New Roots at Cafe Batavia

By David Zweifler

JAKARTA (JP): When it comes to reggae, I've been spoiled. Instead of studying, fortunately or unfortunately, I spent most of my University career in small, smoke-filled reggae bars on the north side of Chicago. And while Chicago doesn't have the same reputation for reggae that it does for the blues, I did get the chance to see Jimmy Cliff, Inner Circle and others before they became foreign MTV's pick of the month.

That is to say, when I arrived at Cafe Batavia last Tuesday to check out the new reggae group New Roots, I was expecting not to like them. My prejudice is based on the fact that, up to now, there were usually two kinds of "reggae" acts to hit Jakarta: The first was any group made up of non-white musicians that could do a UB40 cover. The second was UB40.

To my surprise, instead of black guys imitating white guys imitating black guys, New Roots played some grooves that were solid in both a local and an absolute sense. They also seemed to have a strong Afro-pop influence -- probably taken with them from Surinam which is the original home of many in the band. This South American, Caribbean beat is a excellent compliment to their reggae and gives them a unique sound.

New Roots is an eight-piece band with the standard bass and lead guitar, drums and vocalist, plus a synthesizer and steel drum setup. Their music is somewhat of a departure from the bare bones, heavy groove of English or American club reggae, with a defter touch on the lead instruments and a less dominant rhythm section.

Some purist snobs have said that this quality was a mark of insincerity in their music, and that New Roots are another fake, easy listening import. However, authenticity isn't a function of unintelligible lyrics, usually a result of a hard day of pot- smoking, or a small band, which is because less people mean a bigger cut of the profits.

Doubtless, the band is somewhat constrained by the fact that people in Jakarta have only had limited exposure to reggae. I had the feeling that they might have been holding back on a few of their songs to keep things lighter for new listeners. However, their quality showed through for me, especially when their version of "Buffalo Soldier" got a table full of apathetic ex- pats off their stools and dancing. I even saw a couple of Chinese businessmen take a break from their negotiations and start snapping their fingers to the music.

The only weakness of New Roots, and it's a major one I'm afraid, is their original tunes, which they characterize as "pop." In what I assume is an effort to make their music sound "modern" or "trendy," their own work is stripped bare of the African sound which makes them good in the first place.

The beats are sterile and repetitious, and the lyrics seem to be making such an effort to be sophisticated that they fall on their face. Let's face it, the word "paleontologists" should never, ever be used in a song. Period.

This aside, New Roots is putting forth some good reggae in a city that doesn't see much. Hopefully, they will serve to broaden the following that reggae already has in this town, and also teach others that this style of music does not equal a bunch of Londoners singing "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You."

New Roots will be in Jakarta at Cafe Batavia until July 4.