Ethiopian Kings: 1975-80 (Patate, 2000)

Although you may think you've never heard Rod Taylor, you may have -- on albums like Freedom Sounds in Dub and Roots Tradition From the Vineyard -- without noticing, assuming he was Horace Andy.  Indeed, his airy vocals and musical style (relaxed, simple repeated melodies over deep, funky beats) is very reminiscent of Andy's, in both sound and quality.  Perhaps the major reason you know Andy more than Taylor is that Taylor voluntarily stopped making music for a good portion of the '80s and '90s.  Thankfully, the French label Patate was cognizant enough of his musical output in the '70s to put together this welcome "best of" compilation.  It goes without saying that Horace Andy fans should mess themselves (ewww...) listening to wicked tracks like "In the Right Way," "No One Can Tell I About Jah," "King David, Solomon, Moses" (AKA "Ethiopian Kings"), and 'His Imperial Majesty."   It's like discovering a batch of unreleased Horace Andy material!  (Of course, these songs were previously released, but they were hard to find.)  With production by the likes of Bertram Brown, Prince Far I, Mikey Dread, and Ossie Hibbert, and musical backing by Soul Syndicate, Roots Radics, and the Revolutionaries, the quality here is beyond reproach, although the best stuff is bundled in the first 10 tracks (the latter 4 tail off a bit).  Interesting note: Taylor began his career in the group The Aliens, alongside Barry Brown, who has a similar voice and style.