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The Best of Eddy Grant (Disky, 1996) Those Americans who remember Eddy Grant's '80s pop smash "Electric Avenue," may be surprised to learn that he actually plays reggae. Yes, if you call "Electric Avenue" reggae, you may as well label Maxi Priest's "Close to You" as such also. Although born in Guyana, Grant moved to England at age 12 and thus internalized a multiculturalism that found its way into his music, as he melded reggae with pop, rock, funk, African music, soca, and more. Though he would later emigrate to Barbados, his hybrid sound found much favor in England, spawning a string of hits in the late '70s, through the '80s, and into the '90s. While the crossover sound of many of the tunes from The Best of Eddy Grant -- like the Afro-pop of "Gimme Hope Jo'anna," the do-wop of "I Love You, Yes I Love You," the soca of "Say I Love You," and the straight pop of "Romancing the Stone" -- makes me dry heave, there's undeniable appeal to the '80s electro-funk edge that drives non-reggae tracks like "Electric Avenue" and "Walking on Sunshine" (later remade into a mild hit in the US by Rockers Revenge) and more reggae-fied cuts like "Living on the Frontline," "War Party" and "Do You Feel My Love." Thus, this album, like Grant's career, is a hit-or-miss affair that will likely not appeal to reggae purists. |
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Reparation (Ice, 2005)
Eddy Grant's willingness to experiment in other genres has earned him legions of fans worldwide, and his latest effort, Repatriation, shows a remarkable steadiness of sound and vision. In many ways, this album sounds like he could've recorded it in 1985 just as easily as 2005. While there's a healthy dose of non-reggae elements -- soca, pop, rock, gospel, electronica -- reggae purists should be pleased to find that about half of the album is pure reggae, highlighted by the roots of "Ringbang Man," "Going Back Deh," and "Concern Number One," the latter in particular harkening back to funky Grant classics like "War Party," "Can You Feel My Love," and "Living on the Frontline." And really, even the non-reggae tracks may prove surprisingly catchy. Admittedly, I'm generally not a fan of extensive genre splicing, but several of these tunes -- the bouncy pop of "Tit for Tat," the '80s throwback "The Struggle," and the sing-along ballad "Long Night" -- had my toes a-tappin'. After all, Grant still has one of the most powerful, engaging voices in reggae and can draw attention with just one note (Oy!). It's the reggae side, though, that really drives Reparation, as all of the one-drop tunes score big -- in particular the jumping ska of "(Gotta Be) Positive," "Free My Soul," a folksy gem that conjures memories of The Melodians' "Rivers of Babylon" or Bongo Herman's "Know Far I," and "Love Weself," a brutally introspective look at the struggles of Africans that has to be in the running for best song of the year. Granted, much of Reparation is pop and rock-inclined -- an acquired taste that might occasionally make hardcore reggae fans cringe (the kind of songs you hate to admit are catchy) -- but given a chance, these same fans may find themselves grooving to this album...in private.
| Track Listing 1. Concern Number One 2. Everything Irie 3. Everybody Rappin' 4. (Gotta Be) Positive 5. The Struggle 6. Reparation 7. Ringbang Man 8. Tit for Tat 9. Long Night 10. Going Back Deh 11. Love Weself 12. Free My Soul 13. Jesus Got a Face |
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