Dr. Mooch

Dr. Mooch (AKA Muchanza Akapelwa) was born in Zambia, post-independence, and has written several books, the bulk of which are poetry and experimental fiction, most pressed on Minerva, a now-defunct vanity/subsidy publisher from Britain. Now, with this self-proclaimed comeback album, the Broward-based vocalist offers a mix of light dub-reggae and roots, filled with everything from easygoing happy-hour tunes to those with more socially conscious rhetoric. Recorded, mixed, and executive-produced by the doctor himself, Eazzy Duzzit reaches for the sounds of the Abyssinians, Steel Pulse, and late-era Inner Circle. The album starts off with a light dub version of the Dr. Mooch original "We Feel Irie," a number that goes through the standard rigmarole about what a person does after work to relax. The album then progresses through themes that are familiar to casual reggae listeners everywhere — a young woman gone astray, dancing, partying, etc. "Practice What You Preach" sounds like "Night Nurse" by Gregory Isaacs with different lyrics, though Mooch claims that the album contains "no remakes, tricks, or gimmicks." The production on Eazzy Duzzit is crisp, though it tends toward an overcompressed and somewhat processed sound. The songwriting ranges from catchy and inoffensive to bland. Unfortunately, the weakest point of the album is Dr. Mooch's vocals, which struggle to find purchase on several of the melodies and lack the presence that made Prince Far I such a legendary voice. Of course, Eazzy Duzzit is best listened to with a bottle of Red Stripe and ten spliffs. As Dr. Mooch says, "This album is smoking reggae."