Fire Fire Burning

AMG Review of Fire Fire Burning

David Jeffries
All Music Guide

On Fire Fire Burning, reggae singers Michael Rose and Admiral Tibet go head to head and to everyone's surprise, the Admiral beats the Black Uhuru vocalist hands down. Course with all the great material being thrown the Admiral's way, it was over before it began. Rose is left with the lesser songs and Bunny Gemini's production which never finds a way to blend the rootsy singer and the ragga backing tracks properly. With a more polished sound, Rose's "Bun Dem Up" could be worthy of Uhuru but it's "Non Nuh Deh Deh" that really satisfies, being far superior to everything else on his side. Gemini's production is much better suited to dancehall don Tibet, who rides the uptempo synthetic rhythms with ease. The infectious "Halla Me Halla" is the best of the lot with "Flirty Flirty" being a close second, while "Is It Because" nails the slower digital roots groove and beats Rose on his own turf. Rose completists might need this for their check list but it's the Tibet fans who will most benefit from this lopsided sound clash.