Elephant Man Albums (9)
'Let's Get Physical'
Release Date 7/23/2007
Tracks 14
Label JVC Victor
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The crimson-crowned Elephant Man represents a school of dancehall music that's so filled with Jamaican slang, so rough and raucous, and in many ways, so insider that his R&B or hip-hop crossover potential is limited. Give him a guest shot on your urban cut and he's a benefit, but it's only a matter of time before the man they call "Energy God" is going to need room to go supernova and into that chaotic dancehall style that makes him such a big star in his island homeland. Being that it's his first full-length for Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy label, Let's Get Physical could have been a diluted, overly manufactured album filled with dishonest attempts to get Elephant on urban radio. A credit to all parties involved, it isn't that at all. Chalk it up to Diddy's diverse taste -- his respect for Elephant seems as genuine as his fascination with Felix da Housecat and other left-field house music -- or chalk it up to the recent major-label shifting that allowed for Bad Boy and the veteran dancehall label VP to both be under the Warner Bros. umbrella. Let's Get Physical carries both labels' logos and freely strolls from polished duets with Chris Brown ("Feel the Steam") to mile-a-minute dancehall with no concessions for the weak hearted ("Drop Dead" or the JA hit "Gully Creep" which appears at the end of the album as a hidden track). The album kills when it skillfully mixes these two worlds, like when producer Swizz Beats releases an avalanche of gangsta drums and synths on a particularly over-the-top Elephant making "Jump" the unexpected edgy highlight of the album. With its infectious "Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!" hook and bold boasting from all involved, "Five-O" with Diddy and Wyclef is the more smoothed out but just as successful marrying of urban and reggae tones. The wicked live bass/live drums construction DJ Willie Daniels lays on the cut is a welcome sound when surrounded by so much synthetic ragga, while reggae singer DeMarco's guest shot on "Our World" further diversifies, offering an island flavor that hasn't yet crossed-over like the work of the album's other tropical guests, Rihanna and Shaggy. The only complaint to be made is that the album is definitely front-loaded -- leaving the second half to deal with all the B and B+ material. A little shuffling leaves the listener with a grand exercise in global dancehall blending and one of the most satisfying full-lengths in Elephant Man's sprawling catalog. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Energy God (Monsters of Dancehall)'
Release Date 2/20/2007
Tracks 20
Label Greensleeves
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Given the number of times Elephant Man has stolen the show on dancehall compilations and one-rhythm albums in recent years, you'd expect a 20-track retrospective to be nothing but wall-to-wall excitement. But maybe he needs to be surrounded by lesser talents in order to really shine. There's no questioning the power of the dark and foreboding "Log On," with its slowly loping rhythm against which Elephant Man's deliberate flow moves with sharp authority, or the equally dark and compelling "Replacement Killer," or the brilliant way he rides the fun and complex soca-stutter-step rhythm on "Krazy." And if "Egyptian Dance" is ultimately kind of silly, it's also lots of fun, as is the sharp and spare "Truth Hurts." It's harder to understand the inclusion of such lightweight, throwaway material as "Elephant Message" and "Genie Dance" and the unbelievably annoying "Higher Level," and when he tries to sing (as he does on the excruciating "Bad Man a Bad Man") the results are downright embarrassing. This album is worthwhile, but it's more uneven than it should be given Elephant Man's talent and the depth of his catalog. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Had Sean Paul and Wayne Wonder not made the dents they did in urban radio, most of dancehall-deprived America may have never had a chance to hear Elephant Man's brilliant "Pon de River Pon de Bank," the only pure dancehall track to crack the charts since the genre got more reckless and hyper post-Shabba. It's a fantastic single and Good 2 Go surrounds it in standard dancehall album style: some killer, some filler, and at least one truly misguided moment. Elephant Man singing to the tune of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" on "Fan Dem Off" supplies the misguided moment, but there are 19 other tracks to choose from with the filler being better than usual and the killer being just what kicking stereos crave. Besides the pumping and infectious "River," there's the deep and ominous chant of "Jamaica" and a perfectly