You Don't Love Me (No No No) (feat Delroy Williams) (3:38)
You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good (5:01)
Review: Susan Cadogan is an esteemed reggae vocalist who has been since the 1970s. Now she continues her musical journey with this cover single which is taken from her excellent 2020 album Hurt So Good - Storybook Revisited, distributed by Burning Sounds. Side-A features a rendition of the reggae classic by Dawn Penn, while Side-B offers a sweet soul interpretation of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' track. Enhanced with Japanese-inspired artwork on the jacket, this release showcases Cadogan's timeless talent and versatility as it bridges the gap between reggae and soul music across generations.
Review: We may not all have Common Ground between us, but we can certainly agree on many things when we look back on our vernal roots. This fresh 7" by the UK label homes in on one of the greatest lights to brave the Caribbean sonic Sea, Al Campbell. 'When Spring Is Around' was put out again by the label only last year alongside Ansel Collins on the B, but now a properly labelled version also materialises through their sublabel Jah Fingers. Campbell's canny song is a crackly breeze, detailing the lush renewal of love in the earliest months of the year. Keep your frog's hunkers coiled for this one, so that you can spring on it when Spring springs!
Review: Jahug is a brand new label that kicks off with a heavy rhythm from Carl I aka producer Carl Gayle. 'Deputy Dawg' is the tune and it has a low-slung low end that is couched in plenty of warm reverb. The vocals up top are raw and unaffected and filled with a sense of yearning. Add in some fresh hits and classic reggae guitar riffs and you have a nice fresh roots cut. On the flip, more horns are brought to the fore to give it some subtle warrior energy while extra effects and fleshy reverb all add more weight to the original.
Review: The hard-digging record fiends at Kalita are back with more brilliance. This one is the first-ever retrospective of work by Jamaican-born artist Desmond Chambers. The first tine is a proudly politically aware tune previously only avialbel on his 1987 album Tiger Born, while the single 'The Morning Show' has before now only been available as the B side of little known single 'I Have Seen Love In Your Eyes.' The two other tracks are mega cult, hugely loved acid-infused dub snakers with boogie-infused rhythms. Original copies will cost you a huge amount so make sure you snap this one up asap.
Review: The mighty Chazbo is behind this heavyweight new 12" on Dubshop.nl. It come son bright yellow wax and opes with 'New Life' which is a classic and tough stepper with tumbling bass notes, wet hits and endless reverb all making it a plump, inviting, fat as you like dub sound. The dub version is even more fleshy and dropping wet and a Dubplate mix adds more subtle, melon twisting studio desk trickery. 'Shaka The Great' keeps the vibes flowing in the flip and gets the same two mixes to make for a broad and brilliant package.
Review: The first in the Reggae 45 Series, Cheeba's Reggae Sound Boys reimagines classic Jamaican sounds from the 60s and 70s, blending them with fresh beats, samples and FX for a modern twist. Expect skanking breaks and deep, dubwise grooves that serve as a nod to reggae's roots while pushing boundaries. This release delivers both nostalgia and innovation, capturing the spirit of classic reggae with a unique edge, designed to keep the energy high and the vibes flowing for fans of the genre.
Review: The reissue of Annette Clarke's 'Sinner Man,' produced by the legendary Lee Perry, is a gem for reggae enthusiasts and vinyl collectors. Released on Harlem Shuffle Records, this 7" vinyl brings back the sought-after 1973 track that seamlessly blends reggae with a touch of ska, adding an extra layer of allure for fans of the genre. Side-1 features the original 'Sinner Man,' a track from early reggae days while hinting at the infectious energy of ska. Clarke's vocals are compelling, and Perry's production gives the song a timeless quality. On Side-2, the Lee Perry dub version takes the track to another dimension. With heavy echo effects and the rhythm pushed into the background, Perry's dub creates an immersive experience that highlights his genius as a producer.
Review: You can't beat some proper old school ska and that's exactly what this is from Cosmic Shuffling, despite the fact it is actually brand new. The band took rocksteady and ska heads by storm with big tunes like 'Eastern Ska' and 'Short Break' from their first album 'Magic Rocket Ship' and now carry that on with this fresh new 45rpm. 'Jupiter's Garden' is swaggering horn-led lushness and 'Asteroid Field I' is busier with more expressive sax leads. It comes pressed on just 90 copies all in handmade screen printed and numbered sleeves with pantone silver ink label too so it's a real collector's piece.
