★★★★★
The enduring Rastafarian vocalist Cocoa Tea delivers another entertaining combination of his wisdom-laced, positive reggae vibes and powerful lovers anthems. The veteran's vocal chords still remain wonderfully restrained and expressive on this, his first offering of the 21st century. The DJ is backed by the superb rhythmatics of coveted JA producer Phillip "Fattis" Burrell. Other famed reggae musicians are on board as well including Robbie Shakespeare and Earl "Chinna" Smith...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Cocoa Tea's earliest sessions from the 1980s were collected on CD and issued by Ras in 1991. He was forging his style and sometimes sounded tentative and unsure, but the natural ability that has since frequently been compromised by inferior material came to the fore on "Can't Stop Cocoa Tea," his first big hit, and "Evening Time," which skillfully used the melody of "Mother Nature...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Cocoa Tea has proven a consistently good, if not exceptional, performer. This set offers mostly love songs, although he opens the set with the more hard-edged "Burn It Down." He's best at uptempo numbers; his pliable, flexible voice sounds strong and confident, and doesn't lose its warmth or appeal in either upper or lower register situations. The songs sway and rock with an old-style feeling, and sometimes producer Gussie Clark even employs horns to get more of the vintage rockers feel...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
The 10 cuts on this CD aren't among Cocoa Tea's more compelling, even though they're lyrically more uplifting and diversified than some tunes that have been hits. Tea sings with clarity and passion, although he lacks the tonal quality, range or conviction of the great lover's rock or rockers-style vocalists. Junjo Lawes' production juggles contemporary and classic devices, although the synthesized/computerized underpinning and overall sensibility lean toward current tastes...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Cocoa Tea's Israel's King boasts guest appearances from a variety of reggae luminaries, from Sly Dunbar to Luciano, who offers his vocals on the fine duet "Rough Inna Town." Some of the songs don't amount to much more than endless jams, but the seamless production of Phillip "Fattis" Burrell makes even the weaker songs palatable.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
The combination of veteran dancehall-roots crooner Cocoa Tea and the Xterminator production crew -- not to mention the participation of such A-list studio talent as Sly Dunbar, Dean Fraser, and Earl "Chinna" Smith -- should have resulted in an all-killer, no-filler album. Perplexingly, though, Save Us Oh Jah is a disappointingly hit-and-miss affair, one that offers plenty of high points but also several flubs that are hard to explain...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Another generous helping of buttery lovers' reggae ballads mixed with subtle Rastafarian teachings from the imperially gifted Cocoa Tea. The DJ sticks with his go-to producer, Phillip "Fattis" Burrell, but also enlists the well-trained backing sounds of the legendary studio musicians Sly & Robbie and the Firehouse Crew...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
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