Collective Security

The Roots Reggae Library brings to you Reggae music in unique collections. This edition features the discography of Collective Security, a relatively unknown band from the island of Dominica. 

There seems to be a bit of confusion on the origins of this band. And even though I am currently writing this piece on them in the Domincan Republic, the band is from Dominica. The formation consists of two vocalists, Gabriel Carb and Nathan Alfred. The others are Bobby Rodney, David Baptiste, Clayton Joseph, Perez Saint-Hilaire, Thierry Benoit and Leo Leonard. 

Collective Security - Tribute To Mandela

01. Tribute To Mandela
02. Reggae Got Tuff
03. Give Jah Your Love
04. It Was A Flower
05. Are You Satisfied
06. Roots Its Ya Roots
07. In This World
08. Slave Trade









Around the time when this album was released, tributes to Nelson Mandela came about all over the world. As for Collective Security, a tribute came into being from an unlikely place, the island of Dominica. Tuning in on the album you are taken by surprise how firm a tribute this is. 'Tribute To Mandela' is not only a tribute to Mandela, but a tribute to all the martyrs and liberation fighters. "From Haile Selassie to Marcus Garvey, from Bob Marley to Martin Luther King" and "never forget our South African brother Nelson Mandela". The track makes you curious what the rest of this album may bring. The world has got to focus on Reggae in 'Reggae Got Tuff'. There is other musical styles like Jazz, Rock & Roll, Disco, Blues. But in the end it is all about Reggae. Reggae can't be overthrown. Jah is worthy of your love so 'Give Jah Your Love'. "Every man got a cross to carry". It is a little more dub-like than the music of the previous two tracks. The next song is called 'It Was Flower' on the album but I suppose that it was meant to be called 'It Was A Flower', as this is what they sing. The flower they sing about brought peace. Together with 'Tribute To Mandela' the song 'Are You Satisfied' is my favourite of the album. The music is worked out great in this track. "Are you satisfied with the world that we live in". But the funky Reggae in 'Roots Its Ya Roots' is also very nice. "Don't let Jah children stray" and make sure you are not "going wrong with your imagination, trying to destroy my history and my identity". "Roots natty roots, dreadlock bingi dread, rule natty rule, rule natty dreadlock land, singing in a Babylon for the love of I father's land".`Money is the greatest power 'In This World' today. We have to realize that it is true and that there's no way around it. "How long can it go on, ruling by corruption, living like a parasite in the poor people's eyes, keep on telling lies, thinking that you are right, machine making money, glory in your vanity". In 'Slave Trade' we hear the century old story that "they took me, they sold me, under oppression". "Took me from my mothers land, brought me, took me from my father's land, sold me". "Sugar been cooking up it's time, give them their hungry minds, give them all the greed to enslave my mind, all them folks before me stood my misery, but to know the time has come to bring out my identity". They sing about the voyage of the old time pirate ships that brought them to the West. The album is supposed to have ten tracks, but two of them are dub versions of 'Tribute To Mandela' and of 'Are You Satisfied'. The album art of Tribute To Mandela was made bu Babatunde Banjoko, a Nigerian living in France. 



Collective Security - Hot

01. Hot
02. Give A Little Love
03. Girl
04. Fighters
05. All The Time
06. Words
07. Too Long
08. Everywhere You Walk
09. Music
10. Don't Turn Around








Two is the total number of albums made by Collective Security. Hot is the name of their second. They're getting high by Jah living spirit in 'Hot'. "You can't keep me down" in this time. There's a bit of Rap in the track, "hot from Ethiopia, hot from Dominica, hot from Dominica straight to Ithiopia". The tune in 'Hot' and in 'Give A Little Love' is a little more generic than the tunes in Tribute To Mandela. "We've been around trying to get you on the run, playing the songs with the melodies which come and gone". "'Girl', for all the things I've done for you, still you want to make me blue". This is not so much a love song, but a song of disappointment. A little sunshine or moonlight in her heart doesn't seem to be helping much. We honour our liberators and our freedom 'Fighters'. They mention Steve Biko, Mandela, Marcus and Bob Marley. The song is not as strong as 'Tribute To Mandela' though. "I and I are fighting for freedom" and for liberty and integrity in 'All The Time'. This song has a little more strength than 'Fighters'. "All the time in my life I've been lonely, searching for you". The Collective Security judge the people by their roots. "'Words' are not enough to explain what you really mean to us, we didn't even know why you really had to go away to your father's house". This is how the track 'Words' start and it is just as enjoyable as 'All The Time'. It took a little while for this album to get going. It is very nice how 'Words' has a very nice turnover at the end of the track. It goes "natty dread sing songs of love, natty dread singing songs of freedom, natty dread singing songs of redemption". They sing about never forgetting the 23rd of September. The melody of 'Too Long' sounds some sort of familiar. Rather than teachings about Jesus Christ the Collective Security wants to hear about Selassie. I am a big fan of the uptempo 'Everywhere You Walk'. "Everywhere you chant, everywhere you chant I say you chant down so". It's fast and it's good. Giving praises and know your roots and culture. Have a bit of dignity, knowledge and wisdom. "Here I come singing with my strength how to stay alive". "'Music', sweet music, that's what we like and we're gonna play". Sweet Reggae music is what we all like, don't we? "Many a times when things used to go wrong, we used to try to understand each other by singing together, no love, no love,  we got to come together". In the last track we're told 'Don't Turn Around'. Someone is watching you. 

Studio Albums

««««« (1990) Tribute To Mandela

««««« (1994) Hot

Original Date Of Publishing: July 2017