Kingston-born Spectacular made his first recording in 1996 and his first album in 2005, becoming a sought-after artist on the European reggae scene through tours with the likes of Lutan Fyah, who guests on the upbeat track Farmer Man on this release, and his work with Sizzla (1999’s All Praises Belong To Jah) Indeed, this is released by the French label Carabeo Music; Stay Up has solid, sometimes quite inventive rhythms provided by The Forward Ever Band, a mainstay of the Spanish reggae scene, as Spectacular burns fire throughout the album, starting fiercely with Jump In Fyah.
The great singer Lymie Murray appears on the title track, with lyrics encouraging unity and standing tall in the face of adversity (a theme he revisits later on in the album with The System) whilst Bag A Weed shows Spectacular’s powerful voice to great effect and pays tribute to some earlier reggae greats – as well as the herb, of course. On Mama Proud, Spectacular tells us that Mama, I wave your banner so high, and Spectacular closes out with Heart Mind And Soul telling us that Jah is in control of my heart, mind, and soul, and dubbed up in fine style towards the end.
Overall, this is a fine, varied, modern roots reggae album with plenty of positive energy, and one that sounds better and better with each play.