Bitty Mclean - movin' on

Bitty Mclean - movin' on (Taxi Silent River) 2009

This is a very smooth reggae record. I normally do not go for this sound but with Sly & Robbie handling drums and bass, and Bitty Mclean singing, I will make the exception. Seriously, while this release tends to be a little cleaner than most reggae records that I listen to, don't let that discourage you from getting this fine LP. It is not a life changer but if you are looking for something closer to the 'lovers rock' type of sound, then this one is for you. There is one straight up R&B song on here (You're Welcome, Stop On By written by Bobby Womack) and while it is not my normal cup of tea, on this record it holds up well. Other soul songs covered but given a reggae treatment are So In Love, Try A Little Tenderness, Come to Me, Daddy's Home, and Lately. There are two standout tracks on this record that roots lovers will enjoy and that is the duet with Johnny Osbourne on Jahovia and the solo, Plead My Cause. Both of these tracks would be worthy contributions to any modern roots compilation. In addition, what makes this record a keeper is that Sly & Robbie remake some older Taxi riddims for Bitty to sing over in a modern style. I won't list the riddims but you will recognize them when you hear them.

Assisting Sly & Robbie on this record are other fine JA musicians that convinced me to take this record seriously. For instance, on guitar we find players like Willie Lindo, Dalton Browne, Mikey Chung, and Dougie Bryan. Keyboards are handled by long time Sly & Robbie musical partner, Robbie Lyn. Also lending a hand on keyboards are Keith Sterling and the great Ansel Collins.

Overall, a fine reggae album. I would recommend this to novice reggae listeners as well as the wiley veteran. The serious collector will just need to accept that a smooth sounding reggae record is not always a bad thing. BUY

Ranking Joe - World In Dub

Ranking Joe - World In Dub - M Records CD 450 -2006

When I left the world of reggae music a few years ago, I missed the emergence of the "home-dubbers"( for a lack of a better term). The home-dubbers are self taught producers, arrangers, and reggae entrepreneurs. They are often also white.

If I would have been around at the beginning of their emergence, I would have been very sceptical because I would have felt that while their hearts where in the right place, the "feel" that one finds in Jamaican music would be missing. For example, listen to the "reggae" of Big Mountain. Their hit of the Peter Frampton song, "Baby I Love Your Ways", is a perfect example of what I mean. In other words, the reggae music of the home dubbers would be soft.

As I mentioned, I was not around at the beginning so I now I am able to hear the home dubbers after they had a chance to mature. Ryan Moore, the Canadian behind M Records, is one of those home dubbers that has matured very well. All in all, I have heard a few releases by Mr Moore and Twilight Circus Productions and I have walked away not only impressed but a big fan. I now consider M Records as crucial source for modern roots music. To put it simply, what sets M Records apart from others is that Mr. Moore "gets it". That is, his sense and feel for Jamaican reggae music is authentic. So, when one is listening to an M Records production, it is as if one is listening to a quality JA production. Maybe that is the highest praise I can give to Mr. Moore; his sounds are Jamaican.

On this specific recording, a dub version of Ranking Joe's World In Trouble (also on M Records), Mr Moore uses some of the best JA musicians and along with his own musical talents on bass, keys and drums. Overall, the record has some nice, crisp, and new rhythms that receive the dub treatment from Mr Moore. The record gets off to a nice start with World In Dub and the quality does not really fall from that point. One of the highlights for me is Dub Babylon since it contains just a trace of a vocal by Michael Rose.

The quality is high and sounds are tight. If you are looking for new roots music of a superior quality, please seek out Ryan Moore's material and make sure to pick up this record along the way.

Justin Hines: Travel With Love

Justin Hinds and the Dominoes - Travel With Love - Nighthawk NHCD 309 - 1984

Justin Hinds is a legendary artist who recorded during the Ska and Rock Steady eras. Releasing countless singles and recording for the likes of Duke Reid and Jack Ruby (for Island), Justin stepped away from recording for a while until the good folks at Nighthawk contacted him about recording again. This album is the fruit of those conversations. This album was recorded at Tuff Gong (Bob Marley's studio), using the Wailers' rhythm section of Family Man Barrett on bass and his brother, Carly Barrett on drums. In fact, it is one of the first things one hears on this CD (and which makes this record so comfortable and memorable) is that distinctive Carly Barrett drum roll.

For many people this record is going to sound dated. However, don't let that keep you away from enjoying this album. Dated or not, this record is good representation of what solid reggae music sounded like in the early 1980s. In fact, it was this type of sound that got me hooked on the music in the first place. Although, it should not be too surprising that this record sounds good since along with the Barrett brothers, Chinna Smith and Bingy Bunny lay down guitar duties, while Gladdy, Wire Lindo and Tyrone Downie trade up on keyboards. All top notch, first rate JA musicians.

