Studio One Roots: Vol. 3

Studio One Roots, Vol. 3
Reviewed by Sadie O., 12/18/07
Roots of Nyahbinghi, social consciousness and Rasta Reggae from the 70’s. The liner notes are worth a read – about how the Nyahbinghi drum descended from the Jamaican outcasts who had preserved something of African drumming as a deliberate revolutionary act. The 70’s saw a lot of violence and social strife in Jamaica, and there’s a lot of diatribe in these songs. Many great stars, some relative unknowns – everything is good to great in my book. No FCCs.
1. **simple swingy midtempo skank, rootsy and spirited.
2. **very pretty singing and harmonies, positive message.
3. ***somewhat uptempo nyahbinghi and very spirited young vocalists. Nice.
4. ***dubby, with echo-y vocals back in the mix, menacing Babylon.
5. **very simple skank with a fair amount of dub, Dillinger’s distinctive toasting, more menacing Babylon.
6. **sweet bubble with fine vocals by one of the great Reggae trios.
7. **midtempo instrumental skank with prominent bass, guitar and horns.
8. ***cool upbeat bubble with rich soulful vocals.
9. **very simple and folksy sounding pot-smoking song with sweet sax.
10. ***rather dramatic intro, then slightly downtempo skank with prominent nyahbinghi drums and horns. Chanted vocals – this was a very influential number way back in the day.
11. **jaunty riddim, sweet harmonies.
12. **midtempo easy rocker with lots of keyboards, lots of harmonies and fyah bun dem lyrics.
13. ***deep nyahbinghi roots instrumental, big drums and horns. Killer muted cornet solo.
14. ***downbeat dub with classic toast.
15. **downtempo bubble with sweet vocals.
16. **midtempo pretty bubble with really lovely high harmonies.
17. ***midtempo skank, kids singing, make love not war lyrics..
18. ***downtempo nyahbinghi, pretty sax, and strange but sweet vocals.