Spun: Kreesha Turner

By Pauline Anunciacion

There are a couple of things you should know about Kreesha Turner. The 26 year old is half-Canadian, half-Jamaican and she lives right next door in Edmonton. With her follow-up to 2009’s Passion, Turner decides to place emphasis on her Jamaican heritage, both musically and artistically — partly shown in how Tropic Electric’s cover has her sporting a natural hairstyle instead of her usual weave.


Tropic Electric definitely lives up to its name. The double-disc album features addictive techno and trance beats coupled with Kreesha’s Jamaican-influenced style, flaunting her music-making versatility. While Tropic is predominantly reggae and techno, Electric gravitates towards R&B with soft, shimmering synths.
The first track on the Tropic disc, “Rock Paper Scissors,” blasts out club beats with hypnotizing Caribbean murmurs and percussion rhythm. This vibrant combination can urge even the most adamant non-dancer into a hip sway.


Electric may be more subdued than Tropic, but both boast songs that have the potential to be chart-toppers. In “I Could Stay,” Kreesha lets her voice (instead of the mainstream techno beats) take the forefront. The light, showering synths make the song transcendent, lending a whimsical and floaty feeling to the song.


Tropic Electric holds a special meaning for Kreesha, who wanted to showcase her Jamaican heritage alongside the R&B style that won fans over in her debut album, Passion. This album is not nearly as indulging and catchy as Passion, but the conscious infusion of her cultural roots makes Tropic Electric sexy and exciting all the same.