Before discussing the actual songs, I first must comment on Justin's voice. Justin's voice is a higher register and softer than the "typical" JA voice. I enjoy his voice but it is different, especially if one is looking for a more "Burning Spear" or a "Sizzla" gruff style, for example. That said, over long periods, Justin's voice can start to sound a little thin. However, over an LP, you should be fine.

The songs are solid, standout tracks include Get Ready Rock Steady, Miss Wendell, Book of History (the first three tracks of the album). In addition, Meditation, the last song on the LP is nice as well. In general, the lyrics are conscious roots with a little love lyrics thrown in but Justin has always been more of a roots artist and he continues that here.

I was generally surprised by this CD. I had low expectations given that Nighthawk was taking an older artist and putting him in front a new generation of musicians. Sometimes these projects work and sometimes they don't. In this case it works well. This CD is solid, it is not a life-changer but I think most serious reggae music lovers will be fine with adding this to their collection. In short, this gets a recommendation. Buy

The Meditations - Deeper Roots

The Meditations - Deeper Roots: The Best of The Meditations (Heartbeat) HBCD 158 1994

Back in the day, of all of the harmony groups that were around at the time, The Meditations got the least attention from me. In part, it was due to ignorance, and it was also because much of their material was not readily available to me. One could find Wailing Souls, Mighty Diamonds, The Itals, or Israel Vibration on LP in the stores but one was hard pressed to find a Meditations release. I eventually picked up a few Meditation records on vinyl, in particular Guidance but did not play them often for some reason.

Flash forward to current time and as I am perusing releases I come across the above mentioned greatest hits package. Aside from being on Heartbeat, which guarantees a respectful and quality release, it contains a nice overview of The Meditations career up until then. Upon playing this CD for the first time (and after the sixth time!), one can only come to the conclusion that those that held The Meditations in high regard from the beginning had gotten it right from the start.

This CD contains 20 songs (including bonus tracks) that spans the entire career of The Meditations. There are 3 tracks from Wake Up (1979), 4 from Message from the Meditations (1976), 3 from Guidance (1980), a couple of 12", and some rare tracks from sessions at Black Ark with Lee Perry at the controls. The whole album is classic Jamaican reggae of the highest order.

Unlike the Mighty Diamonds, for example, who relied largely on the lead vocals of one singer, the Meditations had three singers that could all carry lead vocal duties (Ansel Cridland, Danny Clarke, and Winston Watson). In addition, each singer had a distinct method of interpreting a song. As a result, the variety of vocal styles works well along with the classic rhythms.

The CD comes with a nice booklet that provides an overview of the career and puts the music of group in context. Also, the back of the booklet provides a nice song recap that provides information on the musicians, engineers and time frame. All the key information that any reggae fanatic would want to know. While the whole album reeks of classic the best moments for me are the songs produced by Lee Perry at Black Ark (Running from Jamaica, No Peace, and Think So) as these carry some of that trademark Perry molasses mix. That is a good thing! This is classic era reggae roots music. If you are not going to hunt down the LPs, then this CD is a must have.

Track List

1. Wake Up
2. Turn Me Loose
3. Running From Jamaica
4. Having Fun
5. Miracles
6. Jungle Feelings
7. Woman Is Like A Shadow
8. Nice Time
9. Quiet Woman
10. No Peace
11. Babylon Trap Them
12. Something Looking Good
13. Groovy Situation (aka Being A Dread Is No Crime)
14. Think So (aka Much More Smarter)
15. Tricked
16. Fly Natty Dread
17. Do Mamma Do
18. Man Find It
19. What A Bam Bam (Bonus track of The Linkers with Ansel Cridland)
20. Bongo Man (Bonus track of The Linkers with Ansel Cridland)

Arc Angel's Shots Vol 5

Here is Vol 5

Arc Angel’s Shots Vol. 5 – Strictly 7” Singles

1. The Jewels – My Little Dream Love– Charcoal (1979) (DSR 9666 A)
2. The Jewels – Love Dream (DSR 9667 B)
3. The Chosen Brothers – There You Are – Wackie’s (1982) (W 974 A)
4. The Chosen Brothers – There You Are Version (W 974 B)
5. Johnny Clarke & Dennis Brown – So Much Pain– Jackpot (1975) (BL 4794 A)
6. The Aggrovators – So Much Pain Version (BL 4794 B)
7. Peter Tosh – Ketchy Shubby – Intel Diplo (1976) (DSR 3628 A)
8. Peter Tosh – Iration (DSR 3629 B)
9. Prince Allah – Too Much Killing– Freedom Sounds (1979) (BB 011 A)
10. Prince Allah – Too Much Killing Version (BB 011 B)
11. Ashanti Waugh – Love We A Deal With – Jabba Roots (1979) (DSR 1730 A)
12. Ashanti Waugh – Love We A Deal With Version (DSR 1731 B)
13. Hortense Ellis – Love Everyone – BOP Productions (1979) (RLS 1001 A)
14. Hortense Ellis – Love Everyone Version (RLS 1001 B)
15. Lloyd Parks – Ain’t Too Proud To Beg – Parks (1975) (LS 166 – B)
16. We The People Band – Part Two (BL 166 - B)
17. Carl Dawkins – I’ll Never Be Blue – Sir JJ (Blank) (1970) (Dyna JJR 2425 - 1)
18. Carl Dawkins – Instrumental Version (Dyna JJR 2426 – 1)
19. Augustus Pablo – King of The Minstrels – Rockers International (1979) (DSR 6437 A)
20. High Times Players – Black Jessie Dub (DSR 6438 B)

