Originally issued on LP in 1981, this is a long-overlooked classic of late roots reggae featuring a very good singer backed by one of the best studio bands of all time -- the mighty -- and mixed by the young dubmaster at s studio. Like many of his colleagues, had vocal skill that far outstripped his lyrical originality; even in a genre with a high tolerance for cliche, songs like and come across on this album as unusually hackneyed. But the heavyweight rhythm section of drummer and bassist give the songs all the ballast they need, and in a couple of cases (notably ), makes the wise choice of dropping 's vocal out early on in the song and filling the remaining space with expert dubwise effects. But on most tracks the balance between vocal quality, lyrical invention, and elephantine beats is perfect. Highlights include the brilliant (and chart-topping, at the time) the incisive (which features one of the album's wickedest basslines) and the equally fine The four 12" remixes that fill out the end of the program are a very nice bonus, though it's too bad the songs' dubwise extensions don't include any scraps of vocal. ~ Rick Anderson