Born Tilmann Otto, Gentleman in two short albums has become

the face of reggae in Germany.  German reggae, you ask?

  Certainly, to date, there hasn't been a German reggae artist who has made a significant international impact, but Gentleman is poised to become the first.  Living off and on in Jamaica for the past 10 years has given him an air of legitimacy and has apparently garnered him respect within the reggae community, judging from the star talent featured on Journey to Jah : artists like Luciano, Morgan Heritage, Capleton, Bounty Killer, Junior Kelly, Mikey General, and Jahmali, producers like Bobby Digital, Black Scorpio, and Dean Frazer, and bands like the Firehouse Crew and Mafia & Fluxy.

Gentleman is a conscious DJ with a sing-songy "sing-jay" vocal style that has become more and more popular, thanks to artists like Sizzla and Buju Banton.  Unlike them, however, Gentleman's voice lacks the raspy edge that draws in many listeners and gives the material a harder sound.  His voice is relatively flat for a dancehall DJ, not helped by the fact that he sounds, well, Caucasian.  To his credit, though, he puts on a credible Jamaican patois when he chats, but you can't fight genetics.  However, his voice aside, Gentleman's skills as a DJ are certainly very competent, and his skills as a songwriter are phenomenal.

The quality of material is what makes Journey to Jah so outstanding. This album has

the sound of a modern-day classic; from top to bottom, it is beyond reproach.  Although Gentleman is a DJ, the great majority of the music here is pure roots reggae, as is the increasing inclination for cultural DJs.  There are a few digital dancehall tracks -- "Leave Us Alone," "Runaway," and "Long Fence," all of which are good -- but nowhere near as many as contemporaries like Sizzla and Capleton tend to perform on their albums.  Like those artists, Gentleman should appeal equally to roots and dancehall fans alike, and frankly any reggae fan should appreciate awesome tunes like "Love Chant," "See Dem Coming," "Jah inna Yuh Life," and "Dem Gone."  Unfortunately, you'd be hard-pressed to find Journey to Jah in the US, but I urge you to find it wherever you can (the only place I've seen it is in Germany). His latest Cd - Confidence is a nicely put together album, Click below to preview Confidence. Reggae music reaching all people throughout the world, No matter the color of our skin.

→ Sample his latest CD - Confidence

20 TRACKS
1. Send A Prayer
2. Superior
3. Caan Hold Us Down (With Barrington Levy & Daddy Rings)
4. Intoxication
5. New Day - No Preview
6. Be Yourself (With Coco Tea)
7. All That You Had
8. Life Takes More Than That
9. Rumours
10. Weary No More (With Tamika)
11. After A Storm
12. Unconditional Love
13. Face Off (With Anthony B)
14. Strange Things
15. Blessing Of Jah (With Ras Shiloh)
16. Church And State
17. Lion's Den
18. Mystic Wind (With Tony Rebel)
19. For The Children
20. No Time Like Now (With Jack Radics)