![]() ![]() Obviously Ethiopian and His Allstars’ Train to Skaville has to be a contender but then again Junior Byles’ Thanks and Praise is a joy every time I hear it but so too is Morwells’ Young Lover with it’s gorgeous Rocksteady undertones which leaves me with Winston Jarrett and the Righteous Flames Bad Boy, which is as tough a Reggae song as we find here and would surely have been a floor-filler in World HQ ‘back in the day’ so that is the official RMHQ Favourite Track on this fabulous album. I could close my eyes and stick a pin into the track list to give you my Favourite Track but I will try to be more professional (as if!). Hardcore Reggae fans will probably already own versions of many of these tracks be it on the Nighthawk re-releases or the million versions these guys record as and when they need some cash over the years but culled together in this format a whole new generation can savour the delights of Wailing Souls’ Harbor Shark or Justin Hinds’ timeless Travel With Love, and especially his Weeping Eyes too. and the messages are very powerful indeed. That, for me is the beauty of this style of Reggae (*other much harder rhythms are available elsewhere) white boys like me can dance along to The Mighty Diamonds’ 4000 Years (**) or Ronnie Davis & Idren’s Move On Oppressor but plenty of Afro-Caribbean listeners will be listening intently to the messages contained therein …. The legendary Culture give us the perfect opener with Calling Rastafari a typical ‘chant’ with a hypnotic melody that will not just have you swaying along but listening intently too.īongo Red from The Gladiators follows and I swear even sitting here on the sofa my hips and buttocks are dancing along with no help from my brain. Which brings me to the latest release from Omnivore Records, SEND I A LION which showcases the Nighthawk Label whose recent re-releases have astounded me and it appears you too! Introducing me to a type of music the likes of which I’d never heard before. When I were but a lad my love of Reggae and Ska came via spending a lot of pocket money buying ‘Reggae Chartbuster’ LP’s and then ‘Sampler Albums’ from Record Companies, most memorably the Trojan releases and then FRONT LINE from Virgin Records, which was a proverbial ‘Game Changer’. Re-Mixed and Re-modelled Cool Front Line Reggae. Sun, happiness, love, and a wish for peace?Īfter the year we’ve all had, this album hits all the right notes at just the right time. It’s easy to be reminded of Jimmy Buffet’s better material on some of these songs with their laid back island feel, the Country vibe but for some reason I keep thinking of 1960’s California surf rock too. The final track, “All About Love,” is a plea for understanding and helping each other through the tough times. I can’t recall ever hearing banjo on a Reggae song before, but here it is and it sounds fantastic, and, oddly enough … oh, so natural. “Rumnesia” is a playful romp on the excesses of partying, and is that a banjo I hear on the songs “Conkytonk” and “Runaway Bay”? “Paradise” features wonderful guest vocals by India.Arie and the addition of Caribbean steel drums to offset the Nashville pedal steel and a great mix of genre-specific instrumentation to fill out the overall sound. “A Woman Like You” is a pedal steel fueled love song, while “Secret to Life” is precious life advice and more of that delicious pedal steel. “If You’re Looking for Me” has a laid back groove all about being, well-laid back. “ Positive, positive vibration, A tried and true Rasta formulation.”Īnd if you can’t dance or move to this music then something is wrong deep in your soul. “ It make we dance til we can’t dance no more” Take the title cut, in which he lays out the recipe for the entire album: Gramps’s voice shines on these songs, and his lyrics are spot on too. ![]() Morgan spent time in Nashville and grew to love the sounds of pedal steel, dobro, and fiddle, and has incorporated those sounds into the production of this, his third album.Īdd that to his naturally Caribbean-infused songs, guest vocals by Shaggy and India.Arie, clear and thorough production by Johnny Reid, and you have quite an interesting batch of songs.Īs a member of Morgan Heritage, whose 2016 album Strictly Roots won a Grammy for Best Reggae Album, Gramps played keyboards, sang, and wrote a bunch of songs.Īs a songwriter and band leader, this solo album excels with its easy going, tropical beach songs, and clean Nashville studio production. If you’re listening to Reggae great Gramps Morgan’s album Positive Vibrations and you detect a definite modern Country Music sound throughout, your mind is not playing tricks on you. The Perfect Soundtrack For the Summer of 2021 – Just Add Rum and Sun. ![]()
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