I Can Feel Your Pain

With the one-two punch of the "Serious Times" and "Beautiful Lady" singles in 2006, modern-day roots reggae singer Gyptian proved both sufferer's songs and lovers rock were at his command. Two years later his I Can Feel Your Pain album proves it was no fluke with moving songs of society and romance dominating while the singer's love of R&B enters the picture. In the case of the title cut, all three elements come together as the plaintive, falsetto Gyptian of "Serious Times" comforts his lover with crushed velvet, slow jam sounds that wouldn't be out of place on a Robin Thicke or Babyface record. It's a superb cut, one equally at home on Jamaican or R&B radio, but more than anything, it sounds genuine. The well-placed "f bomb" dropped in "Keep Your Calm" is further evidence this polished effort is no sellout, as is "Nobody No Cry," which focuses on the uncomfortable issue of how society values its poor. That said, the almost reggae-less "Love Against the Wall" is so grand and in love it could have come right off the end credits of some precious Hollywood production where the guy gets the girl. It's effective, as is the equally R&B "Thanks and Praise," and while the album returns to the singer's island home for later tracks like "Sensi" and the nyahbinghi driven "More Money," fans craving a full roots reggae affair will find the artistically evolving Gyptian is thinking otherwise.