Reggae has always been about breaking free of authority, but admittedly not always on the best terms. When you're listening to "I Shot the Sheriff" and drinking a cheap beer on a boat somewhere, you don't always remember that the protagonist kills a cop for busting his weed stash (nothing against cheap beer). In "Jailer,"
Aṣa (pronounced "Asha") keeps her crimes a mystery, proving that a dress is always sexier when it shows only enough to pique your imagination. Her performance is genuine blues, and her voice seems to float over the back beat, which is polished and smooth without losing any meaning. Aṣa sounds like the real thing, like Lauryn Hill wanted to be and like Nina Simone actually was. Hopefully she doesn't throw her moral weight around on every song, but when she sings "I'm talking to you Jailer," you should feel compelled to listen.
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