Reggae

Review: With sunshine becoming a regular occurrence again just in time for summer, two of France's more soulful producers have decided to join forces and offer up something suitably warm and relaxing. With the assistance of vocalist Kahina Ouali, Blundetto and Booker Gee have recorded a killer, Hammond-laden version of Lyn Christopher classic "Take Me With You" that sits somewhere between the organs-and-lo-fi-drum machines flex of Timmy Thomas' "We Can't We Live Together" and the soulful reggae grooves of 1980s lovers rock. The fine A-side original mix, which boasts Ouali's full vocal, is our pick of the pair, though the flipside instrumental "Version" mix, in which Booker Gee gets busy on the organ, is also superb.

Review: Hailing from Washington D.C, The Archives are a contemporary reggae band with a social conscience and a love of the ground-breaking proto-rap soul of the late, great Gil Scot-Heron and his musical collaborator Brian Jackson. It makes sense then, that their debut album focuses on Scot-Heron and Jackson's work, brilliantly re-inventing such classics as 'Home is Where The Hatred Is', 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised', 'It's Your World' and 'Revolution Disguised as Change' as soulful, 1970s style reggae songs. It's a simple idea, but one that works wonderfully well, with the band's core line-up being joined by a revolving cast of guest musicians whose contributions often offer nods towards Scot-Heron and Jackson's jazz roots. One of the most surprising and inspired covers albums we've heard in some time.

Review: The legendary Iration Steppas reissue their second studio album Dubz From De Higher Regionz which is originally from 2004. Active for a quarter of a century now, the Leeds institutions pioneered a digital dub sound that transitioned the scene out of the militant jah stepper period into the future. This album perfectly embodies that with its sleek drums and contemporary studio effects, clean bass sounds and sheet metal hits. Plenty of hefty dubs make it a timeless collection and the inlay includes full discography and liner notes.

Review: Second time round for Moods of Pablo, a collection of classic cuts from reggae's premier Melodica player that first appeared in stores 20 years ago. The first half of the collection features tracks recorded by Pablo under the watchful eye of Bunny 'Striker' Lee at the King Tubby's studio, with the second half showcasing weighty dubs of Pablo's work by Tubby himself. Featuring many classic Tubby and Lee riddims, the collected cuts are notably weighty and groovy, with Pablo's trademark delay-laden Melodica motifs and sauntering solos rising above deep basslines, classic dub drums, sun-kissed guitars and tight piano stabs.

Review: When he recorded Better Must Come in 1971, Delroy Wilson was at the height of his fame in his native Jamaica. The following year, Trojan Records issued the album in the UK, and his reputation as one of reggae's most soulful singers was secured. Listening back to this timely reissue, it's clear that the set was one of the late artist's finest collection of cuts. It was the first of his albums to be produced by Bunny Lee (he'd previously worked with Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd at Studio One) and delivered a particularly warming, soul-fired take on rocksteady that sounds every bit as impressive now as it did 49 years ago.