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A Man & His Music Volume 1: Roots and Harmony Style (RAS, 1991) Most people who think of King Jammy think of dancehall -- specifically the early digital era, which he almost single-handedly launched with his production of Wayne Smith's "Under Mi Sleng Teng" in 1985. But Jammy was involved in the music industry long before that; in fact, he produced Black Uhuru's highly-regarded debut album, Black Sounds of Freedom (AKA Love Crisis) in 1977. Volume 1 of the 3-part A Man & His Music series focuses on his roots productions from the '70s and '80s, but, oddly, there's no "I Love King Selassie," "Natural Mystic," or any other cut from the Black Uhuru debut. Instead, we get a mix of little-known acts and legends that produce mostly positive -- although a bit mixed -- results. Of the unknowns, the mellow Mighty Diamonds-like sound of Natural Vibes' "Life Hard a Yard" proves the most enchanting, although Black Crucial's "Conscience Speaks," Frankie Jones' "Colly George," and the Hugh Mundell-esque "Joy Bells Ringing" by the Travelers also shine and are, I suspect, pretty hard to find elsewhere. Of the more well-known artists, a pair of classics stand out: Prince Allah's "Last Train" and Cornell Campbell's "Gorgon," while Sugar Minott's "Right Track" also excels. The remaining tracks fall flat in comparison, particularly a couple of bland remakes -- Ken Boothe doing Dawn Penn's "No No No" and the Viceroys covering their own "Ya Ho" in a dancehall stylee. The rootsiness of some other cuts -- like Tinga Stewart's "Aware of Love" and Wackad's "Cry for the Youths" -- is in question, as each features a heavy digital riddim, a sound for which King Jammy is known, but which sticks out like a sore thumb on this album. |
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