Reggae's Greatest Hits Volume 4 (Heartbeat, 1995)
A very entertaining collection of mid-'70s reggae produced by Joseph "JoJo"
Hookim between 1973 and 1977 (and originally released in 1991 as Hit Bound:
The Revolutionary Sound of Channel One), Volume 4 is one of the most enjoyable installments of
the Reggae's Greatest Hits series. Versions of "Stoned out of My
Mind" by the Mighty Diamonds and "Queen Majesty" by
the Jays and Ranking
Trevor stand out, but the song I completely fell for is Earth and
Stone's "Jah Will
Cut You Down" (AKA "Jailhouse Set Me Free"), which features irresistibly
funky, slightly off-beat, rhythmic rimshots -- a feature noticeable in several of Hookim's
productions here. Rounding out this collection are Junior Byles' "Fade Away,"
Ernest Wilson's funky falsetto-ed "I Know Myself," Leroy's
Smart's
"Jahovah," Sly Dunbar's catchy "A Who Say," and a decent remake of
Bob Marley's "Sun Is Shining" by Black Uhuru. The underrated Hookim provides
some pure gold here, as three words describe this volume: funky, funky, funky. |
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