Producer
Keith Hudson
notched up his first hit in 1968 with
Ken Boothe
's
"Old Fashioned Way."
Many more followed in its wake, excellent vocal numbers, sizzling DJ cuts, and extraordinary instrumentals all found favor with the public. What were receiving less notice, however, were
Hudson
's own self-productions, and in 1974, the singing producer decided to shift his attention from producing others to producing himself. Relocating to London,
set to work recording; the result later that year was the
Flesh of My Skin Blood of My Blood
album. It proved particularly popular in the London sound systems, as did the following year's
Torch of Freedom
, resulting in his signing to the
Virgin
label, suggesting they hadn't listened closely to either set. Although
Flesh of My Skin
is an extraordinary album, even at its most accessible, it's filled with slight quirks that preclude any hope of mass market success. The lavish
"Treasures of the World,"
sweet
lover's rock
with notable crossover appeal, is a prime example; its lushness and sweeping melody foiled by a slightly too-insistent-for-its-time
reggae
rhythm and pattering hand drums. The even more extravagant
"No Friend of Mine"
could have been a chart-topping ballad in other hands, but is similarly undone by the percussion, disconnected synth, downbeat lyrics, and
's own vocal limitations. Those numbers at least showed potential, but his cover of
"I Shall Be Released"
sounds like a bad night at a
karaoke
bar. So much for
's forays into the
pop
world. In reality what was stirring up the
scene were his brilliant excursions into roots realms never before explored. The artist first planted his flag in this new territory with his inspired, smoldering, 1971 single
"Darkest Night on a Wet Looking Road,"
which slides from dread roots straight into
Delta blues
.
included the single, under a truncated title on this set, while the stunning then-new instrumental
"Hunting"
delves even deeper into the sounds of the Deep South, brilliantly weaving
blues
together with dread roots,
nyahbinghi
rhythms, and even a touch of
funk
"Talk Some Sense (Gamma Ray)"
and the instrumental
"My Nocturne"
are further fabulous forays into the
, ones that would finally reach an apotheosis on
's 1978
Rasta Communication
album.
The title tracks, spread across a vocal cut and an accompanying instrumental version, beautifully intertwines
R&B
,
, and
roots reggae
"Stabilizer"
meanders across even more genres, blurring the lines between
C&W
, across an inspired version of
's own 1972 single
"True True True to My Heart."
For
"Stabilizer,"
and his backing group
the Soul Syndicate Band
deftly connect the dots between genres, while
"Testing of My Faith"
erases them, cleverly twinning
with
. The song is faintly reminiscent of the theme to
"Midnight Cowboy,"
assuming
Jon Voight
disembarked not in the Big Apple, but Trench Town. In which case,
"Fight Your Revolution"
sends
"Shaft"
era
Isaac Hayes
on a Greyhound bus to Memphis. The music on this set is so astounding that it's easy to lose sight of the bigger picture of
's dramatic lyrical themes and the album's overarching concept of the black experience and history. On
"Faith,"
he pleads to "be just like any other man," but if his prayer was granted, the world would have lost one of its most unique artists even sooner. ~ Jo-Ann Greene