Edley Shine’s ‘Based on Talent’ EP: The Music Healing We All Need

During these times, with the Covid-19 pandemic raging worldwide and civil unrest in the US, nothing could be more soothing than the feeling derived listening to a great song.  Good music is what we crave, and creative artist Horace ‘Edley Shine’ Payne wasted no time in serving us his dose of fresh music through his new EP Based on Talent, which was released on May 29.

Edley Shine rose to prominence in the mid-90s as a member of the group Born Jamericans. The group became successful by fusing Jamaican Dancehall and US Hip-Hop. Their debut album in 1994 Kids From Foreign, which housed classic riddims like Shank I Shenk, Hi-Fashion, and Prophecy, were a fusion of Jamaican-style deejaying plus yearning vocals and a spike of rugged hip-hop drums.

In 1997 after the release of their sophomore album Yardcore, the group broke up and went their separate ways. After more than 20 long years of musical silence, Edley Shine released this resounding six-track EP “Based On Talent.” Production credit goes to the young and talented Roe Summerz a.k.a The Riddimisist (Vybz Kartel comes to mind) and Riddim Boss.

Based On Talent, released on the Shinealous Records imprint, is an exceptional performance that boasts a well-arranged element of Reggae, Dancehall, and Hip-Hop. Every song on the EP has a burst of creativity imbibed in it, and just as the title suggests, talent is both the driving force of the EP and that of quality, evergreen music in an ever-changing entertainment circle.

Still staying true to his Jamaican heritage, Reggae and Dancehall are the core ingredients of the EP, but as expected, Hip-Hop and RnB were duly incorporated in each song too. Based on Talent exhibited Edley Shine’s songwriting skill and his ability to smoothly switch up styles over tracks that could easily be the most played in radio stations, clubs, and dancehall bashments.

Whether he is appreciating natural queens on the melodious Factory Skin, crooning adult settings on Big Mon Ting, dropping hardcore Dancehall lyrics on Cyan Recova, switching up to party vibes on Glow Party or bringing back memories on the calm “Babylon Breeze”, the EP is a perfect fit for this season.

When asked what the EP means to him, Edley Shine said, “This project is special to me, as I poured over 20 years of my creative energy into Based on Talent to demonstrate that I can thoroughly entertain the masses with a quality body of music as a solo artist.”

Shine adds, “The timing to release Based On Talent couldn’t be more appropriate as the world craves music to entertain them, warm their hearts, and deflect from trying circumstances of today.”

Interestingly, the first single from the EP Babylon Breeze has garnered an impressive digital presence with more than 300,000 impressions across all streaming platforms and over 30,000 YouTube views.

With Babylon Breeze trending, Edley Shine’s Based On Talent is in for an excellent ride all the way up. This amazing EP is worth listening to.