Sounds & Pressure Volume 4 (Pressure Sounds, 1999)

I enjoyed this short but extremely sweet collection of '60s rock steady and '70s and early '80s roots right off the bat.  Brimming with strong melodies, innovative music, and emotional vocals, Sounds & Pressure Volume 4 packages together tunes that may not be as well-known as others, but which are just as classic in their own right.   The best song here in my mind is Derrick Harriott's "Slave."  At once both folksy and funky, this bouncing track manages the rare feat of not having the stereotypical reggae sound.  Just about as great are the simple, subtle, emotional rootsy melodies of Lloyd Parks' "Mafia," Mike Brooks' anti-alcoholism "Rum Drinker," and Earl Sixteen's ahead-of-his-time tribute to "Malcolm X" (a tune covered by Dennis Brown on his Visions album).  Each of these tracks also has a very nice dub version included, which can't always be said of dubs of good songs (A solid dub without the original here is "Dances Are Changing," which utilizes the classic General rhythm that is a staple of modern dancehall.).  A couple of rock steady cuts are quite strong also: The Uniques' "Out of Love" (featuring the legendary Slim Smith) and the gospel-esque "Zion" by The Flames.  Awesome stuff from an overlooked series; this one is worth searching for.