Juno Recommends Roots / Lovers Rock July 2021

Review: Jo Wallace's Ramrock label has always proved adept at blending reggae, dub and lovers rock with elements of jazz, soul and Balearic beats. You'll find a similar blend of sounds at the heart of the label's latest 12" - a fine, roots reggae style cover version of Aaron Neville's much-loved rare groove jam 'Hercules' by Asian Dub Foundation singer Ghetto Priest. His version (side A) is effortlessly soulful, with warming horns, clipped guitars and his own sublime vocals rising above a languid reggae riddim. Arguably even better is Darren Morris and Ashley Beedle's flipside remix, which adds bluesy pianos, hazy horns, vibrant Clavinet riffs and Ghetto Priest's vocals to a faithful rendition of the swinging, bumpin' groove that made Neville's 1973 version so addictive.

Review: Old Hard Bread is busy this month with a series of limited, hand-stamped 7" of pure dub fire. This one offers up a pair of remixes from the legendary Leeds dub heads Iration Steppas. Their opening version of Dino's 'Reggae Music Attack' is a real stepper. The steel-plated drums and twisted bass bring a menacing sense of atmosphere while snaking leads take you deeper into the dance. On the flip is the much more head-twisting version of 'Dub Attack' with its fat, wobbly bottom end and oodles of echo, delay and reverb.

Review: All dub fans know just how far ahead of the curve Dennis Bovell was. But this one, which was recorded potentially as early as 1976, will impress even them. It has been remixed during the 2020 UK lockdown at Ariwa Studios but the source material still stands proud. So too do the sentiments within from the legendary toaster I Roy, who has sadly left us now but whose legacy lives on here on this hand-numbered and limited 7" and through his please to stand up and fight for what you believe in. On the flip is the dub by Dennis Bovell, with extra reverb and bass weight for big sound system deployment.

Review: Ras Mabuba's 1981 classic 'Africa Is Calling' is a real diamond rasta gem that gets rescued from obscurity here by the Foluke label. It has been remastered and polished up from original source tapes so sounds super heavy and clean for those big sound systems this summer. The rhythm is an infectious one, with plenty of toms and congas sprinkled over the top and natty riffs fleshing it out. The vocal is a rousing one with organ stabs and subtle horns backing it up. On the flip is a version that is just a s crucial.

Review: Lion's Den's Songs Of Upliftment series is already a vital one, and the addition of this latest delicious wedge of dub only serves to prove that again. Jah Baker who is part of the Rootikal Vibes HiFi sound system that hails from Besancon, France, is the man behind the plate. He offers a brace of superbly musical steppers that will bring soul-enriching vibes and spirit living goodness to any sound system. Both tunes are designed for loud deployment and come with dub versions for late night smoke sessions.

Review: Basil Thompson was Creation Stepper, a Jamaican roots reggae singer based in the UK until his passing in 2009. Meditative Sounds produced this one back in 2006 and it has been a well-known, well-loved record on the circuit ever since. Mixed by Dougie Wardrop at Conscious Sounds, it has a hefty bottom end, with wispy synths taking off into the sky, crisp and snappy hits and a more organic, whimsical lead melody buried deep within. There is passion in the vocal toasts up top and flip to over for the War Dubber - 'Declare Dub' version which dials everything back to a crucial dub.

Review: Winston McAnuff has a hearty collection of classics in his back catalogue. Many of them are hard to find or totally out of print, but labels like Roots Vibration have done a fine job of bring them back into the game. This time out it is Hands & Hearts that serve up his 'Ten Thousand Of Them.' It's a timeless roller with fat drums that sit perfectly with the even fatter bass. On the flip 10 Strings Meets Unitone for a collaborative dub entitled '10,000 Dub' that strips it back to the bare essentials.