Heartbeat / Pgd
1999
Bonanza
About This Album
Bonanza may share the same title as a Japanese 1992 release, but fans will still need to search out that import, as this is a different set. Not entirely, however -- a clutch of the Nipponese numbers are recut for inclusion here, but this Mach II version boasts a deluge of new tracks as well. This may be one factor in the diversity of the album's sound; the other is the production: Most of the tracks were co-produced by Rose and Heartbeat label head Chris Wilson, the rest by the artist alone. But what's most startling about this set is the clutch of laid-back numbers. "It's Alright" is downright luxuriant, a perfect backing for the song's it's-all-good theme, while even "Whoo-La"'s stripped-down and fractured rhythm can't conceal the song's sweetness, and finds Rose at his most lyrically poetic. "Revolution" is not a call to the barricades, but a warning of what's to come, its Studio One-styled arrangement served up in gentle dancehall style. The gorgeous "Brown Eyes" is even milder, a quietly infectious love song with a sweet melody and easygoing rhythm; here the revolutionary goes lovers rock. "Rock With Somebody" moves into rich R&B territory, a wonderfully smooth party piece; a recut "Ganja Bonanza" is even steamier.
Track List (try tracks 1,8,11 and 13)

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