Two Sevens Clash (Shanachie, 1988 [orig. released 1977])

Though a perennial favorite among roots reggae listeners, I've always found Culture's songs to be not terribly scintillating.  Not that they sound bad, just not exactly riveting.  Their music is roots upon roots upon roots with nothing gimmicky or mainstream, which I can appreciate.  But sometimes there's a limit to how rootsy you can be without becoming dull.  Culture puts forth such prototypically raw roots that they sometimes sound generic.  Their sound is reminiscent of Burning Spear (The similarities continue when you consider that, like Burning Spear, Culture started out as a harmony trio but eventually came to focus on only one person, in Culture's case Joseph Hill.) -- craggly, lethargic, half-talking/chanting vocals over raw roots rhythms.  Culture's songs, however, fail to have music as vibrant and masterful as Burning Spear's at his peak.  And without superior music, Culture's sometimes bland songwriting leaps to the forefront.  I understand that they don't want to have a pop sound, but they can go so far to the other extreme that their melodies are at times unimaginative, understated, dark, and uninspiring.  And this isn't just because they are so righteous, for groups like the Abyssinians and Israel Vibration manage to balance righteousness and musicality well.  That said, Two Sevens Clash, Culture's debut and their most acclaimed album, is pretty good.  However, it's not as great as some would have you believe (although it had a great deal of impact, the title track causing a real stir in Jamaica with its apocalyptic predictions of what would occur on the day 7-7-77...or not).   Like I've stated, the musicality and songwriting here isn't stunning, but it's better than much of the stuff I've heard from Culture (Also, I found the vocal harmonies a bit harsh and piercing at times, as on "Jah Pretty Face.").  The excellent "I'm Not Ashamed" is the best cut on Two Sevens Clash, showing that the group does indeed have it in them to produce accessible yet still righteous roots.  In a similarly accessible and appealing vein are the title track and "Black Starliner Must Come," while "Pirate Days," "Natty Dread Taking Over," and the roaring (literally) "Get Ready to Ride the Lion to Zion" are solid.  In all, good, but not classic.

Cumbolo (Shanachie, 1988 [orig. released 1979])

Arguably better (and definitely better, in my opinion) than its more well-received predecessor, Cumbolo is a good display of why Culture has gained the popularity that has buoyed its career for over 20 years.  Allowing the pure yet mostly accessible roots of this album to seep into your consciousness will go a long way to converting non-fans like myself to Culture.  As with Burning Spear, it may take a concerted effort to sit down and allow yourself to get into Culture's material, but Cumbolo is worth it.  Chock full of rootsy goodness, this album has stronger, more likeable melodies than Two Sevens Clash.  "Mind Who You Beg for Help," "Innocent Blood," "Natty Dread Naw Run," and "Down in Jamaica" are all very good examples of pure '70s roots supported most notably by rocking horn sections.  The hymn-like "This Train" and "They Never Love in This Time," along with "Pay Day" and the title cut, are also quite nice.  It may not have a tune as classic as "I'm Not Ashamed," but Cumbolo is solid throughout, and although I still wouldn't consider myself a true Culture fan, I enjoyed this effort.

Lion Rock (Heartbeat, 1988 [orig. released 1982])

Though often seen as one of Culture's lesser works, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Lion Rock.  While it may not be their best album, it's quite underrated, sort of like Burning Spear's overlooked Mistress Music.  Though re-released on CD in 1988, Lion Rock was recorded and released in 1982 (the first American album released by the group), so it continues the Culture sound established by more well-received albums like Cumbolo and Two Sevens Clash.  The overall sound is typical Culture -- staid, no-frills righteous roots with chanting refrains -- although they break out a little on bouncy, more melodic tracks like "Jah Alone a Christian," "Forward to Africa," and my favorite cut, "Disobedient Children."  As usual, Joseph Hill is the driving force, writing, producing, and arranging all of the material, in addition to lending his froggy lead vocals and even percussion.  The other two members of Culture actually don't show up anywhere here, and frankly, they're not missed.  Hill crafts a seemingly unspectacular yet ultimately satisfying roots tapestry that steadily entrances with its pious sincerity and with music and melodies that are just catchy enough.

