Mooremantic, a reggae recording artist and lyricist, was born in Kingston, Jamaican—the ninth of ten children. Showing a creative urge from an early age he spent much of his time writing poetry and stories. After graduating from high school and working in facility maintenance, translocated to the United States and worked as a public safety officer. Moved by the music of reggae artists such as Ecco Minot, Michigan and Smiley, Junior Ried, Yellow Man, Jimmy Cliff and Shabbat Ranks, he realized he could turn his poetry and stories into reggae music. He taught himself keyboards, and since his twenties has been spreading his stories locally, knowing that somewhere his songs will move others as reggae first moved him years ago.
Mooremantic currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, where he is pursuing a career in music. Originally introducing himself with the melodically banging riddim with dancehall flavors, “Hold Up Your Head”, the Kingston born artist has released his album entitled “Mantic Genesis”.
The album’s five tracks crisscross through different moods and subjects, which convey a live-band feeling, which will immediately transport you to the festival vibes of summer. A perfect foundation for Mooremantic to work with, these songs give us a good insight into the artist’s style without growing repetitive.
With catchy melodies, well-written lyrics and an endearing swag, Mooremantic presents himself as an artist to be reckoned with. And he does so most emphatically on “New York New York”, which is built on a driving bass motif, a start-stop rhythm, and Mooremantic’s infectious vocal energy which booms with every verse in this anthemic chant.
“I No Mad”, again showcases Mooremantic’s vocal ability and his intense rapping flow, as the beat holds up the momentum, allowing the artist to smoothly work his way around the pulsating sound canvas. The throwback nature of a couple of the tunes on “Mantic Genesis” gives the album a pedagogic feel, establishing Mooremantic as a scholar of the genre and not just an opportunistic appropriator of the culture.
This nostalgia also plays to the artist’s vocal strengths, which seem to be directly teleported from the dancehall riddims of the late 80’s early 90’s. Songs like “My Sweet Christine”, are real hand wavers which makes you want to turn up the volume, or – even better – see a live performance of Mooremantic.
Listeners will see this come to life on tracks like “Light It Up”, Mooremantic’s old time reggae party lyrics inspire a sense of fun, timelessness, and oneness. This song is a natural winner, with a consistent energy that both the artist and the backing musicians are skilled at maintaining.
A strong effort with well-sculptured verses and an impressive adlib section, the track will hold your attention throughout. “Mantic Genesis” is never boring, never monotonous, and never dull. On the contrary, this album paints a contrasting picture with thousands of appealing and fascinating facets, sound-wise and content-wise.
The amount of effort that Mooremantic puts into his craft is evident. The result is an impressive, versatile and professionally delivered album that will certainly men a big deal to Mooremantic’s fans around the world, and those that are yet to become one. Correctly marketed, a standout song like “Hold Up Your Head” should have no problems at all in extending Mooremantic’s fan-base from local to global.
