SOUL SUGAR Vinyl & CDs

Review: Soul Sugar's signature, fruitful blend of reggae and soul once more oozes forth with 'Top Of My List'. Featuring the vocals of Shniece McMenamin, the track is a liquefyingly dreamy song, unhesitatingly letting in the sunny rays of rocksteady through the Venetians. But in contrast to the mood, it also tells the dubious story of our protagonist placing their self-respect and self-love in the hands of a former lover, with social-fabric-tearing consequences, a funk from which McMenamin sings to help pick up the pieces. The dub version helps; it's a refractive and soft version, emphasising more atmosphere than hardness or forward propulsion.