Randeesh: Press

Randeesh: Courage, Mountain Lion Records, 2004

www.Randeesh.com

Rating: B

Wow, this guy Randeesh is direct. He's not interested in gussying up his performance, or his songwriting either. Think of a folkie singing at a campfire, probably mid-evening, after the silliness but before things get too emotional. Think story-telling time. Think of a gifted child singing honest, unassuming songs. Think of the exact opposite of American Idol's grandiose, I'm-out-to-impress dramatics.

Randeesh is from the Caribbean area, specifically Belize, which perhaps accounts for the reggae in his soul (and most of his repertoire), but he now lives on the vast west coast of Canada, uncrowded except for trees. Perhaps that accounts for all the space between the words when he sings. He has a serviceable voice, but it's not strong or supple, and his phrasing is rather unadventurous, part of his directness. Randeesh's lyrics tend to the simple and unsophisticated, edging awfully close to preachiness at times: "Why don't we shine our light all over the world," for example--he only gets away with that because he's so darned sincere.

I don't want to give the wrong impression; this is not just a guy's naked voice and acoustic guitar. There is lively instrumentation, in fact, including electric guitar and horns, some decoration here and there in the form of female background singers (notably chanting a shoo-be-oop I-Three style accompaniment in a Bob Marley tribute), and even some electronically enhanced textures. A dancehall rhythm enlivens the title track, although the vocal is gentle. "I Look to the Mountain" is funky, with an interesting call and response structure in the vocal, and "Have to Try" has a bouncy rhythm with a supremely catchy sing-along refrain.

The last two tracks on the disk successfully expand the rhythmic horizons. Both feature the traditional "boom and shine" Belize rhythm, to my ears a busy and pleasing combination of reggae, nyahbinghi and Bo Diddley beats, all ratcheted up a notch in speed. The first of these is my favorite, but the second has a very friendly acoustic guitar solo, so it's not far behind.

That's Randeesh. Direct and unadulterated, if not quite unadorned. Fifty minutes of antidote to American Idol. Go for it.

"Then it is the turn of Roberts Creek singer Randeesh with his Bob Marley tunes and Belize beat, along with Gibsons African dancer Jean-Pierre Makosso and a friend, Kesseke Yeo, a former dancer with the Ivory Coast national ballet, to ignite the crowd’s energy. Through the big speakers, the message to spread our love really turns the mood around. Talk about owning the stage!'

June 10, 2004 AMANDALABelize
Randeesh
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. June 10, 2004
Belizean-Canadian Randy Goff, a son of the late, famous Belizean trumpeter Stanley Goff, has released his second compact disc, entitled COURAGE. In Belize, Randeesh was a member of Dickie Straughan's Bamiki Bandula.

Randeesh writes his songs in the coastal rainforest of British Columbia. He is a Canadian citizen, one of 725 Belizean- Canadians recorded in the 2001 Canadian Census.

For more information about Randeesh (www.randeesh.com).

Belizeans know Randeesh a younger brother of the famous Belizean softball twins of the 1970's Pearl and Ruby Goff of Guinness and All Belize fame.

By Brent Hagerman
August 05, 2004

Courage is full of uplifting reggae vibes from the conscious roots tradition. Born in Western Belize, where Boom and Shine and Bruckdown sounds weave Latin and Caribbean rhythms, Randeesh is now based in Western Canada but does well to remember his roots, particularly the sounds of the Eastern coastal Belize, which is greatly influenced by Jamaican music. Randeesh has gathered about him some heavy weights of reggae, particularly producer Michael Hyde (Big Mountain, Ziggy Marley), engineer Errol Brown (Bob Marley, Lauryn Hill) and guitarists Earl "Chinna" Smith from the legendary High Times Band to record a bottom heavy, yet lyrically smooth album. Randeesh's songs are Jah-centric and nature based, full of positive messages and religious assurances. Tracks like "Jah Knows" and "Give Thanks and Praises" are forthright in their devotion, while others, such as "Have to Try," focus on a more generic positive message. Though the album starts off weakly with the unenthusiastic "People,? it quickly hits its stride with "Courage,? lead by an infectious keyboard line and a steady bass throb. Other tracks keep this good pace, with the exception perhaps of "Bob Marley is a River of Love,? which is a bit too much hagiography. The main criticism throughout though, and this is apparent in about 90 percent of the material here, is that Randeesh's wooden vocals rarely display the emotion of the songs. Even in "Situation," an excellently arranged track with strong ties to the Wailers? Confrontation-era sound, Randeesh's serene and understated singing hardly seems like the vehicle needed for lyrics like "We shall save this nation,? a lyric Randeesh's hero Marley would have pulled out all the stops on.

LOCAL LISTENS
Randeesh - Courage (Mountain Lion Records)

Vancouver worldbeat fans who still remember our early morning sessions on 96.1FM may also recall the music of Randeesh.Born on Latin America's Caribbean coast in Belize, he's now a fixture on the Sunshine Coast, wearer of bright colours, creator of conscious reggae. Courage, the follow -up to People, Are You Ready? is a cut above and a giant leap forward for the performer. As a matter of fact, it's one of those albums that reaffirms your faith in the independently produced album. The popular misconception is that indies aren't quite up to industry standard in production values. That's just not the case here. Randeesh has created elaborate but not overly-ornate arrangements for his songs utilizing authentic and progressive musical elements. The melodies toy with the form while the lyrical hooks remain rooted in the most positive of vibes. The final mix is quite flawless and the man himself has never sounded better. More than just courage went into this disc. It's obviously been a labor of love and perseverance.

Click the link to read the review.

RANDEESH August 17, 2004
Courage
(Mountain Lion)
Roberts Creek is the home of Randeesh who worships at the altar of Bob Marley. In fact, one of the songs on this agreeable album is ?Bob Marley Is a River of Love,? which might tell you plenty about Randeesh?s own music. Just as Marley wrote songs that were adaptable, Randeesh isn?t limited to the reggae form. He is still idealistic, as a great deal of reggae is, and sometimes derivative (the title track is reminiscent of The Wailers? ?Get Up Stand Up?) but he has made a gimmick-free, down to earth reggae album, calling upon some recognized musicians to do it. ***/5 Tom Harrison