Serious Reasoning (Island, 1980)

This is roots by the numbers; it's almost as if Michael Prophet read a textbook on how to perform roots reggae.  As such, his output is solid but sterile and borderline dull.  The songs here are consistently sound, but also consistently underwhelming.  The music -- which seems to incorporate the same sounds in every song (a bass, a horn [as opposed to multiple horns], and African drums) -- the melodies, and the vocals (It may be more appropriate to say "vocal," since Prophet doesn't use much background singing here.) are all simple and understated, leading to a muted, peaceful sound that may or may not put you to sleep.  Producer Yabby U puts forth a no frills album all the way, which may be a good thing, since frills may mess things up, but they may also spice things up.  Still, though, nothing on Serious Reasoning is bad.  The consistent style and quality blends the tracks together into a true "album album," each song forming a part of the whole.  The only song that truly stands out from the rest is "Fight to the Top" (written by The Heptones' Leroy Sibbles), Prophet's first hit, with "The Gates of Zion," "Love & Unity," "Hear I Prayer," "Warn Them," and "Conscious Man" all being decent.  Though highly acclaimed, this album strikes me as more suitable as background music, since little is striking enough to dominate the foreground.