Marcus Garvey:

Garvey's Ghost:

100th Anniversary:

Man in the Hills (Island, 1976)

Following Marcus Garvey is certainly a daunting task, and Man in the Hills, though regaining some of its magic, is easily a step below that classic album.  Only the quality of the material has changed; the sound is basically the same: dreamy, relaxed tone and rambling melodies -- jazzy in their free flow and blues/gospel in their repetitive nature -- are the norm.  The spark of ingenuity that invigorated Marcus Garvey, however, is largely absent, and the melodies and music suffer.  The best song on Man in the Hills, the title track, would only be a mediocre cut on Marcus Garvey.  Still, it, along with "Door Peep," "It's Good," "People Get Ready," "Black Soul," and "Lion" are all solid, making this album OK, but more for hardcore Burning Spear fans ("Spearheads"?).

Mistress Music (Slash, 1988)

One of Burning Spear's more under-appreciated efforts, Mistress Music features a refreshingly airy style that is at least partly reflective of the use of non-reggae musicians (something that may turn some fans off).  The rolling, heavy bass lines that often feed into Burning Spear's somber tone are absent on this album, as light keyboards/synthesizers and horns form the dominant sound.  As such, I found this material -- led by the jazzy horn and guitar of "Fly Me to the Moon" (not the lounge song covered by Frank Sinatra and others) -- invigorating, revealing a somewhat festive side to this staid artist (Indeed, an inordinate number of tunes on Mistress Music are love songs.).  Aside from "Fly Me to the Moon," the beat tracks here are the catchy "Negril," "Say You Are in Love," and the enchanting live-band "Tell the Children," while "Woman I Love You" and "One Way" are also nice.   Mistress Music is not Burning Spear's best work, but it is a novel, welcome change of pace.

Social Living (Blood & Fire, 1994 [orig. released 1980])

Carrying the same quality of full-blooded roots that propelled Marcus Garvey, Social Living (originally titled Marcus Children) rivals it in every way.  Even though Social Living is produced by Burning Spear (and Karl Pitterson), it contains many of the same musicians as Marcus Garvey and much of the same sound: heavy bass, African drums, horns, bluesy/jazzy guitars, and chanting, chanting, chanting!  (Note: the dub of this album is Living Dub Volume 1)  Practically every song is strong, with the best being "Marcus Children Suffer," "Social Living," and "Institution."  I don't consider myself a huge fan of Burning Spear, but even non-fans should be able to appreciate the power of Social Living.

Hail H.I.M. (Heartbeat, 1994 [orig. released 1980])

Considered by many to be one of Burning Spear's finest works, Hail H.I.M. is solid but not quite as consistently good all around as either Marcus Garvey or Social Living.  Co-produced by the great Aston "Family Man" Barrett, this album is bursting with a free-flowing roots sound similar to those other two albums, but not all of the tracks are as captivating as those on Marcus Garvey and Social Living.  Nonetheless, it's hard to resist the funky, mellow title cut, as well as the powerful "Jah See and Know" and "Columbus," which features a surprisingly fun, upbeat horn riff.  The more catchy choruses make the best songs here, as these 3, along with "Follow Marcus Garvey" and "Cry Blood Africans" attest.

Calling Rastafari (Heartbeat, 1999)

Calling Rastafari won Burning Spear his first Grammy Award in 1999, and although he's long overdue for such recognition, I wish he'd gotten it for some of his earlier work.  Still, while it's not his best album, it is representative of Burning Spear's style.  The music in particular is impressive: rich, full-blooded, horn and bass-driven live-instrument roots, even with a new line-up of his Burning Band.  The opening two songs -- "As It Is," whose refrain echoes his classic "Slavery Days," and the vivacious "Hallelujah" -- are probably the best, while "You Want Me To" parlays an unexpected lovers rock sound that is truly appealing.  "House of Reggae" and "Let's Move" are also nice, but the album falls into a tedious rut in the second half, as the generic Burning Spear sound begins to take over.  Overall, though, I'd guess his diehard fans will love it all the same.

Ultimate Collection (Hip-O, 2001)

There's no doubting that there's a lot of great material on this album, and yet it still feels flat to me.  A large part of the blame for this lies at the feet of the compilers, for a quick perusal of the track listing reveals that every single tune is readily available elsewhere -- so fans will likely already have the bulk, if not all, of these selections.  Seeing as how previously released "best of" Burning Spear albums -- Reggae Greats, Harder Than the Best, and Chant Down Babylon -- focused solely on his Island releases, a compilation that includes his multi-label releases seems like a welcome addition, but sadly only 4 of the 20 cuts are non-Island property ("The Fittest of the Fittest," and "Fire Man" from Fittest of the Fittest and "Road Foggy" and "Columbus" from Hail H.I.M., both Heartbeat albums).  Granted, Burning Spear recorded the greatest portion of his classic material while with Island, but what about his only Grammy-winning effort, Appointment With His Majesty?  Or the underrated Mistress Music?  Or even lesser-renowned albums like Resistance, Farover, and Rasta Business, or perhaps his early Studio One work?  Was there not a single track on any of these that merits inclusion amongst Burning Spear's best?  Instead, this "ultimate collection" plays it safe, with the standard tracks culled from all of his Island albums, plus the aforementioned 4 Heartbeat tunes.  The most intriguing selection may be the "Original Film Mix" of "Jah No Dead," from the Rockers soundtrack, but this dull, non-musical a cappella over ocean noise isn't worth the effort it took to put it on this set.  And to add insult to disappointment, how could you leave off "Slavery Days"?!  Anyway, I can't really give Ultimate Collection a bad rating, as it does contain lots of good stuff (although I could do without the Dry & Heavy and Fittest of the Fittest tracks), but I'd say it's only for beginners who want a taste of Burning Spear's style.

