Search - Lloyd Brevett, The Skatalites :: African Roots

Laid-back but compelling

11/13/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One might expect very little of the Skatalites after their mid-60s heyday besides recaps of past glories. But this "reunion" album recorded in 1974-75 in Jamaica and reissued here by Moon Ska Records, is a fine work on its own merits. One reason for this is the use of original compositions, not remakes of "guns of Navarone", etc. (The only exception to the rule is their sublime, beautiful updating of "Candle Light", a doo-wop tune from the 1940s.) Another reason is King Tubby, who added dubs of two tunes and dubbed the title track in monumental style. The result is an album that serves as a musical crossroads of Jamaica in the mid-70s: roots reggae performed with a jazz/ska lyricism and inflection. Moon Ska adds some buoyant tracks from the original 60s group - these are worth it for Don Drummond's trumpet solos alone."