Search - Gregory Isaacs :: Mr Isaacs

"Mister I" is Essential Reggae and Essential Isaacs

Gavin B. | St. Louis MO | 12/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Mister Isaacs" makes you wonder why Gregory never found the same broad crossover audience that Bob Marley found in America. Isaac's career longevity in Jamaica and Europe has eclipsed nearly every other survivor from the golden age of reggae, with the possible exception of reggae's elder statesman, Winston Rodney (aka Burning Spear).



Gregory's trademark was his stylized winsome croon, his sense of vocal dynamics, and his nuanced phrasing of lyrics. He was an instictive vocal prodigy of the rarest kind generally found among an elite class of standards and jazz interpreters.



Billie Holiday's vocals could breathe an emotional life into a mawkish sentimental standard like "These Foolish Things." Similarly, Gregory Isaacs could sing a trite children's song as he did with "Puff the Magic Dragon" and transform it into an emotionally stirring statment of vocal artistry.



Gregory's high stylized vocals are capable of expressing any emotion: be it anger, world weariness, lonliness, romantic yearing, cynicism, pain, erotic sensualtiy, or despair and he will make the most banal of lyrics dance under the sway of his velvet voice.



"Mister Isaacs" was recorded in 1983 within a five year span when Gregory Isaacs was at the height of his artistic brilliance. I was living as an alien resident in Jamaica when Gregroy recorded this album. At the same time Gregory was making the rounds of nearly every studio, on the island releasing a new dancehall hit on different label on a weekly basis.



Isaacs had so many ongoing musical projects happening that many of his album and single releases never reached his musical catalog. Gregory once remarked that he was in a cabal of musicians who wanted to corner the international music market by flooding it with thousands of reggae releases. I still am not sure if Gregory was joking, when he made that remark.



The material in "Mr. Isaacs" is uniformly dazzling but "Sacrafice" with the angry lyirc: "I was given as a sacrifice/To build a black man's hell and a white man's paradise" is remarkable. Gregory's winesome vocals add a poignant element to the angry lyric of "Sacrafice" which humanizes the message of the song. Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakepere's seductive bass and drum riddims that drive the song "Storm" and march a simple one drop riff into a churning, langrous juggernaut that underscores Isaac's impassonied lyrical plea to hang on steady until the storm has passed.



"Mr. Isaacs" is one of the essential reggae albums from a singer who made so many classics during 1978-1983 crest of the roots reggae era. During those memorable years Gregory produced "Mr. Isaacs" along with "Soon Forward", "Extra-Classic", "Cool Ruler", "Night Nurse" and "Out Deh." This album is one of those six blockbuster albums that define Gregory Isaacs's artistry and the elegance of smooth lover's rock crooning style. I give my unqualified recommendation for any of those albums. Of those six albums "Soon Forward" is the incontestable, hands down pick of the litter and on my own terms is the best reggae album ever made and "Mister Isaacs" get an honorable metion somewhere in the Top Twenty albums of the golden age of reggae.



For those Amazon shoppers who are new to Gregory Isaac's music, "The Ultimate Collection" a 20 song retrospective of selected tunes by Gregory during 1978-1983 era is highly recommended. The songs are a smart sampling of his albums from that era that will give you a taste of Gregory without spoiling most of the new content you'd get from purchasing any of his regular non-anthology releases."

Listen to this and learn why Gregory is a Star

Murdoch | 12/27/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The best Gregory Isaacs release I've heard yet. He's performing at the height of his talent here. This is an eminently listenable record: clear, rootsy, and melodic. The "bonus" tracks are particularly fine, especially the dub of "Mr. Know It All" which closes the cd."