BERMUDIAN reggae musician Dane (Danejaharas) Swan blazes a trail across a vast musical territory on , a tight, 16-song CD. To Rastafarians red represents the bloodshed their peoples have endured, gold the wealth stolen from their ancestors and green the lands that have been abused and decimated by mankind.

The enigmatic Danejahras, who is currently based in Canada, is by no means a fly by night DJ or a wannabe slam poet. He is the genuine article a supremely talented lyricists and musician.

Among his many credits in addition to being a skilled DJ are: being a former host of an award-winning college radio show, a , minimalist hip hop producer and vocalist for Ottawa's biggest dance label Fossilfuel. He has also done some freelance work for CBC radio on an Ontario-wide show called .

His debut album opens the listener's mind to his own perceptions of life. This makes it a refreshing change from the imported diet of gun-packing, pimp-glorifying "gangsta" rap which seems to be so popular among Bermudian. It is unfortunate indeed when a Bermudian son of the soil has to market his talents overseas to truly come into his own and be appreciated. After listening to his album several times, I think the thoughtful, rhythmic Danejahras has fullfiled his duty in expanding the listener's mental horizons.

The opening tune is an a cappella tune that has an inspirational feel to it ? and make no mistake, Dane can hold a tune. is a percussive hip hop tune that is worthy of local airplay, a bit short but worth listening to. The fourth track, 'is a spoken word tune with a heavy reggae/dancehall feel to it and a pinch of techno added which adds to its crossover appeal. is a smooth rap that has a streetwise flavour as the extortionist addressed in the lyrics is told "his money is well spent". is a freestyle rap that flows without being monotonous and some of the sexual overtones catch the listener off-guard ? which makes this tune entertaining and unpredictable! should be the unofficial anthem for the struggling college student: it talks about being penniless in the big city and having to scrape enough money to eat let alone cut self-produced rap records!

Another hard hitting freestyle rap is : its message can be summed up in four words ? watch out Madison Avenue! Danejaharas' contempt for mass marketing, packaging and advertising is expressed in withering terms on this track.

As I mentioned earlier Danejahras opens listeners' minds with his acute perceptions, making them question both their priorities and preconceived notions about life in the 21st century. The album has a broad musical range, from raw and gritty to eloquent, perfectly delivered messages that could easily serve as personal mantras for the more discriminating listener.

Swan's debut venture is a stroke of Bermudian musical genius. It's a pity local audiences have been deprived of hearing one of our hometown sons raising the bar of excellence in this ever-evolving genre. Until Danejahras drops this album locally, the next best thing is to check out his site www.danejahras.com and hear samples of his work.