Wings of a Dove (Shanachie, 1992)

*GUEST REVIEW*
The untimely death of Joseph Hill (19 August 2006 in Germany) shocked and saddened me. I loved his and Culture's music and also live shows, and considered myself a Culture fan. Culture, of which Joseph Hill was the driving force or, at times, personification, left about 22 albums since 1976 (and I have or know most). This one, Wings of a Dove, appeared in 1992, so roughly midway between Two Sevens Clash (1976) and World Peace (2003). This year, amidst dancehall dominance, makes it unusual that it is in fact conscious live- band roots reggae. Unusual, that is, for other groups than Culture, who over the years remained true to the roots reggae sound, with only some adequate arrays into dancehall, though not on this album. Wings of a Dove is roots with the common ingredients of the specific Culture sound: call-and-response vocals, catchy riddims, socially conscious and Rastafarian lyrics, and an overall engaging sound. Looking back, Culture had a consistent style and sound since 1976, and much of this is also to be found on this later album. But that style is/was good and engaging. This album is vocally interesting (if consistent) and varied, as well as instrumentally, with great riffs over engaging riddims. High points include "Wings of a Dove," the light-hearted "Rub-a-Dub Style," while also "Marcus" and "Why Worry About Them" are good. Other songs are at least catchy, and the Nyahbingi drum-influenced "Marriage in Canaan" is also nice, and the somewhat strange "English Fireplace," differs from the main typical Culture sound, but is not that bad. Consistent, thus good, and often great. All songs composed, arranged, and produced by the late Joseph Hill. A truly great artist, with an own, unique style of roots reggae, has left us.

- Michel Conci

Obeah Peace & Love (Exworks, 1999 [orig. released 1986])

Obeah Peace & Love is actually a re-packaging of 1986's Culture in Culture with inexplicably hideous day-glo cover art.  The album was a comeback of sorts, the group having taken a break for five years before its release.  By the time they returned, the reggae environment had been revolutionized by the advent of digital riddims, and Culture surprisingly rolls with the punches here, adding their take on the riddim that started the digi-craze -- King Jammy's Sleng Teng -- with "Capture Rasta."  There's even a pre-digital dancehall vibe on "Peace and Love," which features the refrain, "Peace and love inna di dancehall, peace and love."  No need for fans of the trio's traditional roots sound to panic, though; most of the album is still rootsy, and the dancehall elements blend in as well as one could hope.  "Capture Rasta" is actually a decent stab at dancehall that's tempered by the roots harmony, while "Soon Come" has an ominous synth sound that promises a mission to South Africa, "Praise Him" is a glorious, horn-fed exaltation, and "Five to One" and "This Way" showcase the interplay between the group's morose vocals and the bubbly production.  On "Old Tattoo," however, they come alive, matching the piercing horns with stunning vocal intensity and beauty.  "Old Tattoo" aside, I don't know if anything here would rank amongst Culture's best songs, but apart from the generic "Pure War" and "Mr. Music," Obeah Peace & Love is the embodiment of the group: solid, stable, reliable.

Humble African (VP, 2000)

*GUEST REVIEW*
Culture's 2000 album Humble African is mainly live band roots as many would expect. Not every artist in Jamaica (luckily?) went (totally) digital or "riddim recycle" since the 1990s.Culture in this case mainly consists of Joseph Hill as on other albums, writing (albeit together with others) almost all songs and providing the lead vocals and most background-vocals, and occasional percussion. Co-writers of songs and music include promising names, such as Coxsone Dodd, Gregory Isaacs, and others, and musicians include Sly and Robbie, and Dwight Pinkney. This promises a great album, and in my opinion it largely fulfills this promise. It is a great album. Of course this is subjective as you have to, so to speak, like the style of the artist, in this case Joseph Hill/Culture. "Humble African" is partly in the same vein as other, newer Culture albums from the late 1990s, such as One Stone and Pay Day. The distinctive Culture style is there: Hill's froggy voice, '(Jamaican) country-style' call-and-response, and Hill's "musical talking" in between and around the song melody. The sound is on the other hand somewhat more modern and "fuller" than on other albums, with a less prominent, but still crucial, bass. In addition, it has faster melodies and rhythms than on e.g. One Stone. It is a great album because most songs have interesting, and groovy music, combined with strong, often catchy melodies, and well-sung by Hill. The music is modern roots with some dancehall elements or "feels" on some songs, such as in the song with Tony Rebel, "Poor People Hungry." Great songs are also "Revolution," "Poverty," and "Weeping," as most songs are at least quite good, although the full and busy and somewhat faster sound might require some adjustment from the fans. The duet with Marcia Griffiths, "Where Is the Love?," the reflective "Humble African," and the song with Morgan Heritage, "Home Grown," are examples of beautiful, slower songs. "Fishes to Fry" has some elements that sound like pop (what?), but is actually quite catchy. All the songs together combine to make an album that is maybe more varying than other Culture albums (partly also because of the duets/combinations), but with consistency in quality.

