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Becausereggae would seem to be about things that most NorthAmericans don't much care about--going back to Africa, loving Jah,smoking too much marijuana--it's been strictly cult music in theU.S. since Bob Marley died. But as anyone whose synapses have beenreorganized by its groove knows full well,reggae's surface is,well surface. Its content is the deepest rhythm in music, a rhythm thatmotivates the heart and pelvis with out, as Satchel Paige might havesaid, angrying up the blood.
In the Eighties,reggae has continued to evolve in its ownway--rhythmically. Where in the Seventies spacy studio dub ruled, nowguitarists and pianists improvise around the beat, and horn sectionsadd curlicues that are intricate but rarely fussy.
If you're ready to praise Jah for 45 minutes, try the chants on RasMichael & the Sons of Negus'Rally Round (Shanachie).Because this compilation is selected from many years of real cultmusic, the rhythms may seem reassuringly familiar despite theirfunde-drum base. So too, on Yabby You's 1983 ShanachiecompilationOne Love, One Heart, though I'm ever more takenwith this religious recluse's currentFleeing from theCity--never before have nursery hymns danced so jammingly.
For those who prefer their sex straight, love man Gregory Isaacs haslifted himself from a long slump onPrivate Beach Party(RAS). Predictably, the sex is better when Isaacs comes at itsideways--not on the title cut but on "No Rushings" and "Promise Is aComfort." No such reservations apply to Joe Higgs's first U.S. album,Triumph (Alligator). Higgs was an early mentor of Bob Marleyand, like his genius protege, he always combines the personal with theprophetic and the politicial. And just as Marley would have, he hasevolved rhythmically--his groove is the deepest and the wickedest ofany record here.
Playboy, Apr. 1986
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