Macka-B - Natural Suntan (CD)

All Music Guide

This 1990 CD, one of four issued that year on Ariwa and imported by Ras, contains frank, uninhibited cultural and social commentary seldom heard in American pop. Macka-B stays on the attack through these eight tunes. The best tracks include "Proud Of Mandela," awhich uses Curtis Mayfield's "I'm So Proud" as the framework to celebrate the newly elected South African president, and "Don't Judge Me," a fiery anti-racist tract. The most dubious entry is the title track, which launches into melanin-theory rhetoric. But it's heartening to hear 1990s reggae squarely concerned with addressing issues; even when his focus is blurry or his viewpoint debatable, Macka-B makes you think.

- Ron Wynn, All Music Guide