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Roots Dancehall Party (Silver Kamel, 2003)
Another representative showcase for the production talents of Nkrumah "Jah" Thomas (others including King Tubby meets Scientist in a World of Dub and King Tubby's Hidden Treasure), these tracks were compiled from the late '70s/early '80s-era vaults of the Silver Kamel (formerly Silver Camel) label. While there are only 8 "official" tracks here, each one is really a "two-for," with a singing cut -- featuring a who's who of dancehall pioneers, like Johnny Osbourne, Barrington Levy, Triston Palmer, and Sugar Minott -- followed by either a DJ version or dub, so that each is about 7 or 8 minutes long. This collection is more solid than spectacular, but early dancehall connoisseurs (despite the "Roots" in the title, this is a pre-digital dancehall-dominated album) should appreciate the rarity of the tunes -- even if the rhythms used aren't particularly rare (the music in half of the songs will likely sound quite familiar -- perhaps too much so -- to some listeners). A bit fresher sound can be found on the companion set Roots Rasta Party.
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Track Listing 1. Strictly Rub a Dub -- Anthony Johnson Friday Night Jamboree -- Jah Thomas 2. Rub a Dub Session -- Johnny Osbourne Love And Inity -- Early B 3. Dancing Time -- Philip Fraser Work Is Over Dub 4. Dancing Mood -- Barrington Levy Two in the Family -- Jah Thomas 5. Say What You're Saying -- Little John Make Some Noise -- Danny English 6. Every Time I Hear the Music -- Anthony Johnson The Girl Them Sexy -- Early B 7. Runaround Woman -- Triston Palmer Black a fi Mi Beauty -- Jah Thomas & Ranking Toyan 8. Dancehall We Deh -- Sugar Minott Sunday Dish -- Early B |
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Liquid Brass (Silver Kamel, 2004) You could look at this album in a couple of ways. You could see it as a dub companion to Nemo's debut Cross-Breed, as it uses many of the same classic Studio One-era rhythms (plus a few extras), or you could view it as veteran producer Nkrumah "Jah" Thomas's tribute to the good old days. Either way, it's a rocking good time. And with musicians like Sly & Robbie, Roots Radics, and Mafia & Fluxy and Thomas in control at the producer's chair, you know that quality is the name of the game. As the name Liquid Brass implies, fans of the horn section should have a ball here. David Madden's trumpet and Matthieu Bost's sax lend a jazzy coolness as they ride over the riddims, sometimes merely accentuating them, other times leading with ferocity, as on my two favorites, "Baghdad Bizarre" and "Summer Serenade." Some of the rhythms, though classics, might be a tad too familiar to experienced listeners to have much of an impact, but the musicianship is beyond reproach, and there's enough fresh material to satisfy. |
| Track Listing 1. Liquid Brass 2. Easy in the Dance 3. Bitter Sweet 4. Loving Eyes 5. Baghdad Bizarre 6. Encomium for Coxsone 7. Steppin' With My Lady 8. Forever Temptation 9. Rocking Steady 10. Swinging Session 11. Small Talk 12. Summer Serenade 13. Daylight a Come 14. 125th Street Shuffle |
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Big Dance a Keep (Silver Kamel, 2005)
Thank goodness for Jah Thomas for keeping the old school dancehall vibe alive. While modern, computerized dancehall is the reigning sound today, there's still a place for the old school, live-instrument dancehall of the early '80s. And if anyone knows more about that sound, it's Jah Thomas, who recorded and produced numerous hits during the era. Perhaps his most well-known is Triston Palmer's "Entertainment," which gets the treatment here on Nemo's "Dancehall Jamboree" (also featured on Nemo's album Cross-Breed). Listening to Big Dance a Keep is like traveling in a time machine, as early dancehall legends like Josey Wales, Lone Ranger, and of course, Thomas himself chat in their relaxed drawl over throw-back one-drop grooves. It's a sound that's fresh again, with only a select few -- such as Chaka Demus and Macka B -- still performing it. (Perhaps not surprisingly, those are the closest two comparisons I can make to Jah Thomas's style.) Standouts include Junior Moore's "Band di Gun," Peter Metro's "Get inna Mi Car," Thomas's "Bad Mind," and Lone Ranger's "Few More Hours," on which he begs the police to let the party go on for a little while longer.
| Track Listing 1. Big Dance a Keep -- Jah Thomas 2. Buy Mi Roses -- Junior Moore 3. Party Time -- D'Aville 4. Get inna Mi Car -- Peter Metro 5. London City -- Jah Thomas 6. Devil Control Them -- Josey Wales 7. Herb fi Free -- Junior Moore 8. Few More Hours -- Lone Ranger 9. Gimmie Girls -- Jah Thomas 10. Dancehall Jamboree -- Nemo 11. Bad Mind -- Jah Thomas 12. Band di Gun -- Junior Moore 13. Glimity Glam -- Jah Thomas 14. More We Are Together -- Lone Ranger |
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Big Dance Dub (Silver Kamel, 2005)
Big Dance Dub is the dub companion to Jah Thomas's Big Dance a Keep, and it remains faithful to the old school party sound of the vocal edition (and for the slower listeners, the song order is exactly the same). While it's laid-back sound is not for everyone, and some may find a few of the rhythms too familiar, Big Dance Dub is a nostalgic look back at kinder, gentler time. The purity of the bass and drum sound are truly hard to resist.
| Track Listing 1. Big Dance Dub 2. Buy Mi Dub 3. Party Time Dub 4. Dub Mi Car 5. London City Dub 6. Control Them Dub 7. Free It Dub 8. Few More Dubs 9. Gimme Dub 10. Dancehall Dub 11. Grudgeful Dub 12. Gun Dub 13. Glimity Dub 14. Together in Dub |
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