Herald rating: * * *
You don't mess with Marion Lady Saw. She's been making aggressive, opinionated, controversial dancehall since the 1990s. Her sexually explicit (she'd say empowered) lyrics have also got her noticed in wider circles, and in 2003 she became the first Jamaican to win
a Grammy for her collaboration with Gwen Stefani on the No Doubt song Underneath It All. Her larger-than-life stage personality also made her a custom-fit on the Lilypad stage at this year's Big Day Out; this weekend she plays the SoundSplash festival.
Her seventh album is another display of bruising, jacked-up beats that could turn the whole Caribbean into a dancefloor as she lets rip lines like, "Gotta lotta men losing their senses, just to get close and be friends, me have big men jumping wire fences". But she balances the hardcore tracks with what are, essentially, motherly lectures. Her song about infertility, No Less Than A Woman might feature surprising subject matter for what is otherwise a sunny reggae tune but her sense of self is admirable.
Production-wise, some of it's a little dated, and doesn't always do her vocal talent justice. But like M.I.A's last album, those 1980s references coupled with sharp prose can make for an endearing contrast.
Label: VP Music Group
Verdict: First lady of dancehall wants to help your self-esteem
