
14. Can't Stop Loving Jah
15. Motherland Calling