From start to finish, Break The Chain is a masterpiece. It’s unlikely that such an accomplished piece of work would come from such a young up-and-comer, but what the musician lacks in notoriety he makes up for in talent.  

Valentine’s versatile delivery is pure masterstroke and when paired with his adept lyricism and abounding charisma, one has to wonder how he has managed to elude mainstream success for as long as he has. All that might soon change however as Break The Chain soared straight to the number one spot on the iTunes Reggae Charts in Germany and Sweden, number two in Italy and Switzerland and inched into the top ten in London.

One of the EP’s most charming qualities is the fact that it features straight reggae music – no additives; sans any fusion element. With the colourful assortment of crossover sounds, trendy reggae hybrids and artistic reinterpretations of the genre surfacing throughout pop culture, it’s encouraging to know that there are young musicians like Valentine and the Reggae Revival massive (which includes Chronixx, Kelissa and the like) that are intent on preserving reggae’s classic sound.

The track “Sweet Reggae Music” highlights this purpose with a subtle sensationalism. The song is essentially a reggae ballad but Valentine splices a little dancehall flavour into the mix. Valentine is both an exceptional vocalist and a gifted deejay and the artiste possesses the pizzazz to carry off the two. 

The music video for “Sound The Alarm” is currently racking up viewership on Youtube. The track is a sweet dub derivative with a heavy bass lead that captures Valentine in a wholly unique light. Valentine almost sounds like a different person on the track and the edgy number was definitely an excellent selection for a music video, as it carries a distinct modernistic appeal.

Break The Chain presents a full sound with all the elements of reggae’s foundation music and somehow still manages to effuse a neoteric magnetism. There is no compromise on the quality of the music either and Valentine effortlessly stands out against the pristine backdrop. 

If you haven’t gotten your copy of the EP as yet, you should; if only so that you may count yourself among the artiste’s initial followers when he is making his Grammy speech one day. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Break The Chain is a brilliant compilation and it highlights a very skilled musician in Valentine, but it’s also the artiste’s first official release since his 2012 mixtape, Bring Back The Love. Hopefully Valentine gets the opportunity to make a full-length studio album to show us what he can really do.

One thing is certain, you will definitely be hearing about this bold young artiste a lot more in the near future.