“I Guess You Want It This Way” is a six-track EP that feels like an intimate conversation between the past and the now. “I Guess You Want It This Way” brings decades of music history into the present with a six-track EP. The project is a short 17 minutes but has a surprisingly deep story, built on a composition that sat unfinished for about 26 years. This is a project you’ll want to spend some time with if you like music with a little history to it. The EP is rooted in reggae, soul, R&B, cinematic production, and C’batch’s extensive experience as a composer, producer and guitarist, presenting us with six interpretations of one idea while giving each version the chance to develop its own character. The project is out via Stevette Music, adding another interesting chapter to C’batch’s ever-growing musical vault.
“I Guess You Want It This Way (Cinematic Reggae) 1," the opening track, immediately points to the reggae roots of the project but adds a broader, atmospheric feel. There’s room around the composition for the central melody to breathe, giving the version a laid-back but well-thought-out feel. It starts off well, showing the balance between C’batch’s long-standing musical instincts and the contemporary treatment given the recording. Thereafter, “I Guess You Want It This Way 1” takes the composition into a more direct setting. It's more the heart of the song. The melody and the rhythmic character take more hold. It’s nice to hear the cinematic approach first as a contrast because it’s easier to appreciate the foundation of the song without losing the reggae spirit that inspired it.
That evolution continues with “I Guess You Want It This Way (Reggae 2),” which takes the style that the song was inspired by even further. Reggae influence feels key and not just decoration and this version feels particularly key in the overall journey of the EP. It gets us closer to the initial concept that started decades ago but the contemporary production prevents the recording from being a simple recreation of an older musical age. Then you have 'I Guess You Want It This Way 2,' which is another version of the same material, showing you how far C'batch can stretch a single composition. The configurations do not have repetition as a limitation, but let us see subtle changes of mood, emphasis and energy. Finally, “I Guess You Want It This Way (Reggae Dub (1)" brings the project to a more spacious and exploratory end, letting the rhythm and production breathe more. The dubby direction gives another shade to the EP and shows the versatility of the original composition.
There’s something so compelling about the story behind I Guess You Want It This Way. An unfinished reggae idea inspired by C’batch’s Jamaican-born wife, Yvette, lay dormant in his musical memory for over two decades before its finished form emerged in 2026. Adding yet another meaningful link to the project’s reggae roots, the EP also pays tribute to legendary Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin, who C’batch met at Heathrow Airport in 2001. Another in C’batch’s “Year of the Vault” series, this six-song collection demonstrates that good ideas don’t age poorly. Sometimes they just need the right time to close.
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