Review: Timeless digital roots and dub from The Disciples here featuring the late Jamaican singer Creation Stepper, who i most famously well known for his iconic 70s roots reggae classics. This release includes a fresh take on Stepper's 1978 track, 'Kill Nebuchadnezzar' and it is paired with another vocal gem, 'Ozone Layer,' plus two powerful dub versions. Originally mixed and produced by Russ D in The Disciples' studio in 1991, this music finally saw the light of day in 2011 on the Disciples Vintage label where it quickly sold out. Now back on a great sounding 12", this is a must for roots and dub heads.
Review: Cultural Roots delivered a potent dose of tuff roots vibes with their original 1980 release, 'Jah No Partial' which was and is now on this reissue backed by The Revolutionaries on dub duties. This limited vinyl edition comes housed in a vibrant full-colour company cardboard sleeve and offerings collectors a chance to grab a bit of reggae history. In addition to the original track, two exclusive Dub Plate Cuts further showcase raw energy and heavyweight low ends. With The Revolutionaries lending their signature sound to the dub mix, this is a crucial package.
Derrick Harriott & The Tamlins & Joy White & Reasons & U-Brown - "Christmas Songbook" (11:27)
The Chariot Riders - "Christmas Songbook" (instrumental dub Style) (11:32)
Review: Lifelong reggae fans, vinyl lovers and frequent Juno readers will be familiar with Crystal D's Reggae Disco mix series. It was a 70s thing where artists served up their own unique reggae versions of Christmas classics and now we get volume 17 of the Christmas Songbook. This one comes on 12" in hand-stamped sleeve and the A-side is an 11+ minute collection of tunes from Derrick Harriott & The Tamlins & Joy White & Reasons & U-Brown with natty chords, sleigh bells and choral reggae vocals. What a mix. In authentic reggae fashion, the flip side is a dub of the whole lot by The Chariot Riders.
Review: A rather calming lovers rock track reissued on 12". When reggae drummer Lindel Lewis teamed up with singers Vincent Taylor and Claudia, few could anticipate the sonic romance that would blossom. 'You, Me & He' seems to capture two such triangulations, one lying at the heart of the real collaboration between artists, and the other evoked in the imaginary love tryst explored in the song. Wafty reverb vocals from the sweetly voiced Claudia give an admissive, coy impression of the persona she channels, which is lent a soothing antiphony from Taylor. Lewis, meanwhile, evidences his solo drumming and dubbing chops on the smooth 'Me & He' versions under the name One Man Band, twinning coldness and haziness.
Review: French-Spanish, Latin soul and Afrobeats singer-songwriter Manu Chao returns to the fore with Viva Tu ('Long Live You'), a heartwarming Latin ska and worldbeat album dedicated to uncovetable, amicable neighbourly relations between members of the public. After the release of the eponymous lead single, the full record comes now in full cordial force. With its sleepily descendant vocals giving off the sense of a narrator too sunkissed to care, Viva Tu is an al fresco listening experience, one that also nonetheless betrays Chao's seasoned, well-tanned skin in the game. Now 63, this is a comeback album "inspired by (Chao's) travels and people's daily lives", and it hears him hark after something like a universal language, flexing his multilingual chops by singing in Spanish, French, Portuguese and English. All this forms part of Chao's mission to address the various global issues facing humanity today, in such a manner as only he can do best; he treats music as a vehicle for a humanistic global activism, aiming to promote anti-capitalist, antifascist and without-borders content.
Review: French Latin ska/dancehall artist Manu Chao (Los Carayos, Hot Pants) shares 'Viva Tu', his latest single pre-empting his upcoming solo summer stomper of an album. A wholesome ode to the neighbourly charms of his Chao's home city, 'Viva Tu' translates to "long live you!", and sports a universal message of simple merriment and streetwise hobnobbing. From "the one who sells tickets on the subway, to the street-sweeper", Chao's call for love - mediated by the irresistible sweetmeats of rhythm guitar and trilling ad-libs - excludes no-one. It's also a great, sweet-hearted song.
Review: Dub producer Herman Chin Loy who was one of the pioneers of the style in the early 70s, and this reissue of two formerly unnammed and mislabeled, all but lost LPs - now combined to make up a compilation known as Musicism Dub - perfectly captures the earliest incarnation of the sound. 'Musicism' is a good term to describe the spectacular character of Loy's dub. Dub as a genre itself has been at times described as one of the first popular music styles to use the sound of the beat as a point of intrigue in itself, rather than relying solely on melodies or lyrics. The Chin Loy sound flaunted here is as indicative of this approach, though it is also staunchly rooted in the vintage style of analog production, with the likes of 'Armagideon War' and 'Don't Fight The Man' nailing that undeniably early chillout sound: nicely-glued lows and spitty tops.
