Don Dada is an album by the Jamaican musician Super Cat, released in 1992.[3][4] It was his first album for a major label, and also one of the first dancehall albums for a major label.[5][6] The album title refers to Super Cat's nickname.[7]
| Don Dada | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1992 | |||
| Genre | Dancehall[1] | |||
| Label | Columbia[2] | |||
| Super Cat chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 37 on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart.[8] Super Cat promoted it with North American and Japanese tours.[9][10]
Production
edit"Nuff Man a Dead" first appeared on the Dancehall Reggaespanol compilation.[11] Heavy D rapped on "Them No Worry We".[12] It was Super Cat's intention to record an album that appealed to both a Jamaican dancehall audience and an American hip hop audience.[13]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [15] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | [2] |
The Milwaukee Sentinel wrote: "Mixing the latest dancehall styles with phrasing reminiscent of pioneers such as U Roy, I Roy, Big Youth and Dillinger, Super Cat makes some of the most refreshing (and interesting) Jamaican dance music in a long time."[16] Newsday called the album "a bracing collection of tough rhythms, tougher lyrics and a pocketful of contradictions."[17] The Times concluded that, "in much the same way that rap glories in its tuneless, declamatory style of vocalese, so the hardcore dance-hall style reduces reggae almost entirely to rhythm and rhyme; all harangue and no harmony."[18]
USA Today determined that "the rapid-fire rapper serves up equal measures of social conscience and disco fever"; the paper later listed Don Dada as the eighth best R&B album of 1992.[19][20] The Philadelphia Inquirer deemed the album "a deft mixture of rapping and singing supported by intelligent and not overly repetitive tracks."[21]
AllMusic wrote that "the recurring ability of the songs to consistently provide a simple groove for Super Cat to fervently rap over the top of is amazing, and the virtuosity with which he can constantly provide the necessary vocal concoctions is noteworthy."[14]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Them No Worry We" (with Heavy D) | |
| 2. | "Ghetto Red Hot" | |
| 3. | "Them No Care" | |
| 4. | "Dolly My Baby" (with Trevor Sparks) | |
| 5. | "Don't Test" | |
| 6. | "Must Be Bright" | |
| 7. | "Don Dada" | |
| 8. | "Think Me Come fi Play" | |
| 9. | "Big and Ready" (with Heavy D and Frankie Paul) | |
| 10. | "Coke Don" | |
| 11. | "Nuff Man a Dead" | |
| 12. | "Oh It's You" | |
| 13. | "Fight fi Power" | |
| 14. | "Yush Talk" |
References
edit- ^ Sullivan, Paul (October 15, 2013). Remixology: Tracing the Dub Diaspora. Reaktion Books.
- ^ a b MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 743.
- ^ Bennun, David (Sep 12, 1992). "Albums — Don Dada by Super Cat". Melody Maker. Vol. 68, no. 37. p. 43.
- ^ Serwer, Jesse (January 2, 2014). "Dancehall Legend Super Cat Is Quietly Making a Comeback". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Monette, Austin (10 July 1992). "Reggae at Raceway". Splash. Daily Press. Newport News. p. 13.
- ^ Moskowitz, David V. (2006). Caribbean Popular Music. Greenwood Press. p. 284.
- ^ Catlin, Roger (28 June 1992). "Super Cat delivers, though party dragged". Hartford Courant. p. B5.
- ^ "Top R&B Albums". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 46. Nov 14, 1992. p. 23.
- ^ "Music Spotlight". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. December 11, 1992. p. 15.
- ^ Bellafante, Ginia (October 5, 1992). "Super Sound". Time. Vol. 140, no. 14. p. 91.
- ^ "Super Cat Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Considine, J.D. (16 Aug 1992). "Thanks to rap, reggae artists have hit upon a funky new sound". The Baltimore Sun. p. 1J.
- ^ Gettelman, Parry (October 22, 1993). "Super Cat Enjoys Reggae's Starring Role in Film". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 6.
- ^ a b "Super Cat Don Dada". AllMusic.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 853.
- ^ Tanzilo, Robert (10 July 1992). "Super Cat unbeatable". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 22D.
- ^ Gehr, Richard (13 Sep 1992). "Dancehall Invasion: Bawdy by Nature". Fanfare. Newsday. p. 15.
- ^ Sinclair, David (July 25, 1992). "A quick 'toast' to reggae tradition". Features. The Times.
- ^ Gundersen, Edna (15 Oct 1992). "Trio of foreign bands making a noise in U.S.". USA Today. p. 8D.
- ^ Jones IV, James T. (30 Dec 1992). "R&B: Smooth Sade; drab Day". USA Today. p. 4D.
- ^ Moon, Tom (15 Jan 1993). "From Jamaica ... with Dub". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 16.