What would dancehall reggae look like if it were G-rated — cleansed of all shout-outs to female anatomy, devoid of references to particular brands of ammunition, less invested in being hardcore than in doling out eminently catchy, danceable tunes? Answer: Daniel "Chino" McGregor. The 18-year-old Jamaican artist — reigning king of Disney-fied dancehall — is ready to be your tween daughter's favorite heartthrob, and there's nothing a parent couldn't endorse about his sexy-yet-sweet persona. The only street-cred relevant here is a last name: Son of reggae icon Freddie McGregor, Chino is also brother to Stephen "The Genius" McGregor, the young producer behind countless dancehall hits for acts like Mavado. To call them a dynasty is no exaggeration: The hit-making McGregor trio proves that old-school reggae and new-school dancehall are branches of the same family tree.
The real achievement of Chino, though, is what he's proved with his self-titled debut album: "Sanitized" need not be synonymous with "lame." "Never Change (From Mawning)," a choice cut from the record, is a case in point. First, the song jolts with slightly cheesy yet playfully fun electric guitar riffs. Then Chino comes in with smooth singjay vocals: the half-chat, half-sung style that dancehall does so well. He's rhyming about working hard from dawn till dusk — "From mawning / we a hustle and put we all in" — and about never quitting and never changing. The beat is undercut by a singsong melody, and before you know it, you're rocking to the riddim, singing along with the bumper-sticker inspiration and feeling ready to take on the day.
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