| Under
the slogan "Roots Revival, Dancehall
Survival", UK based Record Label SMUGG
RECORDS releases quite some interesting
material from respected artists such as
Willy Williams and Horace Andy. The latter
is prominently present on one of their
latest releases, a rubadub/dancehall
compilation called Triple Dons 1. Triple
Dons? Yes I! This album contains 18 great
tracks from Frankie Paul, Johnny Osbourne
and Horace Andy. They are "dons"
all right! And the ones who have been
selecting tunes for this compilation are
also dons. What to say about Bunny Lee? This
is a legendary producer who has released
many hard rocking tunes over the years. He
was involved! Over one hour of highly
danceable material which will be enjoyed to
the fullness when the volume is set on max.
You'll find a lot tunes from the early days
of digital dancehall, but this material will
proof to be interesting at least for the
"analogue puritans" too.
Listen to the mighty, mighty Frankie Paul
as he makes a heartical plea to stop the
war, for example. Feel Horace Andy singing
about love and relationships, a major theme
in Dance Hall music, as only he can do it.
Experience Johnny Osbourne's Juggling, as
his soulful voice rides a highly danceable
digital rhythm.
Most of the tracks on the album come from
the days when the drum computer entered the
Jamaican Studio's. There was a lot of
protest about it, then. But listening back,
you can hear a lot of creativity in the
programmed drums. Digitality was a novelty
in that days, and novelties can work
inspiring. I believe that this creativity is
caught on Triple Dons 1.
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