Review: Bob & Marcia's Young Gifted & Black album on Trojan came back in 1970 and was produced by Harry J. It included the title track, which was a UK top five hit that has remained a favourite. The cool and breezy groove carries a potent socio-political message and lo-fi drums that lodge deep. It is reissued here on anew 45rpm that is featured alongside Marcia Griffiths' soulful 'Working To The Top' which mixes authentic reggae and slightly more swaggering ska vibes and heartfelt, steady groove. Together, these tracks take it back to a golden age of reggae and are perfect for loud plays on sound systems this summer.
Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - "Ghetto Skank" (3:00)
Review: In the mid-70s, reggae great Dennis Brown was on a creative high with producer Niney propelling him to stardom. However, around this time, he was transitioning back to working with Joe Gibbs, another masterful studio hand who would later cement Brown's superstar status. Gibbs had previously worked with him on the acclaimed Visions album, and this particular track was likely recorded during that era or slightly earlier. Despite its quality, the tune didn't reach the audience it deserved, largely due to Gibbs' lack of UK distribution at the time. For much of the seventies, Joe Gibbs remained sidelined in England, limiting the global impact of his exceptional productions, but reissues like this do a fine job of underlining his importance.
Review: The magical 'All in My Life' is an unreleased and heartbroken lovers rock steady track sung by a humble figure over a smooth rhythm. While missing the glamour of a horn section, it's driven by a lilting organ reminiscent of Buster Allstars. The B-side, 'Dancing Floor,' is the only song Gregory Isaacs recorded under Buster's production and so it is a rather rare gem. It features a melancholic melody and Isaacs' signature sweet voice that very much come from the golden age of early reggae. Both tracks showcase a raw side of the genre and as they are lesser known, they are sure to make a big impact whenever played.
Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - "Golden River" (3:33)
Review: Whether or not it is a coincidence that we are fast approaching 420 and ever more weed-related 7"s are dropping we do not know, but nor do we care. Culture's 'Callie Weed Song' is going to bang whatever day of the year you drop it, so long as you play it loud. It's got carefree keys and ganglier guitars accompanying the traditional reggae groove and some super stoned-sounding vocal musings on top. Joe Gibbs & The Professionals then appear on the flip with something just as summer, laid back and seductive in the form of the great 'Golden River.' Let's not get into what that title may or may not refer to.
Review: UK favourites Dub Pistols are back with the second release in their Version excursion series. The original is a great cover an Edie Brickell classic which brings this outfit's usual blend of ska, 2-tone and dub to the fore. The drums are mid-tempo and have a real swagger while the sub-bass adds serious weight, gentle wood block hits and rim shots pepper the mix and the lovely vocal from Prince Fatty regular Shniece brings seductive and smoky soul. On their 'What I Am Manasseh Dub' things get more laden with echo and reverb and mixing desk effects twist the low ends into perfect stoner territory.
Review: A rare gem from the golden age of early reggae, this 1970 cut by Justin Hinds was originally released on a Duke Reid 7". It gets a welcome reissue here but still has plenty of lo-fi aesthetics, vinyl crackle and dusty sound that keeps it authentic rather than overly polished. Hinds' soulful vocal delivery and signature rhythm style shine as they capture the spirit of the era with subtle flair. On the flip side, a slinky, instrumental organ version by Gus McIntyre adds serious depth and makes this an irresistible double-sider or cracking up nice and loud through some towering speaker stacks.
Review: "Inokasira Rangers" translates from the Japanese to mean "Park Rangers". Living up to the name, this band's dub and rocksteady versions are like natural conservation efforts. Re-rendering their chosen songs in bobbing dub, Nirvana's grunge roll 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' is first revitalised, transformed into a sustainable form: "jello, hello, how low" becomes a relatively spooky perennation of Hammond, while Krist Novoselic's accompanying basslines become chop guitar, emblematic of the rocksteady movement. Meanwhile, Kool & The Gang's 'Summer Madness' is lent an eerier, dream-strung dub version, with an underwater wah effect providing an extra tchotchke on the windowsill of history.
Review: Tokyo's Inokasira Rangers have been crafting lo-fi reggae since the 1990s, yet remained a rather hidden gem outside Japan. Their release 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' finally changed that when it dropped initially back in 2023 and sold out in quick time so now gets reissued. The A-side reimagines Frankie Valli's classic with a laid-back reggae twist while the B-side takes on Crystal Waters' '90s dance anthem with surprising charm. Infused with a subtle Shibuya-kei flair, both covers feel fresh yet timeless. The Waters rendition, in particular, sounds like a forgotten folk tune-so natural it's hard to believe it wasn't always this way. A breezy, nostalgic delight from a band overdue for global recognition.
Review: Rocksteady revivalists Inosikira Rangers have built a long and successful career out of unlikely cover versions, delivering killer reggae style interpretations of everything from 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', 'Anarchy In The UK' and 'Creep', to 'Born Slippy', 'Like a Virgin' and 'Happy'. Here, two of their most popular and potent covers are brought together for the first time on one "45". On side A they handle New Order's 'Blue Monday', re-casting it as a Hammond-heavy slab instrumental rocksteady, with Bernard Sumner's vocals being replaced by extended organ solos. Over on the flip, they slow down and skank out Kraftwerk's 'Autobahn', throwing in nods to krautrock and a dash of robotic vocoder to keep things fresh.