Spear Burning (Pressure Sounds, 2001)

*GUEST REVIEW*
Naming yourself after Kenyan President Jomo Kenyatta is relatively unusual.  Winston Rodney really admired Kenyatta and decided to use his nickname on stage. Spear Burning is a collection of singles and tracks that never managed to escape JA.  They were originally released on Riley's own Spear label after he has recorded for both Studio One and Jack Ruby.  This is a quality roots LP that combines tracks, discomixes and dubs to great effect.  Think Bob Marley with no pressure to release singles, smooth out the music, or produce anthems.  Rodney stayed true to his beliefs and kept his music rough but spiritual.  If you have a passion for roots but found the Heart of the Congos vocals too light, then this could be the album for you.

- ragudave 

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Freeman (Burning Spear Music, 2003)

*GUEST REVIEW*
Having left Heartbeat after Calling Rastafari, Burning Spear was free to start his own imprint and release his records however he wanted. Finally, the Spear could burn on its own fuel. The results are not so great. Though Freeman is not a bad album, it does signal a depredation in the quality of his music. None of the tracks are particularly memorable, though they all preach an excellent message. The truth is that it sounds like he wrote some run-of-the-mill reggae vibes that would constitute an album and then, without much forethought, sang a few lines. The melodies are either non-existent or predictable. His phrasing is nothing special and he really just sounds like he's fulfilling an obligation. This is entirely possible since a man like Burning Spear would have no problem assembling the first-rate band that is present here and then let them do their thang while he sits in the producer's chair. I hate saying such things about one of the most respectable men in message music history, but it's how I feel about this record.

- Trammell Scruggs

Creation Rebel: The Original Classic Recordings from Studio One (Heartbeat, 2004)

Before Winston Rodney hit it big internationally with his Island recordings, he cut his teeth on -- where else? -- the Studio One label.  Creation Rebel gathers most of the amazing singles he released as Burning Spear on Studio One between 1969 and 1974, almost all of which were included on 1973's Studio One Presents Burning Spear and 1974's Rockin' Time, although about half of tracks on Creation Rebel are stereo mixes previously unavailable on CD.  While the sound quality is much better on this release than on those early sets, it's understandably still a bit fuzzy and not at the level of the polished Island stuff.  This, however, is the only complaint -- and a minor one at that -  you could possible have with this set.  These songs form at atmospheric showcase for what, in 1969, was quite a groundbreaking sound.  Along with The Abyssinians' work, these Burning Spear tunes helped usher in the cultural, righteous, Rasta roots reggae style that groups like Culture and The Wailers would ride to success.  It's evident listening to this album that the raw power that we've come to know from Burning Spear's work has always been present.  It's perhaps even more apparent in these early tracks, whose creaky rock steady/early reggae sound and production values lend to the feel of an old blues album.  Rodney's droning pace and repetitive vocal structure only adds to the bluesy, hypnotic air.  Since Rodney began his career with more of an emphasis on the backing singers, there's more of a classic roots harmony sound on these tracks than on his more recent (from the '80s on) work.  Check out "This Race," "What a Happy Day," and two of the best songs on this compilation, "This Population" and "New Civilization."  Amazingly, neither of these two have previously been available on CD, a fact that alone almost makes Creation Rebel worth the price.  Of course, you also get gems like his debut single "Door Peeper" (later remade as "Door Peep" for Man in the Hills), "Swell Headed," Call on You," "He Prayed," "Rocking Time," and the marvelous "Creation Rebel."  Certainly, Burning Spear has a gritty sound that won't always appeal to newcomers to the reggae genre, but for those who like their roots unassuming, unfiltered, and "rebellious from creation," Creation Rebel fits the bill perfectly.

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Our Music (Burning Spear Music, 2005)

*GUEST REVIEW*
Freeman was a nightmare for me. I feared that Winston Rodney had let it all get to his head and forgotten his roots. Luckily, it seems like it was just a lull. The Spear returns strong on his second independent release, Our Music. The opening title track has great vibrations that remind me of "Night Nurse". His message is one of staying strong, that reggae is still alive and sustaining Rasta men and women the world over. "Try Again" picks up and turns to these Rastas and teaches us to keep the good fight and not lose confidence. "Down in Jamaica" has a slamming riddim that is engaging and tugs at yo booty making you move and groove, skanking to your hearts desire. His phrasing is genius and his meditation is irie. If this song doesn't convince you that the Spear is back, I don't know what will. "Together" mixes an island feel with lyrics of opposing the slavery that Babylon system tries to impose on us. Also on this track he revisits the great chant of "it's getting from bad to worse, throw down your arms and come…dododoop!" This reaffirms that his roots are solidly placed in his meditation and strengthening his I. Skipping the less extraordinary "Friends," we move on to "O'Rastaman," where Spear and his band in top form. This song is the most similar to his classic stuff with an afro-island feel and meditative chanting. It is presented in extended form that gives the groove sufficient time to establish itself and work its way into a lasting vibration. Though they lack the length of "O'Rastaman," "Fix Me," "Walk," and "One Marcus" continue in this same vein. "One Marcus" is another crucial track that makes this record a celebratory return to form. The album closer "Little Garvey" situates a Bunny Wailer-like hymn in an island riddim while Spear's deep voice shares wisdom and images that awake and inspire. After hearing this album, one can be quite sure that Burning Spear still possesses the ability to make the some of the most kickin' music in the business while staying true and conscious. It's more than just a relief; it's an answered prayer.

- Trammell Scruggs