download here

Abyssinians - Satta Massagana

The Abyssinians - Satta Massagana (Heartbeat) CDHB 338







I travel a lot and so I tend to load up my ipod with albums so that I can listen to them on the plane or at airports waiting for a connection. On my last trip home I decided to listen to this old classic album for the first time in many years. You see, this particular album has been released a few times under different covers and with different track listings. A good place to see how this album has evolved over the years the interested reader should check here.

The reason why this album seems to always find an outlet is that it may be as close to a religous experience as one can find in reggae. While reggae music has crossed many borders, for me it will always carry the flag of Rastafari. That is, for me (and many others), reggae music is in large part a musical outlet for glorifying and praising Rastafari. In Satta Massagana, the Abyssinians may have released the first set of songs that could be used as church hymns. From the opening track of Declaration of Rights, through the tracks The Good Lord, Forward Unto Zion, and Know Jah Today, one can easily picture a group of people singing these songs at a Rastafarian mass. It is not just the first few songs or portions of this release that feels that way. In fact, the whole original album consistently maintains that spirit and level of quality. Other notable songs are Abendigo, Y Mas Gan, and the title track and anthem, Satta Massagana. If there ever was a roots reggae music national anthem, Satta Massagana is that song. By the way, Satta Massagana is Amharic for "give thanks".



The Abyssinians are a vocal trio that features the Manning brothers (Donald and Lynford) and Bernard Collins. While not as popular as some of the other great Jamaican trios of the time (e.g., the Mighty Diamonds or the Heptones), the Abyssinians are possibly as influential but with only a fraction of the recorded output of other vocal trios. Aside from the vocal harmonies, the Abyssinians were also much more ' mysterious' than other vocal trios in that they seemed to only release hard roots music. The Abyssinians also dressed differently as they were often seen in pictures in their turbans and robes that expressed and demonstrated their proud African heritage. Adding to the mystique was their brief, yet memorable appearance in the opening scene of the reggae movie, Rockers. It is the Abyssinians who begin to harmonize as the scratchy guitar and various drum beats lay down the rhythm for Satta Massagana.

The backing music is layed down expertly by the likes of Boo Richards, Horsemouth, and Sly Dunbar (drums), Val Douglas and Robbie Shakespeare (Bass), Chinna Smith and Mickie Chung (guitar), Tyrone Downie and Geoffrey Chung (keyboards), and Clive Hunt, a co-producer, on various horn instruments.

Aside from the original album, this release features 8 bonus tracks. This is a classic album and without being too outrageous, I can honestly state that if you do not like this album, then you do not like reggae music. Go buy this and listen to a classic roots reggae masterpiece.

Various Artists - Singerman!

Various Artists - Singerman! - Blood & Fire - BFCDS 906 - 2007

Well, Blood & Fire have been one of the premier reggae reissue labels over the last few years. With their release of Singerman!, they have compiled and made available a few cuts from the various records that they have released over the years. The purpose of this sampler is for you to become interested in a few cuts and then to go to the Blood & Fire catalog to purchase the full release. To make it even more enticing, they reduced the price of this CD to make it very affordable. So, how did they do? GO BUY THIS.

Aside from some classic roots cuts from more established artists like Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, and Johnny Clarke, one is also treated to sounds from under appreciated singers like Michael Prophet, Linval Thompson, and Junior Byles. What is great about this sampler is that every track is a wonderful representation of vital, roots Jamaican reggae music of the late 1970s (early 1980s?). While all the cuts are good, there are a few standouts like Max Romeo's Fire Fe The Vatican, Junior Ross' Judgement Time, and The Chantells's Children of Jah. Also, getting clean copies of Black Uhuru's Rent Man or Dennis Brown's Man Next Door would make this a must buy alone.

If you want to know how exciting it was to listen to reggae music a few years back, get this CD. You will soon realize why I have been hooked for so long and why blogs like this exist! Overall, recommendation - MUST HAVE