Lucky Dube / Taxman
Artist Lucky Dube
Album Title: Taxman
Album Cover:
Primary Genre Reggae: General Reggae
Format CD
Released 06/17/1997
Label Shanachie Records Corp.
Catalog No 45039
Bar Code No 0 16351 45322 8
Packaging Jewelcase
Tracks
1. Guns & Roses (6:22)
2. Taxman (4:36)
3. Is This The Way (4:54)
4. Take It To Jah (5:16)
5. Mirror, Mirror (4:55)
6. We Love It (5:02)
7. You've Got A Friend (5:27)
8. Kiss No Frog (5:38)
9. Well Fed slave / Hungry Free Man (5:05)
10. Good Things (5:09)
11. Release Me (5:25)
12. I Want To Know What Love Is (4:33)
Date Acquired 05/17/2011
Personal Rating
Acquired from Ernie B's Reggae (Amazon) EBREGGAE.COM
Purchase Price 11.50

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Reviews
All Music Guide Review:

Review by Alex Henderson

During his career, Lucky Dube has witnessed major political changes in his native South Africa. When he first earned recognition in the '80s, the country's apartheid system was still in place. But when the Peter Tosh-influenced reggae hero recorded his eighth album, Taxman, in 1997, apartheid had been outlawed for several years, and the once-imprisoned Nelson Mandela held the position of prime minister. One of his strongest albums ever, Taxman deals largely with the struggles of the new South Africa. The title song asks the same question many Americans ask -- where are all our tax dollars going? -- while "Is This the Way" and "Well Fed Slave/Hungry Free Man" poignantly address the poverty that was still very much a problem in Dube's country. Dube's songs may have been inspired by events and problems of South Africa, but their appeal is universal -- one doesn't have to be from Johannesburg or Cape Town to appreciate his reflections on the struggles of the poor, the unemployed and the homeless. Whether you live in Philadelphia, London or Kingston, Lucky Dube writes songs that hit home.
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