Richieman was overcome by the Reggae music bug at the tender age of 15, and his been writing music and lyrics ever since. An Austrian performer and Vienna-based artist, Richieman writes all his lyrics in German, which for us English –speaking folks adds a little bit of difficulty, but the music in itself has all the Reggae flavors necessary, to put you in a groove.
Richieman’s latest album is the 11 track “Unding”, released during March this year. Quite recently Richieman also put another track out called “Sonne und Leben”, which forms part of the www.sonneundleben.club social media campaign project, to promote Sunbeds and Sun studios in Austria – including Vitamin D, Biopositive Effects of UV Light and so on.
Now when discussing how important the sun and its effects is on our lives, what better music could there possible be than Reggae? None that I can think of! And of course Richieman proved to be the best German speaking man for the job, as his grasp of the Reggae idiom is naturally convincing.
He packs the track with uplifting, light-hearted good vibes, an easy listening vocal and some soulful horns. The result is an enjoyable, playful and fun song. Exactly what modern Reggae is all about – Pure love, pure sunshine, and pure beauty – a little bob, a little soul, a lot of rhythm, and a whole ton of thoughtful love.
Richieman’s album is much of the same, and probably goes a little deeper lyrically (but my German won’t stand the test to prove that). The album title “Unding”, from what I can gather means ‘absurdity’. It is a showcases a refreshing and insightful artist who hopes to expand his musical skills further than ever before.
“Unding” is awesome. It takes a few times of playing this album in order to start craving Richieman’s sound, but once you are familiar with the melodies, you will love it. And to get back to what would seem like a language barrier; all things considered Richieman is no different to some of the authentic roots Reggae stars.
I vividly remember listening to a lot of reggae albums in the past, where the Jamaican accents were so strong, I couldn’t grasp a single word. But the goodness of Reggae is all in those rhythms and melodies, and Richieman has bucket loads of those. Just listen to tracks such as “Karate”, “Hier und jetz”, “Der Himmel ist pink”, “Komm zu dir” and “Vorbie” for proof.
Richieman’s vibe and energy will capture your soul in an album that really grooves from the first, to the very last note. The musical arrangements are rich and layered, with plenty use of the vibrant sounding horns. I listened to “Unding” a few times over, and it is soothing, heartwarming, and more often, thoroughly uplifting, with lots of a hip-swaying, feel-good Reggae rhythms.
If it wasn’t for the language, which is a dead giveaway, I would have thought this album came straight out of Jamaica!
OFFICIAL LINKS: WEBSITE – FACEBOOK – YOUTUBE – FACEBOOK CAMPAIGN – Sonne und Leben CLUB
