Poor Man Style (Clocktower, 1982) 

*GUEST REVIEW*
Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, this great example of early dancehall is a short and sweet classic. Many will recognise some of the riddims from Freddie McGregor's Big Ship album. Levy's vocals warble over the steady beats and deep bass with lyrical content ranging from the lovers rock of "She Is the Best Girl" and "Rob and Gone" to the tribulations of Jamaican life in "Poor Man Style" and "Man Give Up." The ganja anthem "Sensimelea" is also here. The production from Linval Thompson is solid and the mixing from Scientist, which means some precision dub effects mainly on the drums and vocals, puts the icing on the cake. These effects work brilliantly all through the album, but especially on "I Can't Wait too Long"; probably my favourite track on this strong set.

- nidnid

Englishman/Robin Hood (Greensleeves, 1991 [orig. released 1979-80]) 

Englishman:

Robin Hood:

Englishman/Robin Hood:

Wanted: Live in San Francisco (2b1, 2006)

2b1's Live in San Francisco series continues with the solid production, sound quality, and song choice that we've come to expect, but Wanted falters when it comes to music and crowd participation. This live album opens, oddly enough, with a non-live track, a funky hip-hop remix of "Under Mi Sensi," before transporting us to San Fran. It becomes apparent early on that the concert audience isn't the most vocal bunch (or perhaps the microphones were to far away to pick them up), but Levy insists on keeping them involved, pausing for them to finish lines and exhorting them to repeat after him (of course, "shiddi-liddi-liddi-liddi-liddi-liddi-liddi-liddi-waaay-o" might be a bit much to expect), thus leaving us with frustrating holes of near-dead air. He even stops during "Too Experienced" and "Murderer" and admonishes the crowd, sounding a little pissed at their lack of participation. Complicating matters is the fact that when he goes to the audience, the band tends to minimize its playing to a basic, dull drum beat. Hearing a dancehall artist who relies on digital riddims perform with a live band is always an interesting -- for better or worse -- prospect, and in cases like "Under Mi Sensi," the hard rocking "Murderer," and "Here I Come," the band just can't properly recreate the sound. "Here I Come" in particular is painful, with generic music not resembling anything close to the original riddim, and with Levy pausing every other line to have the crowd sing along.  That said, this is still Barrington Levy, and he does perform a lot of his biggest hits -- most successfully "Too Experienced," "She's Mine," "Teach the Youths," and "Prison Oval Rock" -- and he does so with his unrivaled energy and distinct style. As is to be expected with a legend like Levy who's recorded so many fan favorites, there are a few songs left off that you'd probably like to hear -- such as "Mini Bus," "Living Dangerously," and "No Fuss, No Fight" (especially in light of the inclusion of the lesser-known "Mandela Free," "Love of Jah," "Be Strong," and "Loving You," only the latter of which strikes a chord).

Teach the Youth: Barrington Levy and Friends at Joe Gibbs 1980-85 (VP, 2008)

*GUEST REVIEW*
As soon as track one begins, you just know that this is a Joe Gibbs & Errol Thompson (AKA The Mighty Two) production. Having said that, they lean heavily on Studio One for rhythmic inspiration! In the early days of dancehall, the reworking of well-known rock steady and early reggae songs into an extended vocal and DJ mix was very popular and this CD contains prime examples of the art. Here we find Barrington Levy at the start of his career having been introduced to Joe Gibbs by Ansel Cridland, lead singer with the Meditations. This album is collated from his Reggae Vibes album and contains many 12-inch versions with popular DJs of the day, including Ranking Trevor, Lui Lepkie, and Kojak and Liza. The last four tracks comprise the instrumental versions found on the B-side of some of the 12-inch singles.

The opener, "Wife and Sweetheart Dem a Friend," has a brilliant crisp rhythm that showcases Levy's voice perfectly segueing into an excellent toast by Ranking Trevor. Next up is "Mine Yuh Mouth" on Jackie Mittoo's "One Step Beyond" rhythm offering advice to chatty chatty mouths who can't keep a secret. The witty "Quick Divorce" has Levy explaining in court to the judge about his dreadful marriage. This is sung over the Soul Vendors' "Darker Shade of Black" rhythm and segues into a Lui Lepkie toast. "My Woman" uses the Treasure Isle "Love is not a Gamble" rhythm to great effect. Then we are treated to three more tracks based on Studio One rhythms, "Do Good" (on Bob Andy's "Unchained"), "Teach the Youth" (on Horace Andy's "Mr. Bassie") and, my favourite, "Good Loving" (on Horace Andy's "Skylarking"). Give You Everything contains a great vocal and uses a more militant original rhythm. This is an excellently presented collection of early Barrington Levy songs recorded at the seminal studio upstairs at Randy's Record Mart. The recordings are crisp and punchy with all concerned at the top of their game. This budget-priced CD is a must have and is highly recommended.

- Taipan