Xana Romeo

★★★★

The Roots Of X XANA ROMEO MUSIC. DL

Anticipated second album from rising roots daughter.

In the five years since debut album

Wake Up first surfaced, Max Romeo’s daughter Xana has honed her craft, appearing on stages around the world and experimenting with different styles at the family’s home studio. Long-awaited second set The

Roots Of X shows growing maturity with a stronger command of expressive vibrato on sung numbers and seamless flow on rapped interludes, the lyrics underpinned by Rastafari spirituality, as heard on opener Holy and repatriation song Africa Is Calling. Very much a family affair, most of the dubheavy rhythms were built by brother Azizzi with Jallanzo Johnson of Dubtonic Kru, and father Max guests on Youths First, while uncle Lindy produced Spiritual Guide, which has a fine melodica lead by Addis Pablo. There are also adaptations of Judy Mowatt’s Slave Queen and Marlena Shaw’s Woman Of The Ghetto.