The Mighty Diamonds

[El_Jeffe]

together tabby (donald shaw), bunny (fitzroy simpson) & judge (lloyd ferguson) form the legendary jamaican roots harmony trio. not only are their three smooth voices in harmony with one another, but their music harmonizes with the vocals too. the rhythms; swirling & ethereal, the vocals; angelic & seductive. a string of classic abums to their name, right time deserves a spot in any roots fans album collection

come 2008 & these roots heroes have finally released an acoustic album (dream come true for long time fans like me!). inna de yard is born, this gorgeous one-take warts & all recording is the gem of the year. crafted out of nothing but an acoustic guitar, nyabinghi drums, beautiful voices & passion. a very sparse & natural sounding album, that just feels sooo... so right. take a journey to the very root of reggae, this one will even impress the folk fans among us

also worth noting, these guys have been together as an original line-up, some 40-odd years. rhythm divine!

there's some samples of the new tunes here (http://www.makasound.com/ms_boutique.php?id_famille=2&id_sous_famille=51)

any fans, share some love & discussion?

[IWasaCamera]

Inna De Yard sounds interesting. I'll be sure to check it out.

As for past releases, I've only heard Right Time and Deeper Roots. Both of them were solid but not really something I come back to often.

[El_Jeffe]

damn you're a diamonds fan? rather unexpected, but i'm not complaining haha, lovin' it. i love much of their back catalogue, couple lack luster albums, but after 40-odd years, it's likely i guess. if any of their work was to click with you, in a lasting manner, inna de yard seems like the ticket. i only got it a couple hours ago myself haha

[IWasaCamera]

Wouldn't really call myself a fan but I do enjoy them occasionally. The "will even impress the folk fans among us" has me rather excited for this particular release haha.

[El_Jeffe]

whether you take a liking to the album or not, i think you might just be rather surprised at how closely related real reggae & folk music are when they're stripped right down

a lot of world music enthusiasts claim a great deal of connection between the two music cultures

[El_Jeffe]

someone quote me so i can use the 'who quoted me' feature in the morning & remember to check out the new mighty diamonds album because it's right up my alley & i know that i will most likely really really really enjoy it, since the diamonds rule. so let this hail as a reminder to myself to check it out

:thumbup:

[allhourcymbals]

:thumbup:
you know... i just checked my who quoted me and saw this, and was like 'i did not post in this thread...' and of course. you! and using another smilie! that's twice in one week! i'll check it out today :-)

[IWasaCamera]

Getting Inna De Yard now.

[allhourcymbals]

this is amazing. i'm only a few songs in but holy crap... you described it perfectly with 'angelic'. you can just feel how in sync they are, and the music is just so... natural, and stripped, and wow.

[Neo Cassady]

I'll check this out when I get home from work.

[allhourcymbals]

'4000 years' is standing out so much for me so far. i really need to look into getting more albums from them.

[allhourcymbals]

wait wait, "i need a roof"? is that their song? i've only heard the ted leo version of it, which i loved, but this is so much better...

[El_Jeffe]

you know... i just checked my who quoted me and saw this, and was like 'i did not post in this thread...' and of course. you! and using another smilie! that's twice in one week! i'll check it out today :-)

this is amazing. i'm only a few songs in but holy crap... you described it perfectly with 'angelic'. you can just feel how in sync they are, and the music is just so... natural, and stripped, and wow.

haha i thought you might appreciate this album. i've been waiting/wanting/hoping for the diamonds to release an acoustic session recording for sooo long now. i think every fan has really, cause we knew it would be brilliant. the power of true harmony finally unleashed

wait wait, "i need a roof"? is that their song? i've only heard the ted leo version of it, which i loved, but this is so much better...

it talks of the great marcus garvey, definitely a diamond tune haha. ted only really uses the chorus. but again, he shouldn't cover other peoples work, it's... horrid. the man writes great great music on his own terms, he needs to keep it that way haha

I'll check this out when I get home from work.

good man. i know there's not an abundance of roots reggae fans here, but it's albums like this that may really turn many peoples heads here & really help people understand this genre. just like other genres, the real music that is considered art isn't littered through the mainstream (other than bob), there's such beauty underneath. it's a shame people write reggae & ska off so quickly, especially when they haven't really heard any

[allhourcymbals]

haha i thought you might appreciate this album. i've been waiting/wanting/hoping for the diamonds to release an acoustic session recording for sooo long now. i think every fan has really, cause we knew it would be brilliant. the power of true harmony finally unleashed



ted only really uses the chorus. but again, he shouldn't cover other peoples work, it's... horrid. the man writes great great music on his own terms, he needs to keep it that way haha



good man. i know there's not an abundance of roots reggae fans here, but it's albums like this that may really turn many peoples heads here & really help people understand this genre. just like other genres, the real music that is considered art isn't littered through the mainstream (other than bob), there's such beauty underneath. it's a shame people write reggae & ska off so quickly, especially when they haven't really heard any
thank you for the "reminder" haha. i'm really loving this. and i don't hate ted leo's covers at all hahah, they're quirky.

[El_Jeffe]

thank you for the "reminder" haha. i'm really loving this. and i don't hate ted leo's covers at all hahah, they're quirky.

i only hate cause i treasure the originals haha. "quirky" is now a banned word! it should say "horrible"!

[allhourcymbals]

i only hate cause i treasure the originals haha. "quirky" is now a banned word! it should say "horrible"!
nope you're wrong. i treasure the originals too! but they're still not horrible, they're just.. really, really different.. haha.

[IWasaCamera]

I've given Inna De Yard two spins thus far and it's been a pleasant surprise.

[El_Jeffe]

that's great news. there's a little reggae out there for everyone. something so stripped back & empowering should reach out to a lot of folks here. it's great to hear something so raw sound so full of emotion

"have mercy" might be my favourite track in these early days, not a weak moment on the album though to me. it's been many years, but the wait for an acoustic album was worth it

[IWasaCamera]

The acoustic approach creates this whole other dynamic to their harmonies. Quite enjoyable.

[El_Jeffe]

a lot of people might enjoy this, worth a listen at least

[allhourcymbals]

i'm enjoying this album so much. people, check this out!

[allhourcymbals]

i can't help but dance to "gone bad". i forgot how much i used to love speak the truth. and still do, obviously, but haven't spun it in a whiile now.


speak the truth, speak it forever

[KatieKutthroat.]

I've never heard this band, but I'd like to. And who could help me with that?


...Courtney! Because I can't find anything on my own. :-)

[allhourcymbals]

I've never heard this band, but I'd like to. And who could help me with that?


...Courtney! Because I can't find anything on my own. :-)
Haha, if I don't come through within the next few days, it means I forgot. But yeah. You won't be disappointed. They're brilliant, and definitely something you'd enjoy.

[KatieKutthroat.]

Haha, if I don't come through within the next few days, it means I forgot. But yeah. You won't be disappointed. They're brilliant, and definitely something you'd enjoy.

Haha, don't worry about it, whenever you have time or whatever. They sound like a band I'd definitely enjoy.

[El_Jeffe]

yea agreed. their 70's material is the golden era in my mind (& probably most others). but they still had "it" during the 80's & 90's. their albums were still really strong (based on the albums i've heard anyway). still floored by the new one though. it's an absolute high point in reggae music

& katie, hopefully you will love it! you have great taste, but this is some pretty rootsy stuff. hopefully it still sits well

[KatieKutthroat.]

& katie, hopefully you will love it! you have great taste, but this is some pretty rootsy stuff. hopefully it still sits well

Well, it's not much, but I've listened to the songs on their myspace and I'm really digging them. Can't wait to hear more.