Lady Saw Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
Walk Out finds Lady Saw devoting less of her album to sexually charged, aggressive music than usual and delivering a diverse effort in the style of her good friend and critical darling Tanya Stephens. Be warned, though, that she refuses to tone down her brazen "slack" tracks and earns her self-proclaimed title of "punany lyricist" with "Power of the Pum" and "Like It." These "pat-your-front woman" anthems are hard synthetic dancehall, authentically Jamaican, and unconcerned with crossing over, as is the celebratory, empowering, and trash-free highlight "Me and My Crew (The Rae)." Add the bitter "Chat to Mi Back" and you've got the usual exciting set of Lady Saw tunes, but Walk Out is a much more ambitious album. Over a smooth reggae beat, "No Less Than a Woman (Infertility)" addresses its issue head on, with Saw's own story of adoption and a sense of self-worth that's unquestionable. "I've still got so much love to give/To so much unwanted kids," she declares, and even offers "I would give anything to have a child of my own" in the same bold voice she uses when speaking of her bedroom talents. The ballad "Not the World's Prettiest" is as effective as TLC's similarly themed "Unpretty," while "You Need Me" skillfully deals with heartbreak and recalls her earlier hit "Give Me the Reason" with its fascinating country music influence. Stranger and riskier is the jaunty jazz of "Baby Dry Your Eyes," and just like everything else, it works. Coming to terms with X-rated and poignant moments living together is the listener's problem, since there's no sense that Saw sees any conflict. Just like early Prince albums, Walk Out is an exciting mix of shocking, intoxicating, daring, and sure. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With sex being the topic 90 percent of the time, Lady Saw isn't the most versatile woman in dancehall and a better singles than album artist. Fortunately, the XXX Strip Tease sounds like a greatest-hits collection with only a couple moderate tracks. Nearly everything on the album finds Saw nasty as ever, taking unexpected, playful turns and adding more R&B to her sound. "Loser" is the straight-up dancehall stunner with Ce'Cile guesting. You'll need a note from your parents to listen to it, but "Pretty Pussy" is the album's most forceful track and the unquotable lyrics are exhilarating. The big singalong, party tune "I've Got Your Man" could dominate R&B radio if given half a chance, while the R. Kelly meets Mae West "Thug Loving" smoothly kicks off the album's fantastic pillow-talk wind down. All this horniness ends with the thoughtful "Dedicated to Mama," and if you're skeptical Lady Saw can touch the soul, know that her lack of candor is both in her sexual numbers and the ones from her heart. "Now I know/What it's like/Raising a family and being a wife," she sings, and admits she had no idea how hard the struggle must have been for her mother. It's a rare, vulnerable moment from the singer that almost doesn't fit with the rest of the hedonism. Luckily the softer fourth quarter of the album sets it up as well as you could and shows executive producers Christopher Chin and Lady Saw were taking great care constructing the album. If parental advisory stickers make you consider an album in the least, keep moving. For everyone else, Strip Tease is Saw's most thrilling album yet with a surprisingly sincere and moving closer. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On 99 Ways, the first lady of dancehall continues to pump out the X-rated tunes that have kept her at the top of the dancehall scene since her debut in 1992. Saw's no holds-barred delivery provides a good accompaniment to the album's throbbing rhythms but it's the tunes that stray from her trademark style that make this an enjoyable album. The duet with Pancho Kryztal on "Ride of Your Life" shines with R&B flavor, her rough DJing on "Picture on the Wall" is complemented by Sanchez's sweet vocals and her bluesy crooning of the Crystal Gayle classic, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue," is warm and surprisingly pleasant. The rest of the album tracks offer plenty of Saw's scorching "slack" lyrics, but it's the hidden a capella version of the title track that fully displays her powerful charisma. ~ Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, All Music Guide
'Give Me the Reason'
Release Date 1/1/1996
Tracks 14
Label VP Records
See Album Tracklist and Review
