Clinton Fearon - What A System (Kool Yu Foot)
Listening to this album from ex-Gladiator Clinton Fearon, it's apparent how much influence the vocalist and bassist had on that legendary band. The distinct melodies, sweet harmonies, reality lyrics and uplifting rhythms that made The Gladiators such a powerful force are all present on What A System. The structure of the songs and backing vocal arrangements throughout the album, but especially on "Bucky Massa," "Rocky Road," "Chatty Chatty Mouth" and the title track, echo the sounds that Fearon fashioned with Albert Griffiths and Gallimore Sutherland back in the day. What A System is a double album with the second disc featuring Scientist mixed dubs of all the songs from CD 1. All together, it's a massive amount of fresh, top ranking music.
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Various - The Sound of Channel One: King Tubby Connection (Motion) An unpretentious collection of obscure Channel One recordings mixed by King Tubby between '73 and '81, this two-disc set is one of the finest revive titles of the past few years. The only major artist included here is the magnificent Delroy Wilson heard on two relaxed, soulful cuts ("You Have My Heart" and "Stop Look What You're Doin'"), still, the collection features strong performances that roots aficionados will find absorbing. Maybe that is what's so appealing about this set. It's not everday we see artists like Badoo, Calvin Stuart, Desmond Irie and Jim Brown anthologized. Badoo's "Rockin' of the Ten Thousand" on a thundersous version of "Drum Song" is pure killer. Another bit of niceness comes from the cultural deejay Jim Brown on "Dancehall Vibes."
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