BARRY BROWN Vinilo y CD

Review: During last year's lockdown in Italy, contemporary dub producer Paolo Baldini was invited by Pressure Sounds to work on Bunny Lee's archive of recordings he made with singer Barry Brown during the mid-to-late 1970s. The results can now be heard on Praises, a set which adds a little more dub-wise spice to classic roots reggae cuts while retaining much of Lee's production and instrumentation. Brown's vocals - effortlessly soulful, hugely evocative and partially improvised - are simply superb, while Baldini's handling of Lee's riddims and musical arrangements is masterful. As a result, the assembled dubs, versions and vocal reworks sound faithful to the period in which they were recorded while adding subtle new touches and 21st century-ready low-end weight.