Review: Japan's best covers outfit, Inokasira Rangers, once again scores another knockout in dub. This time the instrumental group have procured a jaunty Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong ballad and a Glen Campbell re-blend respectively. Both songs have been lent a warm, clear-cut rocksteady flavour, substituting trademark vocal lines for instrumental renderings (both originals contain bittersweet legatos and leaping intervals, and deal in themes of gratitude and nostalgia, making it an extra challenge for the Hammond and electric piano to replicate them). But the task is nonetheless won, and pristine clarity achieved!
Curtis Baker & The Bravehearts - "Wooly Bully" (2:26)
Review: Across four artists and four versions, Original Gravity present 'Woolly Bully', a woollen repackaging of the longtime Sam Sham & The Pharoahs classic. Laid down in 1964, this terpsichorean prancer kept to a 12-bar blues progression, and made for the first American record to sell a million copies during the storied British Invasion. Its mixture of skiffly British rock and Mexican-American conjunto was an intentional blend, and a succesful one at that. Its enduring impact is now felt in these rollicking cover versions from Junior Dell, Donnoya Drake, Luchito & Nestor Alvarez and Curtis Baker, all roomy, costume vintage retrofits of the original. Listen closely to the lyrics for strange talk of a mythical creature: the original song's lyrics were so strange that some radio stations banned it for fear of popular befuddlement.
Review: From the nebulaic dusts of 1960s Kingston came the Kingstonians, a tight-knit vocal trio built around the songwriting of Cebert "Jackie" Bernard, joined by his brother Lloyd "Footy" Bernard and Lloyd Kerr. Their early work with producer J.J. Johnson yielded the breakout hit 'Winey Winey', but it was under the guidance of Derrick Harriott that they reached wider acclaim. Before their dissolution in the early 70s, and a later solo spit by Bernard which included a striking collaboration with Lee “Scratch” Perry as Jack Lord, ‘I’m Gonna Make It’ appeared as a mid-tempo rocksteady salve, with tightly-buoyed, gospel-inflected harmonies backing a core lyric line about perseverance and self-belief in the face of adversity.
Review: New York's incomparable edit king, and a hugely prolific one at that, Danny Krivit aka Mr K returns with some elongated reworks of a couple of Stevie Wonder's most timeless tunes. First up is his version of 'Master Blaster' which was originally the sound of Stevie paying tribute to Bob Marley. In his hands, it has a big intro and drums ready to rock. Flip it over and you will find 'I Was Made To Love Her' which has big r&b overtones and the sort of breakdowns that really build a vibe in the club. Adding in lashings of signature soul and you have two more steamy and effective tributes from the one and only Mr K.
Review: Night Owls return with a second wave of 7"s, delivering a fresh take on two classics by Aaron Neville under the featherlight sway of infamous record producer Allen Touissant. Reimagining 'Hercules' alongside 'Tell It Like It Is', the duo once again poke at the seams of the cine-funk sound, enlisting powerhouse collaborators - Alex Desert & The Lions, and vocalist Asdru Sierra - on both sides of this blistering 45. The B especially brims with a busty bonhomie on 'Tell It Like It Is', rewiring the OG song's current flows to a throughput of smooth reggae and cumbia.
Review: Caught in a Prince Buster fever, Rock-A-Shacka complement an eagerly awaited release - the third album from the legend so named, offering 12 tracks spanning Jamaican funk to rocksteady to early reggae - with a promotional 7", bolstering the full-length's legitimacy with an as-it-was 45. Here 'Funky Jamaica' and 'Clap Your Hands' coincide. The first is an early dancehall phenotype, its strong tresillo matching a heady array of audio-mancer's chants; instructive shouts from Buster himself. Then the B-side follows, a brilliant James-Browned toasting of an uptempo pre-ska progression, put together against a rhythmic cage of swift, proficient drums.
Review: Rock A Shaka continue their tributary exegeses of Jamaican rocksteady legend Prince Buster with a new 7", 'Got To Be Free'. Pulled straight from the corresponding Funky Jamaica compilation issued separately - which in turn compiles the best gems to coruscate his illustrious career - the 45s format does well to counterbalance the fallacy of comprehensiveness with a throwback in form. 'Got To Be Free' is a rather pleasant anthem to freedom: "we love the birds, we love the trees, we love the honey, we love the bees..."
Prince Buster with Determinations - "Ten Steps Ahead" (3:58)
Determinations - "Two Steps Back" (3:44)
Review: Rock A Shaka continue to wring out their apparently exclusive tenancy of Prince Buster's so far unissued reggae and rocksteady works, this time dropping a fresh 7" one with the instrumentalist Determinations on dubbing duties, 'Ten Steps Ahead'. Buster's final recording before he died initially went by the name 'One Step Beyond', and it has here been renamed in requiem, perhaps to differentiate it from the repopularised Madness cover. Lodged behind the vault door for years, you can be sure that Rock A Shaka thanked their lucky stars when they re-found it: "why must I suffer so much on this land?" Buster's voice is unusually lonesome and spectral, revealing in the late artist a rarely obviated forlornness.
