Christafari

Item: Reggae Sunday School
Author: Brian A. Smith

Reggae Sunday School

(2005)

Reviewed by Brian A. Smith

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Label Lion of Zion EntertainmentThe Phantom Tollbooth2005

comedy gospel reggae worship

Reggae Sunday School is based on five characters: Nigel the Iguana, Calypso the singing Coconut, Manu the know it all, overripe Mango, Seymour the Seagull, and Patchouli the Jellyfish. The disc is a series of one-act plays surrounded by songs aimed at children to convey the message of the Gospel.

The problem with reggae in general is the repetitive nature of the music -- often the songs blend together, and other than lyrical changes, are exactly the same as their predecessors. The album goes from being a novelty to becoming annoying very rapidly for most adults. There is very little here to be considered original -- "Name the Animals" puts a Jamaican spin on a very similar idea employed previously in a Time/Life animated series about the Old Testament.

Several songs you know are here -- "Zacchaeus," "Jesus Loves the Little Children," "Be Glorified," and "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" all receive the Caribbean treatment, complete with new verses and words that add almost nothing to the original versions. Other tunes, like "Dreadlocked Samson," try too hard to give an island flavor to people who were never within one thousand miles of South America.

"My Lord is Sweet" is the worst offender, with a repetitive, nonsensical nature to its lyrics:

What is sweeter than candy?
Who is sweeter than honey?
And who is sweeter than a Ju Ju Bee?
Yes Jesus is lovely
Well he is sweeter than saccharine and chewable vitamins
The only thing that's sweet and won't rot your teeth
Sweeter than white and the brown sugar
Sweeter than a treat from your mommy's cookie jar...

I literally punched a hole in my CD player trying to make this song stop. There are about two minutes of similar comparisons after the lyrics cited. Thankfully, the rest of the tunes here don't sink to this depth, but Reggae Sunday School would make Bob Marley do gymnastics in his coffin.

1.5 tocks