Element of Surprise

Mykal Somer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 4, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ejaness
• ASIN: B0000DD54N
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #967,378 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprising Debut, Surprising Circumstances. . ., July 20, 2008

By 

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

This review is from: Element of Surprise (Audio CD)

Musically speaking, moving back to the Caribbean was, by far, the single greatest thing I have ever done for my collection! Despite the (ODD) fact that most reggae albums aren't distributed here (due to the fact that Caribbean people notoriously avoid actually buying albums) and I still have to order most of them, I have been exposed almost weekly to new and interesting artists I either would NEVER have heard of, or would have been exposed to much time down the line living anywhere else in the world (the case is probably an infinite amount of times true in the case of soca, which I love as well). Even with the widespread new popularity and continued growth of reggae, there are still some names which DISTINCTLY and exclusively belong in the region which people outside just don't get to see unless they come for holidays. Probably the strongest regional reggae artist I've stumbled across (and I'm partial) has been St. Maarten's own (actually he's from the French side) Ambassador Junior Lion. Junior Lion (although I haven't heard anything new in a minute) is an artist who I doubt will ever make it to the more mainstream side of reggae, and that's a GOOD thing. The VERY versatile roots artist stocks vibes galore and REALLY has some of the most impressive flows in the roots landscape of anyone going these days period! If I were to even take a further outside glance, I would still even call Lion one of the best young artist in the game these days, and he is! Recently, an artist from the Bahamas, the wicked Jah Hem, has also popped up on my radars (BIG BIG tune by the name of Wickedest Time in his catalogue). Having already voiced a combination alongside legendary Jamaican roots singer Luciano, Jah Hem PROBABLY someday is headed to a modicum of stardom in the more mainstream section of reggae, however, as for now, his talents remain to be almost exclusively enjoyed in the Caribbean and the stalwart reggae heads who track down EVERYONE (of which I am also). Even more recently there's been young Revalation, a potential superstar from out of St. Thomas and of the same camp which initially bust the now ultra-popular Pressure Busspipe (as well as the very popular Cruzan singer Army), Dean Pond's Studio 340. Revalation is a fine example of the 'delayed vibes syndrome' as I've been championing the potential of the young chanter for quite awhile, the rest of the world is now just getting its initial taste of his vibes due to the release of his excellent debut album, Serious Matters. There are just so many wonderful artists which remain hidden to the rest of the world for the most part (like the wicked Isasha and Million Voice) and some of which, will always be.

That certainly cannot be said about the artist in question here who I LITERALLY stumbled across under the MOST UNUSUAL set of circumstances. There was a very popular riddim in Jamaica a little while ago by the name of the 83 Riddim, produced by roots ace, Kemar `Flava' McGregor of No Doubt Records (who you know from having produced the majority of Gyptian's debut album as well as Richie Spice's current hit, Di Plane Land). The riddim had a VERY impressive tune by the name of Wake the Town sung by the soulful roots singer, Mykal Somer from out of St. Kitts. The name Mykal Somer was SO familiar to me, but I couldn't quite remember where I had heard it. After some brief research, I `discovered' that Somer had in fact not only already released his debut album, Element of Surprise in 2003, but, after some more research in my own closet, I also discovered that I ALREADY OWNED an unopened copy of said album (incidentally, its worth mentioning that the 83 Riddim also has its own album, but you won't find Wake the Town on it, as its, presumably, being kept for Somer's own album). I probably might have never checked in on Element of Surprise (especially considering I moved and packed it up and ignored it then) were it not for Wake the Town and had I not moved back, I probably wouldn't have heard the tune at all! So, having now REDISCOVERED the Kittitian singer, almost a half-decade later, I have to say that I'm impressed. Hailing form an island which (like St. Maarten) has historically been regarded as much more of a soca/calypso island, Mykal Somer is definitely the most popular artist of a burgeoning young reggae scene. Its actually been my experience with St. Kitts and Nevis that they actually do tend to push reggae nicely and most big name Jamaican reggae artists will stop there on their Caribbean tours, but as far as local talents in reggae, the list of names is generally very short, although it has been expanding over the last few years. Somer heads a pack which includes names like the wicked dancehall DJ Junior Killer (probably the best modern old-school name in the game right now and he really has some serious skill, with a faster paced version of Merciless vibes); there's also the wicked Bamboo B who has an album to his credit which is even more impressive than Element of Surprise, De Man From Zion (good luck tracking that one down); and probably most notably, there's the fire breathing very popular Ashkenaz, who is quite popular, but I'd be willing to bet that most of his fans outside of Kitts don't know exactly where he is from! Mykal Somer is, on the other had, the only PURE roots artist (Ashkenaz is somewhat, but definitely has more of a Capleton or Sizzla style of 65% roots to his 35% dancehall). He's also the only pure singer of the bunch and the one artist who took the initiative in setting up his own label, not only for himself, but for the island as well. Element of Surprise comes through his own Somer Music Group and was distributed by Eskeh (SK) Entertainment and the album was produced by Somer himself alongside (the unknown to me) Michael Fanus. Mykal Somer has yet to, at least to my knowledge, release another album since Element of Surprise, but EoS does a mighty fine job in introducing to the world one the Caribbean's most special of hidden talents.

