Sons of Slaves (Trojan, 2005)

Junior Delgado is perhaps the most versatile artist in reggae history.  As the posthumous compilation Sons of Slaves shows, he has been a Peter Tosh-like rock steady singer ("Africa We Are Going Home"), a playful classic U-Roy-like toaster ("Run Bald Head"), a somber Prince Far I-like "talking" toaster ("Twenty-Third Psalm"), a dancehall singer ("Song of Love"), a roots singer ("Sons of Slaves"), a sing-jay ("Devil's Throne"), and even a Sugar Minott-like lovers rock crooner ("Mr. Fix It," which Minott has also covered).  It's this chameleon-like diversity that may have prevented Delgado from becoming more popular than he was; you may hear one of his songs and not realize who the performer is.  The best-known of his styles is that of the raspy-voiced singer (bordering on sing-jay) who propelled two of his most notable hits, "Fort Augustus" and the title track to Sons of Slaves (the former not included here presumably because it isn't part of Trojan's seemingly limitless vault; the latter was featured on the excellent Lee Perry Trojan compilation Open the Gate).  He could be described as a bit like Prince Far I if Prince Far I could sing.  The first half of this compilation, recorded between 1975 and 1979, is certainly the edgier portion, as tracks 10 through 20 come from 1988, when Delgado had settled into a more conventional lovers and light roots sound (best represented by "Born to Be Wild").  Thus, the album is quite top-heavy, driven by powerhouse '70s numbers like "African We Are Going Home," "The Raiders," the title track, "Tition," and "Jah Jah Say" (the latter two riding the same rhythm), but as uneven as it is, Sons of Slaves is a nice tribute to the raw strength of the late Junior Delgado.