Jah Seal, born Ronan Lynch, is an author, musician, producer and historian from the Irish capital Dublin, who for 'Intergalactic Detective Agency' once again joined forces with Berlin based producer Alldub, a work and friendship relationship that has lasted for more than two decades now.
After 2006s 'Spirit Live' (still released under the pseudonym Sealion) and 2010s 'Itopia', 'Intergalactic Detective Agency' is Jah Seal’s third solo project to date. Seal started his musical career operating his own Irieland Soundsystem (these days based at the Berlin Planet Earth Studios), for some time also released music magazine Irie Up, and was one of the driving forces behind The Reggae Movement Exhibition.
In addition, Lynch is a licensed historian, who in 2019 already released 'Between Worlds', a book about the history of Irish colonialism in the Caribbean, and is currently working on a successor. For his next book, Ronan drew inspiration from the life of Marcus Garvey: "I recently discovered that Marcus Garvey had a deep connection with Ireland's nationalist leaders back in the nineteen twenties. His family name came from Ireland. I spoke to Garvey's son in New York last year, the family knew of the Irish slave-owner connection.", and, on 'Intergalactic Detective Agency', that connection with Garvey is also reflected in 'Seven Black Star Liner': "Have you heard the news today? Seven Black Star Liner, steaming to Ghana, carrying home treasure stolen from Africa...".
With this album, Jah Seal takes us on a magical journey, through forests and over mountain ranges, with the mythological land of the "black sunrise" as a final destination (to be deduced from the Japanese looking frog ninjas/troubadours on the cover of the album, a nod to the "land of the rising sun"). The track list counts 8 songs, of which a handful were already released earlier ('This Is Irieland', at the same time a tribute to his own label, but also to his homeland Ireland and finally to the beauty of the music, was already released as a single in the fall of last year, and 'Good Times', 'Prophecy' and 'Slow And Deep', date from 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively, but were revamped for the occasion, and an Aldubb dub version of 'Spiritual Warriors' was released in 2010).
What remains: the aforementioned 'Seven Black Star Liner', title track 'Intergalactic Detective Agency', an indictment of the enormous inequality in the world, in which a small minority takes advantage of the masses, always trying to control the narrative with their ideas leading the world from one conflict to another, all to maintain their own material greed and power, but in which fortunately also other forces, creatures and spirits roam, who do not want to let the world burn, and 'Irie Up The Dance Tonight', an ode to the power of (reggae) music, but also to all those who make sure that there's music to be heard at all; a message that may sound twice as loud in times of COVID-19.
Jah Seal has a somewhat drawling, parlando-like voice that turns 'Intergalactic Detective Agency' into a relaxing, at times almost meditative listening experience and getting better with each listening session!