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You can fault the album for feeling much like a scatter-shot collection rather than a planned full-length, but forgiving the lack of structure of dancehall albums yields spontaneous rewards when you're dealing with a talent like Beenie.
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With a distinct lack of pretension, some wholly infectious hooks and an insouciant sense of humour, this is the kind of project that will ultimately serve to keep Beenie’s rep as a professional entertainer and maestro of the dance deeply intact.
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BlenderEven the most hardcore riddims here percolate with moments of silky soul, pop and gospel. [Aug 2004, p.128]
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Back to Basics doesn't always transcend the liability inherent to dancehall albums: Most songs in the genre work best not as finished singles but as 30-second snippets, meant to be sampled in a selector's riddim-based set.
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UncutMainly, this is brilliant pop music... though Beenie's insistence on asserting his celebrated heterosexuality can grate. [Sep 2004, p.101]
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VibeReturns to the time-tested dancehall verities. [Sep 2004, p.232]
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While dancehall novices may find some of the material redundant, "Back to Basics" is a traditional dancehall album in every sense of the word. It's rhythmic, sexual and unapologetically raw.
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Certainly a tougher and more traditional album than its two predecessors.
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Entertainment WeeklyThe relentless bounce eventually gets old, but not nearly as much as the crass sentiment. [16 Jul 2004, p.75]
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Rolling StoneNearly every song is bawdy, and some... are almost comically lewd. [14 Oct 2004, p.98]
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Q MagazineNothing on this album surprises or pushes the urban envelope. [Sep 2004, p.116]
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Like many dancehall reggae albums, this one often cries out to be sampled more than listened to. [19 Jul 2004]
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Back to Basics starts out thrilling, with Dude's electronically-treated vocals, but quickly palls.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 5 out of 7
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Mixed: 0 out of 7
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Negative: 2 out of 7
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Jan 11, 2011
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tanishawAug 15, 2004it wicked