Back catalogue: Roots/Lovers Rock

Review: This 2xCD set celebrates Dennis Bovell's exceptional talent during the golden years of reggae, from 1977 to 1981, a time when he was also playing a pivotal role linking punk and post-punk to reggae via collaborating with Orange Juice and producing key records such as The Slits' debut Cut. Featuring a mix of major hits and rare tracks, this collection highlights his brilliance as a producer, arranger and pioneer of roots, dub and lovers rock. Not only was he one of the first to blend disco with reggae but he was also important for fusing the disco standard 12" and using for Lovers Rock artists. His use of the format to create dynamic dub edits is a standout element, cementing his legacy in reggae production. Disc 1 includes Errol Dunkley's title track, Marie Pierre's soulful gems and Janet Kay's classic 'Silly Games', which brought lovers rock to mainstream audiences. Tracks like Errol Campbell's 'African Queen', Angelique's 'Cry' and Africa Stone's 'Choose Me' capture the era's emotional depth and Bovell's masterful touch. Disc 2 delves into 12" extended mixes, showing Bovell's innovative fusion of reggae and disco. A lifetime of great music within just two discs.

Review: Dadawah aka. Lloyd Charmers was one of Jamaica's boldest and most resourceful record producers, testament to which was his standout LP Peace & Love. Originally released as an EP of just four tracks, drawing on the rhythmic hallmarks of the Nyabinghi gatherings of Rastafari, Charmers is heard commanding an ensemble cast of virtuosi, including Willie Lindo on guitar. With its multi-layered, weighty and patriotic breathtakers such as 'Zion Land' and 'Know How You Stand', which blow away with their adept command of space and reverb, the tracks now come backed a whopping 21 dub versions also produced by the man himself - 19 of which have never been before released on CD - the best of his dub output since the mid-1970s.

Review: Cherry Red's Doctor Bird offshoot continues to trawl through the archives of legendary Jamaican label Observer and its' owner and producer-in-chief, Winston Holness AKA Niney The Observer. Having previously focused on the label's 1970s output, they've now turned their attention to the early, where Holness was influential in defining the formative dancehall sound. The first disc here boasts the vocal sides of singles, with Holness and his in-house bands providing a platform for such undoubted talents as Freddie McGregor, Don Carlos, Third World, Yellowman and Sugar Minott. Disc two, meanwhile, is the one for dub heads: an exhaustive collection of instrumental 'riddims' laid down by the Roots Radics and mixed in true 'version' style by Holness.