The Way to Mt. Zion (ROIR, 1995)

An often overlooked talent, Glen Brown did it all in the '70s; he was a singer, a producer, and a player of instruments.  All of the tracks on The Way to Mt. Zion were written and produced by Brown during the height of his career, 1969-76, and all showcase his marvelous abilities.  Though more known for his instrumentals, Brown flexes his emotional vocals on many of the songs here, the first being the title cut, it's imperial horns matching Brown's impassioned melody to create an Israel Vibration/Abyssinians-like powerhouse.  He gets innovative on "Why People Mumbling?" by throwing in a repeated "ha ha ha ha ha ha" vocal to funky, fun effect, while the more standard horn-driven "Clensiness Dub" (a dub of Sylford Walker's epic "Cleanliness Is Godliness") is no less effective.  "Molasses," "Sweet Sweet," and "Sounds of the time" meanwhile feature Brown on melodica with rich bass lines that could easily be used in today's dancehall.  "Lambsbread" and its dub, it should be noted, is not the Sylford Walker tune that Brown produced, but rather a smooth song that Brown sings on his own (which I actually prefer to Walker's).  While not every tune is stellar, The Way to Mt. Zion is a blueprint for the way roots should sound.