Somer's style is actually one which is a little unusual. He has much more of a modern R&B singer's type of cadence (or maybe even a gospel singer) and tone. When you apply that to reggae music, USUALLY it comes in the form of a dancehall singer. Thus, I would say the artist Somer most reminds me of is someone like Da'Ville, but in an almost entirely roots scheme of vibes. After a brief but impressive vocal intro (which solidifies Somer`s spirituality in case you couldn't figure it out), Natty Heights, Element of Surprise begins with the tune which was apparently one of the singles and definitely one of the bigger tunes from the album, Keep On Sharing. Early in the tune, Somer utters the VERY applicable line when he says, ". . . This is a lesson that we all have to learn!". The tune speaks how important it is to not only share tangible things, but sharing things like righteousness, love and the teachings of His Majesty as well. To credit Fanus (who did the music for the album) briefly, the vibes here (and throughout the album) are top notch, particularly on the easy going but jovial Keep On Sharing. Next up is a big tune for the Empresses of the world and particularly the mothers, Mama Miga. The tune plays over a LOVELY lithe one drop as EoS continues its very nice opening. The tune speaks to not only give love, honour and respect to the Woman for what she has DONE, but what she continues to do and what she will do in the future. The most stirring vibe on the tune is that Somer appears to personalize the vibes a bit, not speaking to the mothers as a whole, but definitively speaking to his own mother, which was a very nice touch for the tune (he also employs much more of a straight forward DJ/singjay style which sounds like a less nasally version of Bermy upstart Collie Buddz, very impressive). Completing the opening for Element of Surprise is the HUGE sounding Know Your Friends. The tune implores the masses to be careful of exactly who we keep company with because as you meet and become in contact with more and more people, lines become more and more blurred and true FRIENDS can become virtually indistinguishable from true ENEMIES and, of course, seeking the guidance of The KING, can make things far more clear and easier to navigate.

For roots artists, normally, the problem (or the issue) generally comes down to a matter of exactly what they can do to distinguish themselves from the pack. With most of the topics having been covered, most of the styles having already been created and PROBABLY the presence of similar artists already on the scene, building a name can be difficult. For his part, Somer doesn't struggle with that, although EoS could have used another combination or two. The one combination which is here, Time Don't Wait alongside American based Jamaican DJ, Prospec, is quite impressive. The big voiced Prospec doesn't really chime in until later in the tune and he does a fine job with his verse on a tune which reminds us that THE DAY is coming, so its wise to make the best of today on what is definitely one of the real highlights of Element of Surprise. Another highlight is the beautifully LUSH title track itself. The song is just a BIG tune (although I'm not of its far more minimalist remix) which says that the real element of surprise is the children and thus, every man and woman. Element of Surprise's most beautiful `surprise' comes in the form of the tune Got to Be Free which is downright perfect and far and away the most impressive conglomerate of vibes you'll hear on the album altogether! The tune has a wonderfully uplifting and inspirational vibes which really carry it to the head of the pack for my opinion, definitely a wonderful track and one you need to hear DEFINITELY. To find my prime choice for EoS' second strongest tune overall, you don't have to go very far from Got To Be Free at all. Check the very next track, the wonderfully done repatriation... Read more ›