Nathelie Taylor, Gleaner WriterAfter a successful career of stealing the world's most coveted gems and jewels, Max Burdett decides to retire. Along with lover and fellow thief Lola Cirillo, he jets off to live it up in the Bahamas. But instead of basking in the sun and sea, Burdett plans one last heist - an elaborate scheme to steal the third Napoleon diamond from the Diamond cruise, which is almost too coincidentally docked on the island they have chosen. The chase begins again.
THAT'S THE basic story line for the soon to be released action/adventure After The Sunset. Fast-paced, laced with thievery, deceit and lust and a star studded cast to boot Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, Woody Harrelson and Don Cheadle this Brett Ratner-directed film promises to be engaging. With scenes like sultry Hayek disguised as a windscreen-wiping dread and the cacophonic displays of sounds and colours indigenous to the tropics, one will be glued to the action on screen. Naturally, one expects the soundtrack to be a fitting accompaniment to the thrilling scenes, one that's as tropical and hot as the movie itself.
BLEND
One is given exactly that. It's almost guaranteed that the blend of Caribbean genres on the soundtrack will be musically satisfying. For one thing, the artistes featured on the album will be easily recognisable to a Caribbean audience. There are two tracks each by Kevin Lyttle and Rupee and one each by Sean Paul, Cobra, Cutty Ranks, Shaggy, Dawn Penn, Junior Murvin, Good Size and Maria Rita. Like the movie, the 12-track album is enticing. It focuses as much on the pleasures of the female form and intimate relationships as it does on the 'criminal' side of life.
KICK OFF
Vincentian soca star Kevin Lyttle kicks things off with a stirring I Got It, featuring his dancehall running mate Spragga Benz. In this song, Lyttle invites his love interest to come get it, if she wants it, 'cause he's got it. Lyttle's second contribution to the album is a song familiar to Jamaicans a remake of Mr. Easy's Drive Me Crazy, featuring Mr. Easy. Soft and sexy at number eight, it is the second track on the album where reggae meets soca rhythmically.
It is still primarily a dancehall tune, yet the unmistakable tenets of Eastern Caribbean 'pan' music skillfully infused in the background will be heard and appreciated. Bajan singer Rupee picks up on Lyttle's opening, provocative stance, coming in at number two with his popular Tempted to Touch as he tells the woman of his dreams that 'before the end of the night, I wanna hold you so tight'. His next appearance is at number 12, when he closes this musical journey of life and love with a reminder to make the most of each moment in You Never Know.
The double soca entree is upped only by Sean Paul, with the 'dutty' lyrics of Punkie reminiscent of the nineties. The rhythm is as smooth as the lyrics. With a chorus line of 'Hot sexy Punkie, Gal me see sey dat you want me, an it no matter whey you man a sey, cause you know sey dat we have fi link up one day', this song is a definite plus.
ROMANTIC CHASE PAUSES
The courtship and thrill of the romantic chase pauses at this point with Cobra's techno-toned remake of Cobrastyle with the Teddybears. The grimmer side of the film is further highlighted with the violence-hued Cutty Ranks introduction 'Six million ways to die, choose one ... a whey dem a try fi do, try fi test me?'
The DJ enters at number five with A Who Sey Me Dun and one is again thrown back to an era when dancehall had a 'cool and deadly' pulse to it. These 'badman' tunes make way for the soft cushions of seduction with Shaggy's alluring Boombastic at number six. Coupled with the distinct strains of Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On, Shaggy recreates the sexiness of the album and produces images of romance in the mind. Not to be outdone are the two 'one drop' selections.
Actually, the soundtrack may not have been complete without these two songs the Salaam Remi remix of Dawn Penn's Night and Day and Junior Murvin's Police and Thieves. Night and Day, with its slow, sweet, vintage lover's rock vibe, is especially welcoming since it gives a woman's view on love and relationships. Murvin's Police and Thieves, which epitomises the cat-and-mouse chase that ensues between the relentless FBI agent Stanley P. Lloyd and the ever-eluding Burdett, immediately follows this reggae ballad at number 10.
