Scratch Came, Scratch Saw, Scratch Conquered

Album review

Out of the three albums of new material that Lee "Scratch" Perry released in 2008, Scratch Came, Scratch Saw, Scratch Conquered comes in a distant third. Unlike Repentance with Andrew W.K. as producer and The Mighty Upsetter with Adrian Sherwood behind the boards, Scratch Came, Scratch Saw, Scratch Conquered is a misfire with Perry and multi-instrumentalist John Saxon failing in the chemistry department. The duo did a much better job on their 2006 collaboration, The End of an American Dream, but here the silly Spike Jones-meets-Squirrel Nut Zippers construction Saxon gives the opening "Having a Party" clues into Scratch's silly side, causing the legendary reggae man to rattle off a series of those simple rhymes that clog his most uninspired efforts. "Drink your drink/Wink your wink/And think your think" is followed by "Drunk your drunk/And punk your punk" on the track, and 13 songs later the album is closing with "I have seven wishes/Seven dishes/Seven fishes." It's only when his classic track "Colt the Game" is quoted that Scratch seems to be lyrically inspired, and his spoken introduction of Keith Richards is at least amusing plus lively, in stark contrast with the laid-back noodling the Rolling Stone provides. George Clinton's vocal contribution on "Headz Gonna Roll" is just as underwhelming as it blends into Saxon's Buddha Bar-styled production, which borrows from electronica, Gypsy music, and sometimes sleepy reggae. With two better choices being released in 2008 alone, this is for forgiving Perry collectors only.

© David Jeffries /TiVo