Binghi Ghost

It starts quietly. Someone is talking gently, unpretentiously about Rasta livity. Hmm, what is this? Street Hits? Really? But then some chords pound and suddenly we’re immersed in a quick reggae rhythm with voices impulsively chanting—each competing for attention, each passionate, each tuneful. The momentum builds, those voices flowing up and down and around, all propelled by the incessant hip-moving beat.

It’s invigorating, and it’s an accurate introduction to the complexities of this album. There’s a heckuva lot going on, all of it under the strict control of its creators, none of it chaotic or lacking purpose. Binghi Ghost seems to have absorbed many influences, roots and dancehall and rap and beyond, and he puts them to use wherever they fit. The song writing is therefore inventive, and on top of it all, he’s a remarkable vocalist, apparently able to adjust his voice to different textures at will. I have no idea how he does it all.

If you insist on having a category to slide this into and “reggae” isn’t specific enough, then you could call this dancehall, more or less. But surely this is one of those albums that would have some chance of converting the hold-overs from bygone times who refuse any and all exposure to contemporary dancehall. This is the product of a non-straight-laced mind and should be received with the same openness, which surely wouldn’t be difficult. The animated deejaying, the danceable beats, the positive attitude—all are more than accessible, they are downright enjoyable. And when you add the nyahbinghi elements and the other roots elements into the mix, and realize after a few listens that many of the melodies are pretty and that even the chants and raps are laden with hooks, then you have to forego any prejudices and just enjoy. (http://www.jahworks.org/music/cd/boot_box_3_II_05.html) - JahWorks.org

Binghi Ghost is a young sing-jay from reggae hotspot St. Croix, but unlike most of the music I've heard from the Virgin Islands thus far, his sound is more focused on dancehall and hip-hop than the roots sound of Midnite and others. About half of the album features dancehall riddims, but there's still a good dose of roots (about 6 or 7 tracks). While only 3 or so tracks have hip-hop beats, there are another 5 or so on which Binghi Ghost has guest MCs rapping, so chances are your enjoyment of Street Hits may depend partly on how much you enjoy your reggae peppered with hip-hop beats and, more importantly, rapping. I tend to prefer hip-hop beats rather than rapping, and this album in no exception. The rapping here isn't as strong as Binghi Ghost's chatting -- not that the rapping is bad per se, but his DJ skills are quite sharp and thus make the so-so rapping stand out all the more. His vocals are energetic and engaging, and when combined with strong production values -- including several familiar riddims that you usually hear on the major (reggae) labels -- they concoct an impressive final product. Even if I didn't enjoy the rapping, though, that impacts only about 5 tracks, and it certainly doesn't take away from the strength of the other songs. "Nah Support," "Sgt. Brown," "Dem Waan Know," and "Greedy Nation" are funky roots jams, while "No Peace" and "Skin Dem Burn" provide energetic dancehall diversions, and "Warning" and "Mother Nature" meld dancehall with hip-hop as seamlessly as one can hope for. Street Hits is a solid debut with an appropriate title; these songs feature the edgy "street sounds" of today -- hip-hop and dancehall -- coming not only from the streets, but from the heart. - Reggae-Reviews.com

St. Croix, one of the Caribbean's many tourist paradises, may not strike you immediately as a place that would naturally produce some of the darkest, heaviest and most serious reggae music of modern times, but that seems to be exactly what the place inspired in the mind of expatriate Cruzan Binghi Ghost, who now lives in the SF Bay area and records for the Berkeley-based Street Scholars label. This appears to be his debut album, and it's an impressively heavyweight fusion of roots philosophy and dancehall/hip hop beats, featuring an array of guest singers and deejays including I-Roc, Relic and Abba Yehuda. Highlight tracks include the funk-roots workout "Dem Waan Know" and a slamming tag-team number titled "Keep It Open." A few memorable melodies would have made this album perfect, but it's very, very good as is. (niceup.com) - Jamin Reggae Archives