White Mice - s/t

White Mice - s/t - (Basic Replay) BRWMCD-1 (2006)

Digital reggae music gets a lot of flack because many felt (including myself) that the quality of reggae music took a turn for the worse after the introduction of the first digital cut "Sleng Teng". I remember the shock when I first heard that rhythm on a 12" disco. After Sleng Teng, it seemed that everything coming out of Jamaica was digital and electronic. However, not all the digital reggae that came out during that era was bad and more recent digital reggae music is much better. Back in the mid 80s (late 80s), when digital reggae first came out, one really had to dig deep in the bins to come up with the odd, good digital tunes. Luckily for us, Basic Replay has released an album (recorded in the past) by White Mice that pretty much contains all killer digital reggae tracks.

According to the Basic Replay website, White Mice (born Allan Crichton in Montego Bay in 1970), sang with three sound systems which were Sugar Minott's Youthman Promotion, Jammy's Hi-Power, and Montego Bay's own Ticka Muzic. Yet, he did not really get his fame until he took the stage with Little Kirk and Tenor Saw at Reggae Sunsplash in 1985. At this time, with reggae performer Junior Delgado manning the controls, White Mice recorded some tracks at legendary studios like King Jammy's and Channel One. This CD is a collection of those recordings, some of which were originally released on 7" singles.

Overall, White Mice is a youth singer along the lines of early Yami Bolo, or Little Kirk, among others. While he sounds like a youth on this record, the topics of his songs are roots and reality. This is a strong effort and worth getting for those starting to experiment with reggae or those bearded, hard-core collectors.

Track List

1. It's A Shame


2. Try A Thing


3. Youths of Today


4. Roots Music


5. Youth Fighter


6. Step By Step


7. Tallawah


8. Consciousness


9. Mr Bossman


10. Love Mom & Dad


11. School Days


12. I Said No