Heptones, Tommy McCook & The Supersonics - "Crying Over You" (2:38)
Review: After a recent Pressure Sounds compilation put together the best of Caltone Records - documenting the truest gems of a great Jamaican dub label - the horse's mouth is now heard neighing. Caltone themselves have now reissued Devon Russell & The Tartans' 'Making Love', a long-lost from the late 1960s troubadours. Ne'er released before, it also comes backed exclusively with a bluesy Heptones, Tommy McCook & The Supersonics lamentation, 'Crying Over You'.
U-Roy, The Jamaicans, Tommy McCook & The Supersonics - "Peace & Love" (2:37)
Tommy McCook & The Supersonics - "The World Needs Love" (2:08)
Review: Both tracks on this crucial new drop from Duke share a common theme of love and harmony, which were of course the cornerstones of reggae and part of the reason it has such an enduring appeal as the universal need for compassion and unity has never diminished. In fact, it might be more needed now than ever. First, 'Peace & Love' by U-Roy, The Jamaicans, and Tommy McCook & The Supersonics is a timeless cut with U-Roy's toasting sat next to horn-driven rhythms that were first released in the 1970s. Similarly, Tommy McCook & The Supersonics' "The World Needs Love" captures the essence of70s reggae, with McCook's smooth saxophone leading the instrumental arrangement.
The Beat On The Street (feat Donovan Kingjay) (3:02)
Button Down (2:27)
Dis Sound Run Town (feat Horseman) (2:41)
Rudi's Serenade (2:35)
Review: Guillermo aka Existencia Pasajera is part of a new wave of artists from the Andes who is making rightful waves in the wider underground. He's got a few great releases dropping this year, and this one on the tasteful Prozpektiva is among them. 'Dreamless' starts off with an eerie piano progression that is suspenseful and noir as twitchy techno beats and synths bring an intergalactic feel. 'Universal Express (feat Dismal)' is a brightly melodic tech stomper with Italo overtones and then hints of garage underpin the nice and punchy 'Now Or Never'. 'Disco Cydonia' (feat Dismal)' best more wiry and weird again then 'Space Groove' closes out with more celestial energy and squelchy acid lines.
Blitzkrieg Bop (Jamrock Dub) (feat Susan Cadogan & Welton Irie)
Sheena Is A Rudie Now (Sheena Is A Punkrocker) (feat Alpheus & Ranking Joe)
I Wanna Be Sedated (feat Prince Ella & U Brown)
Do You Wanna Dance? (feat Sebastian Sturm & Ranking Joe)
Pet Sematary (feat Shniece & Horseman)
I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (feat Keith & Tex, Dennis Alcapone)
The KKK Took My Baby Away (feat Jr Thomas & Ranking Joe)
I Believe In Miracles (feat Earl 16 & Oku Onuora)
Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue (Featt Keith & Tex, U Brown)
Review: What if The Ramones had formed in Kingston, not New York? Swapping the raw energy of MC5 and The Stooges for the deep, echo-drenched sonics of King Tubby, their rebellious spirit would take on a whole new sound, one rooted in rocksteady and dub while keeping its punk urgency intact. Enter Dubmones, the latest project from the minds behind the 2008 album DubXanne (The Police in Dub). Reimagining Ramones classics through a dub filter, Dubmones In Dub transforms 'Blitzkrieg Bop', 'Sheena Is A Punk Rocker' and 'I Wanna Be Sedated' into a rocksteady-punk hybrid. A star lineup of vocalists - be they Dennis Alcapone, Keith & Tex, U Brown, Prince Alla, Earl 16, Ranking Joe and Susan Cadogan - brings said alt-history to life in full, bass-heavy glory.
Review: Built on two decades of collaboration between drummer Sam Hobbs and bassist Neil Innes - no relation to the Monty Python and Rutles man of the same name - the pair's new ATA project blends rootsy Jamaican groove with the syncopated strut of New Orleans funk. Though technically a new release, it's more a continuation than a debut: the lineup includes jazz organist Bob Birch and session guitarist Chris Dawkins, drawing from deep wells of soul, rocksteady and r&b. Tracks like 'Grafter' and 'Bust Up' land squarely in the crossover zone between Studio One and The Metersiraw but slick, with a tight pocket and loose-limbed flair. 'An Autumn Sun' leans sweet and sentimental, while 'Strong Fish' pays organ-heavy homage to Jackie Mittoo's Hot Milk-era work. Elsewhere, 'Power Cut' and 'Night Bus' arrive with horn motifs that seem tailored to I Roy-style toasting, and 'Tough Swagger' is a heavy-lidded jam that could've wandered in off a Bunny Lee tape. But it's 'Iron Fist' that best captures the group's method: groove-first, melody-second, built on intuition and the friction of mismatched rhythms. Despite the vintage touchstones, it never feels like pasticheithe record balances reverence with invention, keeping one foot in Kingston and the other in Treme. For a group with so much history, it sounds impressively fresh.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.