Kool Roots (Pressure Sounds, 1996 [orig. released 1978])

It's hard to see why a talented group like Earth & Stone never achieved the level of success and notoriety that they deserved.  Unique in the fact that they were a harmony duo (instead of a trio) who interchanged between lead and harmony vocals, Albert Bailey and Clifton Howell make their mark on the listener with heartfelt singing and well-crafted roots melodies.  In this collection of tunes recorded at Channel One Studio for JoJo Hookim between 1973 and 1978, Earth & Stone display the range of their wonderful, emotive vocals, crooning militant tunes like "False Ruler" intermingled with dreamy, hopeful numbers like the "Satta Amassagana"-like "Holy Land of Home," alongside sorrowful tracks like the all-time classic "Jail House Set Me Free" (AKA "Jah Will Cut You Down," featured on Reggae's Greatest Hits Volume 4) and love songs like "That's the Way You Feel."  Dub versions of all 10 tracks are included, and while they are solid, they aren't particularly necessary; the vocals are what make Earth and Stone stand out.  Although, as the liner notes of Kool Roots state, little is known about Earth & Stone and what happened to them after 1978, fans of more legendary roots harmony groups of the '70s like The Mighty Diamonds, The Wailing Souls, and The Abyssinians should certainly check this album out.