Review: Much loved roots and dub outfit The Congos are often first come to via this seminal album, Heart of the Congos. It's one all collectors have on their racks and that's why it keeps on getting reissued. It's a brilliantly organic and authentic sound with the opening tune 'Fisherman' amongst the best - the falsetto vocals, the lush harmonies, the rolling rhythms - they are irresistible on a warm day. The rest of the record remains just as high on quality, with, of course, the brilliant drums and congas at the heart of each track, but the lyrical work not far behind.
The Peoples’ Sound (Tribute To Daddy Veigo)/Off The Spectrum (3:18)
Review: Creation Rebel were the original On-U Sound house band, laying down some of the definitive riddims in the early days of Adrian Sherwood's voyage into dub. 40 years on from their last record, the trio of Crucial Tony, Eskimo Fox and Magoo have reunited with Sherwood at the controls for another masterclass in heavyweight sounds from a crack team of players. Originally they formed as a backing band for the late Prince Far-I, and some of his unmistakable tones manifest on this new record from archive tapes, while Daddy Freddy brings his famous fast chat flow to proceedings and Italian synth player Gaudi crops up on occasion too. Rather than dub-by-numbers, this is an exploratory record which takes in different grooves and influences, all filtered through the expanse of space-time manipulation the dub wise approach inspires.
Know Yourself (CD2: Clsoe Encounters Of The Third World (1978))
Conspiring
Beware
Dangerous & Deadly
Shouldn’t Do That
Creation Fever
Natty Conscience Free
Joyful Noise
Rebel Vibration (CD3: Rebel Vibrations (1979))
Jungle Affair
Hunger & Strife
Ian Smith Rock (dub)
Diverse Doctor
Mountain Melody
Black Lion Dub
Doctor’s Remedy
Starship Africa (Section 1 - CD4: Starship Africa (1980))
Starship Africa (Section 2)
Starship Africa (Section 3)
Starship Africa (Section 4)
Starship Africa (Section 5)
Space Movement (Section 1)
Space Movement (Section 2)
Space Movement (Section 3)
Space Movement (Section 4)
Creation Rock
Give Me Power
Original Power
The Dope (CD5: Psychotic Jonkanoo (1981))
African Space
Chatti Mouth/Threat To Creation
Highest Degree
Mother Don’t Cry
Yuk Up
Drum Talk
Independent Man
Creation Rebel
Monkey Grinds The Organ
Swiftly (The Right One) (CD6: Hostile Environment (2023))
Stonebridge Warrior
Under Pressure
That’s More Like It
Jubilee Clock
This Thinking Feeling
Whatever It Takes
Salutation Gardens
Crown Hill Road
The Peoples’ Sound (Tribute To Daddy Vego)
Off The Spectrum
Review: A comprehensive reissue campaign of the key albums by Creation Rebel, the original On-U Sound house band. The series encompasses out of print and much in demand UK dub reggae albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s, all highlighting crucial early production work from the mixing desk of Adrian Sherwood. The band's post-reformation, 2023 album Hostile Environment, is thrown in for good measure. This mammoth 6xCD edition houses five dozen tracks of indelibly experimental dub and reggae tracks, many of which tend towards the spacier and more cosmically-intoned ends of the dub tradition, which was above alive and kicking at the height of the genre's fame from the late 1970s onwards, and spearheaded by none other than group members Clifton Morrison, Eric 'Fish' Clarke and more.
Review: As part of a rather comprehensive looking back and reissuing of some of Creation Rebel's best and most enduring albums, On-U Sound pay due homage to their one and only in-house band. Close Encounters Of The Third World is one such album; it was first released in 1978, and draws a titular link between alienation and privation. The eight-track LP collates the instrumental talents of Lizard The Wizard, Dr. Pablo and Crucial Tony, and hears a fantastic mixing job by none other than Prince Jammy. With an initial charge to 'Know Yourself' before externalising the pilous inner monologue with 'Natty Conscience Free', Creation Rebel here demonstrate a stage of collective soul-searching and a subsequently serene set of songs.
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