Juno Recommends Reggae Classics: May 2023

Review: Sister Nancy is one of few trailblazers who helped pioneer the the female facet of reggae. 'Bam Bam' is a reissue of her seminal debut single, which features her signature sound of roots reggae and dancehall, raileing against the male-dominated 80s scene with its ribbing hook and slapping instrumental. The B-side 'Stalag Version' dubs out the A, versioning it into a gloomy, bass-heavy hypnosis.

Review: Here comes a new V/A that toys with a great idea - there are no real "covers". Everything is a remix, so all musicians are "undercover'. Harlem Shuffle present this compilation to us as a convincing corollary. Many Jamaican reggae, ska and rocksteady musicians from the 1960s were fascinated by genres from jazz to rock to film soundtracks, and covered them readily. The twist is that none of these covers are of well-known pop songs; selected by expert DJ Helea, all are carefully picked to highlight Jamaican musicians' knowledge and enthusiasm for underground and lesser-known music from across the board.

Review: Dean Fraser's 2019 album Standing Amongst The Giants is a superb set of instrumentals. They find Dean in top form and getting the best from his trusty sax as he adds his own fresh style to a great selection of classic Treasure Isle rhythms. The title track 'Standing Amongst The Giants' itself is an early standout with its fat drum swagger and natty keys next to the sensuous sax lines. Elsewhere comes the romantic and laid back viber that is 'Its Your Horns' with the playful 'Drugsman' (Take 2) having a sound that teases and pleases in equal measure.

Review: You can't beat a good cover of a classic tune and they don't come much better than this version of Oasis's masterpiece 'Don't Look Back In Anger' by The Regulators. Original Gravity come through with it on 7" in its 'Re-mixed & Re-mastered' form. The lead melodies come from big fat horns, while the lazy drums sway to and fro and bring an all-new kind of energy. Prince Deadly then gets to work on the studio dials to dub it out to perfection on 'Dub Look Back In Anger'. Two doozies.

Review: The Specials' ghostly pop-dub classic 'Ghost Town' resonated far and wide with international audiences ever since its initial release in 1981. First springboarded by the gothic ska/rocksteady group's song of the same name - with its gloomy meditations on destitution and winters of discontent around the time, manifested in statements like "all the clubs are being closed down" and "too much fighting on the dancefloor" - the ensuing album is similarly political, urgent and doomy. Classics such as 'A Message To You, Rudy' and 'Gangsters' appear once more on this stealth limited edition reissue.

Review: Bob Marley and his merry band of Wailers made what was his most bold and most turbocharged political statement ever with this album, Survival. It's a defiant record lyrically and musically and focuses on not only the solidarity of Africa but of humanity on a wider level. It was a controversial record for that reason and even the artwork got people talking as it's designed to depict a crude schematic of the stowage compartment of a slave ship. This limited edition reissue comes on numbered vinyl and has been exclusively pressed at the legendary Tuff Gong International headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica.

Review: The renowned Jamaican reggae singer Winston Reedy is someone who has had several solo number-one hits that have made him widely known in the reggae world. He was also the lead singer for top reggae band The Cimarons with whom he saw much more success. He leads this new 45rpm with the super laid back and vibey 'Pirate' and it is paired with a 'Steady Rock' dub by The Inn House Crew, then backed with Jamaican-born, London-based artist, songwriter and producer Barry Issacs and a Germany-based Jamaican in Juliaiasiah whose 'Secret' is a sun-kissed delight.

Review: The very best of John Holt's work has been assembled here in an Essential Artist Collection that is the latest drop in Trojan Records' newly launched range, all designed with he aim of showing off the work of the best-loved foundational artists from Jamaica. Holt made it onto the world stage in 1974 with his legendary 1000 Volts of Holt album and its raw mix of rhythm and sophisticated orchestral arrangements. He had a global hit with 'Help Me Make It Through The Night' and was one of the standout solo performers of his era. This mighty collection shows just why he was so well-loved and respected.

Review: Rock A Shaka out of Japan always cook up the good and for this new 45rpm they bring low slung funk, disco and boogie to a dubbed out reggae vibe thanks to a superb a-side from Ronnie Butler. 'Funky Rasta' has tinny analogue drums and crisp 80s production style with a great female vocal. Willie Lindo on the backside then offers up the more laid-back and horizontal dub sounds of 'Midnight' complete with natty acoustic chords and island-life atmospheres. Pure sunshine music for good times only, as always with this label.

Review: Reggae is a broad and deep world with many artists all with their own style. This new collection is compiled from the vast array of Jamaican artists, groups and its diaspora and gets form the genres early days right through its many subtle evolutions. As such it incudes gems from Jimmy Cliff, sonnet cold classics from Third World, Peter Tosh and Toots & The Maytals, some seductive lovers-rock from Dennis Brown, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Gregory Isaacs and and chart topping hit from Althea & Donna in the form of 'Uptown Top Ranking'.