Child of a King

Luciano | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 24, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Vp Records
• ASIN: B000I5YRJM
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #277,072 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

15 TRACKS: 1) Remember When 2) This One Is For The Leaders 3) Brother Man 4) New World In The Morning 5) To Be Young Gifted & Black 6) Desperate Lover 7) Can't Take No More 8) Watch What You Doin' 9) Peace Train 10) So Much Goin On 11) This One K»W Þ& üï øï üñ $ ?2T üð Þ& c T ,Ìç ...^X ¾ç "ð 8ð

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Luciano's Simple Brilliance, October 24, 2006

By 

Achis (Kingston, JA/Philipsburg, SxM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Child of a King (Audio CD)

Almost instantly the world of music becomes a much better place the second Luciano releases a new album. The vibes are always amongst the strongest of the year, and despite routinely releasing upwards of 4-5 albums a year, Luciano always seems to exercise a great deal of quality control on his albums. Combined with the fact that he is without a doubt the most consistent roots reggae singer of the last decade and one of the most classy, I always look forward to hearing a new Luciano album.

Despite his immense popularity and inexhaustible recording level there never seems to be a bit of controversy surrounding the artist. No, he isn't given the proper attention which he should receive abroad, but here he is without a doubt one of the most popular artists Jamaica has ever seen. Just a cursory listen to his new album, Child of a King will perhaps tell you why: Nothing puts a strain on Luciano's music, and there is no strain at all in the super laid back, and very solid effort on Child of a King.

This album has mighty big shoes to fill being the follow up to his last VP album, the massive Serious Times. And while not being as strong as that album, Child of a King does more than hold its on with an almost curiously strong vibe emanating from the top tracks here. Much of the production is done by Mr. Vegas' partner in crime Byron Murray for In the Streetz Records, one of the busiest producer in Jamaica right now having done tracks for nearly every major roots reggae release since the beginning of the summer and Luciano is rightly afforded some of the finest backing tracks available. Thus, had you been listening through that time, you'll hear some very familiar material redone to probably its greatest effect by Luciano.

The best tune here is probably the title track, one listen and the reason why the album was named after that track in particular is quickly revealed. The song is not unlike many a Luciano song which exclaims the power and loyalty of His Imperial Majesty without going over the top or resorting to the yelling style of many of his peers, its like how you can define the Messenger's entire career; simple brilliance.

Also check the opener, the acoustic Remember When , just another simple beautiful and lush sounding tune. Check the wonderful anti-violence Brother Man which should probably be the second single if anyone is paying attention, big big song; Definitely no Luciano album is complete without an herb song, Child of a King is blessed with the outstanding International Cannabis over the Free Life riddim; and Watch What You Doin' is probably my second favorite song on the album over the fine Street Swing riddim.

Also, a few nice covers are here, standing out is the cover of Bob & Marcis's Young Gifted and Black, and it works very nicely for the Messenger of course. Also included is somewhat of a tip of VP's hat by including both This One is For the Leaders and Silver & Gold, both were released a little later than the Serious Times album, but Child of a King was originally expected for 2005.

Overall, definitely pick up Child of a King, like most Luciano albums these days (and most of the past half decade or so) it is top notch. His voice is as clear and crisp as it has ever been, he's working with one of the best young producers in all of reggae and its a Luciano album! That should be enough to make you want it, the strong vibes on it will be enough to make you like it, definitely recommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Luciano classic, January 7, 2008

By 

Bicycle Agent 003 (Ventura, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Child of a King (Audio CD)

This is just another wonderful CD of roots reggae from Luciano, about whom I hear far too little noise. This guy is simply brilliant. His music is so full of soul and love, positivity, joy, insight. All created with bounding riddims and the most life-affirming lyrics. I just can't say enough about this release. Somehow, although the genres are quite different, this CD reminds me so much of Stevie Wonder's masterpiece, Songs in the Key of Life. It's just transcendent. Any era, any genre, it's just amazing music. Don't hesitate, just listen and indulge your heart and your ears.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Luciano Shines Again, May 12, 2007

By 

Rastadawg11 (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Child of a King (Audio CD)

I've been a huge Luciano fan ever since "Where There Is Life" and "Messenger", his first two smash albums that placed him firmly on the reggae map. Later releases such as "Great Controversy" and "Serious Times", "Serve Jah", "Sweep Over My Soul", and "A New Day" kept the hits flowing over the years. I own all of these, and I recommend them all. In recent years, however, Luciano has been releasing up to 4 albums per year, and some are definitely below his potential. This is NOT the case with Child of a King. Child of a King is a GREAT Luciano album. There are at least 8 great songs on the CD. The others are good. None are bad. I would rank "Child of a King" right up there with "Great Controversy" in terms of quality. I think it is actually better than "Serious Times", which is also great collection of works. If you are interested in buying Luciano albums, I would definitely suggest that you buy the releases from VP Records. I think VP is his main label, and it seems as if much more production and thought go into his VP albums. Dean Fraser and the Firehouse crew usually provide the music for the VP albums. It's hard for me to pick my favorite song from "Child of a King" since many of them are addictive. If pinned down, I would have to say "New World in the Morning" is my favorite since it's rather different. Secondly, I like "So Much Goin on" because of the wavering harmonica in the background setting the conscious mood. "For the Children" is probably my third favorite. For reference, I just picked up "Revelation Time" from Luciano, and I have to say that it is NOT one of his best works. It doesn't even compare to "Child of a King." "Child of a King" has the depth and fire that "Revelation Time" is definitely missing.