- Michel Conci

International Herb (Virgin, 2001 [orig. released 1979])

Usually, I have to listen to a Culture album quite a few times before I get into it, but not so with International Herb...I never got into it!  Now, this is considered by many to be one of their better albums, so if you're a fan, I advise you to judge for yourself.  But, if you've not yet converted to the Culture camp, you might want to check out another album (maybe Cumbolo or Harder Than the Rest) before this one.  I found the material on International Herb to be dull and duller, even for this uber-no frills group.  Only a few tracks -- notably "Land We Belong," "I Tried," and "It a Guh Dread" -- rose any emotion in me whatsoever.  The rest, though not bad, is run-of-the-mill stuff that, while keeping with Culture's sound, falls below the level that a group of this stature should perform.

World Peace (Heartbeat, 2003)

It’s amazing to think that World Peace, Culture's 30th album, is the first studio album originally released on the Heartbeat label (of course, there have been several albums re-released on the label). These two reggae institutions -- Culture and Heartbeat -- team up for an effort that should please hungry fans of the group’s organic roots sound. Luckily for those fans, Joseph Hill (who essentially is Culture, although they are technically still a vocal trio -- when’s the last time you saw the other two on an album cover?) overcame thoughts of retirement, returning with a renewed vigor that permeates the music. World Peace is one of the more lively sets I’ve heard from the group. Even when discussing heavy topics as on the title track, there’s a sprightliness to both the music (particularly on the horns here) and the vocals. Especially intriguing are the dancehall bass line-propelled "Dog a Go Nyam Dog" and the downright peppy, pop-tinged sound of "No Segregation," which represent Culture at a level of energy and emotion that I had yet to experience from this normally somber-toned group. These two tracks also happen to be the only songs on this album featuring a discernibly modern edge; the rest, amazingly, sound as if they had been recorded in the roots reggae heyday of the 1970s. This throwback sound should please roots fans in general and Culture fans in particular. Indeed, despite the relatively upbeat tone of the album overall, it still remains true to Culture’s vintage, rustic, righteous harmony trio sound. Hill croaky vocals are as distinctive as ever as he croons in a spiritual call-and-response style, several tracks adhering to a basic hymn-like structure and sound ("Babylon Falling," "Holy Mount Zion," "Coming Down," "Walk in Jah Light"). While this sound might be a bit dry in the wrong hands, Culture generally pulled it off here without losing my interest or becoming mundane. While I’m not the biggest Culture fan in the world, World Peace strikes me as being at least as solid as the group’s revered classics Two Sevens Clash and International Herb, with tunes like "Time Is Getting Harder," "World Peace," and the rock steady "Selection Train" in particular heralding the fact that Culture is here to stay.

Culture & the Deejay's at Joe Gibbs 1977-79 (VP, 2008)

Culture & the Deejay's is one of the inaugural entries on VP Records' 17 North Parade imprint, which shifts the focus away from VP's normal modern stable of artists and onto rereleases of classic reggae from the vaults. This set features disco mixes (normal vocal rendition + DJ version) of tunes that Culture recorded for producer Joe Gibbs in the late '70s. It's intriguing to hear Culture tunes -- typically somber and righteous -- given the DJ treatment by typically party-minded toasters (Prince Far I excluded). The dichotomy is nice, even if the transitions between the songs is occasionally choppy -- "Prophesy Reveal" in particular is noticeably muddier in sound than "Two Sevens Clash." Most of the tracks come from three albums: Two Sevens Clash, Baldhead Bridge and Cumbolo ("Disco Train" being the disco mix of "This Train"). "Zion Gate" is a fun, righteous take on John Holt's classic "My Satisfaction" with an energetic toast from Prince Mohammed. "I'm Not Ashamed" is the highlight, though, its infectious chorus providing melodic ballast to I-Roy's echoing DJ version. Nicodemus also performs admirably on "Disco Train," and Clint Eastwood is engaging on "Send Some Rain." Not all of the DJs represents as strongly, however. Shorty The President's take on "See Them a Come" is pretty dull and repetitive. Bo Jangles' "Selassie I Cup" is an inventive impression a horse race between Dreadlocks, Babylon, Soul Youth, Baldhead, Pope Pious and Rome, but it wears thing quickly as you realize that it's really just a horse race call with no rhythm or cadence whatsoever. Prince Far I is OK on "The Same Knife," but "Burning All Illusion" is one of the lesser tracks, so he has less to work with. Ditto for "Baldhead Bridge," whose adaptation of "London Bridge Is Fallling Down" fizzles. All in all, Culture & the Deejay's is likely a treat for hardcore Culture fans, but there are better albums of the group's work, and the DJ versions don't fully make up for its shortcomnigs.