executed team-up with Killah Priest on the hypnotic and smoke-filled "Who We Are." Joel Chin (a member of the family that started the VP label/dynasty) contributes production that is both quirky and breezy on "Cock Up Your Bumper," with the usually brash Elephant Man prattling on about "yellow underwear" like a tripped-out Harry Belafonte. Moments like this make Good 2 Go a good listen, but being a bit overstuffed and some bad production decisions ("Signal de Plane" fades out way too soon) keep it from being a classic. Of course, the rules of dancehall don't really allow for Sgt. Pepper's-style opuses. A straight-up dancehall album with the charismatic Elephant Man's smart-aleck spin, Good 2 Go focuses on an energetic artist in his prime with little refinement. You can pick and choose your favorite raw, head-bobbing moments and grin away. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Toe 2 Toe, Vol. 6 brings together Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel to run through some familiar dancehall material. Elephant Man opens up the album with a warlord vex and they continue on to cover bad men, hot women, weed and gun talk. Dancehall fans will appreciate the consistency especially when Jamaica's top two MC's are given their take on the well-worn subjects. The riddims are strong but not outstanding. Both MC's run the riddims and use the minimal tracks to take them in any direction. Elephant Man remains straightforward on most of his tracks. Instead of copping weird melodies from the '80s, he just rhymes tough and lays down gritty vocals. His use of the theme from Sesame Street and a hit by Miami Sound Machine has been hard to figure out for fans outside of Jamaica. Vybz Kartel dilutes Elephant Man's touches of strange humor. Kartel changes up the tone and speed of his rhymes and gives a stronger performance than Elephant Man. The subjects remain essentially the same but he brings a bit more variety to his tracks. Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel on the same album puts the world's best dancehall MC's side by side . ~ Matt Whalley, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The hair, the hair, the hair. The one thing known for sure about Elephant Man is that his hair is totally wild. That's what makes him the "Punk Rock of Dancehall" aka "The Energy Man" aka "the Bahamanian Syd Barrett." Now that Elephant Man's branding is finished, it's time to get to the music. Log On is his second full-length release and was a huge smash in Jamaica, spawning five charting tracks. Over the course of 22 tracks, Elephant Man demonstrates his considered dancehall skills. This guy is no amateur, and pulling off an epic-length album like this takes skills. Quite rightfully, these skills have made him a staple of crates around the world. On one of the better tracks, "Bring the War" (set to the tune of Missy Elliott's "Get Your Freak On"), Elephant Man breaks off a fine rhyme: "I know you hate me now/The girls that date me now/The girls they waiting and want to come and rape me now/It's getting feverish now/They can't believe us now/The war is on and none of dem can defeat us now." On "The Bombing," he demonstrates his range, pulling off a paranoid paean to the WTC attacks. Other critics have written negatively about the preponderance of "war" songs on this record, of which there are roughly eight or so. It seems, however, that his best tracks are the war tracks. While he doesn't have the pointed social crit skills of a Lee "Scratch" Perry, it's on these tracks that he's trying to hone them. (They do need honing.) Overall, the album doesn't break any new ground, but it's a respectable entry -- more consequential for its massive popularity than its merit. At this point, he's too concerned with commercial success to produce an album of lasting value. But Elephant Man was only 24 when he recorded Log On, so let the young be young and bring the war on. ~ Brian Whitener, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With his ransacked machine loops and huge, everlasting ghetto-boy growls that would dilate the soberest of pupils, Elephant Man remains the Jamaican bastard child of materialistic and puffed-up hip-hop. But if this is appropriation, it's of the highest standard. Modern dancehall conventions are faithfully beat over the head, letting monstrous basslines sprint, stop, and duck through the tangle of deep-throated twangs and ragga's underbrush. "Bun It" and "Bow City" are baking thunderous numbers that can be both militant and careless, while even a patois reinterpretation of the Spider-Man theme can't divert rhythms that would be frustratingly experimental if they weren't so infectious. A complete reversal of fortune, then. Expect America's finest rap producers to rip this off as soon as it hits hometown soil. ~ Dean Carlson, All Music Guide
