but there's nothing truer than that old adage: better late than never! Besides, the initial buzz was woefully inadequate for such a quality production, so I'm gonna start another buzz! Just in time for Christmas.

What could be a better stocking stuffer than an entirely Bermudian made product that is destined for international acclaim? "Dem Call Mi Controversial'' is an excellent album that we should all be very proud of...

Get with it people! From the first burst of those intoxicating horns that introduce `Too Dam Tief', I knew this would be a very special listening experience. Now Ras has always been an astute social commentator, and the first song on album number two rings the alarm to confirm that he has most certainly NOT closed his eyes in the last two years! Economic inequity is the first evil Ras addresses, chanting down Babylon with every uttered verb. `November the 9th' traces the events prior to and immediately after the most important day in Bermuda's recent history.

This song alone is reason enough for those of us with a sense of our own power to affect history to own a copy of this project. Then there's the song that should become an international anthem! `And So It Go (Diallo)' is a heart-rending tribute to Amadou Diallo, the Senegalese immigrant who was brutally gunned down by four New York cops while he innocently stood in the entrance to his home.

This song is an outstanding piece that manages to be as empowering as it is damning. Truneh Flood sings the chorus with passion and yearning in his voice, while Ras showers lyrical brimstone upon the racist police brutality that black people have endured in the west for the past four centuries.

`Colonial Law' is a short, spoken statement that is as powerful as it is true, while `Excuse Me Mr. Speaker' has been a hit for some time now.

`Code of Conduct' is a very interesting piece that bounces along to a synthesizer/bass combination that is TOUGH! This is another of Ras' castigations of the outrageous conduct exhibited by certain sitting members of the House of Assembly, and is delivered in a slurred voice that's meant to be a mockery of those same hypocritical MPs. This song can be adequately described a`s Rude Bwoy Inna De House - Part II', and is another piece of classic Ras! The title track is amazing! It starts of with Ras just talking over a gentle percussion clap, and soon works itself up to a bass heavy rhythm that is full of righteous indignation (this beat is NASTY people!).

Ras drops truth after truth on the track, and the track gets into your mind like few others ever have! `Yes, dem a call we rebel, trouble-maker, controversial... but dem never call we a LIAR!' No Ras ... dem never did! `Thirty Pieces of Silver' is a more laid-back kinda vibe, but this never means that the message is absent. Tonya Iris joins Ras on this piece about illusion and economic and social inequity, a very poignant and sobering combination.

"Please tell me why. Why? Why? Why dem a do dat? For thirty pieces of silver they are trading off your soul.'' The message is clear.

`Politically Correct' features Dwight Jones singing a hearty chorus over a classic reggae beat while Ras recites a stern directive to our sitting MPs.

The song itself is based on a speech made by H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I on the November 22, 1963 and charges our representatives with the heavy responsibility of serving us with integrity and selflessness. Let's hope this song is heeded well.

Finally there's this little piece that's laid over a vicious Steppers rhythm, and delivered in an old Bermudian accent. This is a well-constructed piece that will make even the most conservative Bermudian smile a while. It's really just a little fairy tale called `Five Wise, Five Foolish' -- let's see if you can guess what this one is about on your own.

This is a fantastic project, period. I mean, forget the fact that it is produced exclusively by Bermudian artists; forget that 90 percent of the content is about Bermuda, her history and her people; you can even forget that you know Ras personally (I mean, if you do that is) and this would still be an outstanding album! Ask `The Beat' magazine, there's word that they like this one more than the first (and we all know they loved that one). Ask the international radio audiences in Miami and Los Angeles, where requests for copies have already been received.

Ask Roger Steffens, who has been critiquing reggae music since it started over thirty years ago! They'll all just confirm what I've told you today: `Dem Call Mi Controversial' is a classic of modern dub poetry! Ras is a national treasure... ya betta recognise! Vejay Steede ENTERTAINMENT ENT MUSICAL REVIEW REV