The 18th Parallel – All Fruits Ripe
Fruits Records/Evidence Music
Text: Volker Barsch
When The 18th Parallel from Switzerland and Roberto Sanchez from Spain come together, nothing can go wrong. Here, true reggae connoisseurs and consummate craftsmen are at work – artists who, like few others, manage to carry the original roots sound, with its jazzy foundation, into the present day. Their fruitful collaboration most recently culminated in the spectacular and highly ambitious ”Roots Architects” project, which featured more than 50 Jamaican musicians, most of them bona fide legends.
The recordings for ”All Fruits Ripe” also took shape over an extended period, in this case between 2015 and 2025. Once again, The 18th Parallel rely on their tried-and-tested showcase format: five tracks are presented with separate vocal and dub versions, along with one additional song in an extended mix where the vocal seamlessly transitions into the dub version.
The opener features Micah Shemaiah, whose outstanding albums ”Roots I Vision” and ”Jamaica Jamaica” were already produced by The 18th Parallel. And on ”To Be Free,” Shemaiah’s distinctive baritone once again forms a perfect symbiosis with the musicians’ finely wrought virtuosity.
On ”Guiding Star,” roots veteran Rod Taylor proves that he has lost none of his touch even at nearly 70 years of age, while Var’s ”Let Thy Kingdom Come” feels somewhat sluggish, particularly in the chorus – despite the former Pentateuch frontman and ”Inna di Yard” artist delivering his performance with customary dedication.
Strong performances also come from veteran Keith Rowe (of Keith & Tex) on ”Love Gets Sweeter,” Portland-born Rasta singer Itral Ites on the smoothly flowing ”No More Will I Roam,” and Hezron on the extended track ”Keep On Keeping On.”
The excellent dub versions allow the listener to focus on the finer details of the arrangements, with percussion, bass, and horns in particular coming into their own in a different light.
Fruits Records mastermind Mathias Liengme produced all tracks and played all keyboard parts, while Roberto Sanchez handled the mix. Recording sessions took place at the Mixing Lab and Small World Studio in Kingston, at Bridge and Evidence studios in Geneva, at Ariwa in London, and at Sanchez’s A‑Lone Ark Muzik Studio in Santander, northern Spain – primarily with musicians from The 18th Parallel and Sanchez’s Lone Ark Riddim Force. Guest musicians include living legends such as Leroy ”Horsemouth” Wallace, as well as the late Dalton Browne and Scully Sims.
All in all, with ”All Fruits Ripe,” The 18th Parallel add another fine roots showcase compilation to their catalog.
