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Once again, Macka B delivers socially conscious lyrics in his signature dark voice over some rousing dancehall beats. As this record illustrates, this Brit has honed his craft to the level of mastery ever since attaining remarkable acclaim with his Mad Professor collaboration, 1986's Sign of the Times. Unfortunately, relative to that album and a few of his other albums, Global Messenger seems fairly derivative, as if Macka B is merely recycling himself. It's hard to blame him for sticking to his craft though; he does what he does well -- arguably better than anyone else in the U.K. Longtime fans shouldn't find anything too revolutionary here, while newcomers should expect an encounter with some of the highest quality dancehall reggae to emerge out of the 1990s. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
Warner Music tabs global head
Former NBC Universal exec is named to head label giant's international operations in latest management change at the company.
Warner Music Group named a former top NBC Universal executive as head of its global operations today, moving the label's top international post to New York from London.
The world's fourth largest record company tabbed Patrick Vien, former president of NBC Universal's global networks division, to replace Frenchman Paul-Rene Albertini, who had been at Warner Music since December 2000.
Vien will oversee Warner Music Group's international business through various affiliates and licensees operating in 50 countries. Unlike Albertini, who was based in London, Vien will helm the post from the label giant's headquarters in New York City.
"I intend to leverage my international experience in the media sector to grow the company's presence in markets outside of the United States," Vien said a statement.
Albertini joined Warner in 2000 while it was still owned by media conglomerate Time Warner after a stint at Sony Music Europe. He became president of Warner's international division two years later.
Warner Music CEO Edgar Bronfman and a group of investors bought the label from media giant Time Warner Inc. in March 2004, and took the label public in May of 2005. Before doing so, they restructured the business and jettisoned artists whose music wasn't generating profits.
"Paul-René Albertini leaves Warner Music International strongly positioned for continued success and creative achievement," Bronfman said in a statement. "I want to thank him for his years of service to all of our artists."
Warner Music is set to report its quarterly earnings tomorrow. The company is expected to report a profit of 40 cents per share on revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter ended in December, according to a survey of Wall Street analysts by Thomson Financial.
WMG's roster of artists includes Green Day, Missy Elliott, Linkin Park, Rob Thomas, and Madonna, whose latest album, Confession on a Dance Floor, has sold 3.5 million copies worldwide.
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