Only Love Can Conquer: 1976-1979 (Blood & Fire, 1996)

If Blood & Fire does nothing else (of course, they already have done more, but just play along and stop causing problems) than release this album, they would already have done their part.  Exposing the world to the overlooked (and under-recorded) talent of Prince Alla is truly an achievement.  I don't think you can classify any of his songs as "hits," but this collection gathers some quality stuff.  Frankly, I don't know why he wasn't more popular, because he strikes a great balance between cultural-ness and catchiness.  The music here is performed by the wonderful Soul Syndicate, but the rhythms are fairly subdued, allowing Alla's superb songwriting skills to take the spotlight.  The melodies that he crafts are alternately sweet 'n dreamy (see "Only Love Can Conquer," "Then Never Love," and "Mama No Fight") and rocking 'n righteous ("City Without Pity," "Their Reward," and "Stone"), but almost all feature an inescapable simple hook that will pull you in.  Perhaps the most catchy is "Bucket Bottom," its scatting falsetto "doo-be-doo" chorus (about as bouncy and upbeat as Errol Dunkley's "OK Fred") somewhat happier (for better or worse) than the other tracks on Only Love Can Conquer.  As displayed here, Prince Alla's writing talents rival greats like John Holt and Leroy Sibbles, but of course, he wasn't nearly as prolific as they were.  His emotional vocals -- at times a bit like a huskier Horace Andy or Linval Thompson, at times a bit like neither -- provide solid support as well, although they are not terribly distinctive.  I don't know if it's the sound of the material, the quality of the songwriting, or the mere briefness of his career, but listening to Only Love Can Conquer made me think of the similarly talented yet overlooked Fred Locks.  Fans of either artist should check out the other, and fans of roots reggae should check out both.