Mary McCreary: Soothe Me and Singing The Blues (Reggae)

From: Jezebel [Shelter, 1974]

Some outstanding seventies soul singer action for you today with a couple of tracks from Mary McCreary’s second solo album, the 1974 release, Jezebel. As far as pedigrees go, McCreary has it in spades. Starting at the extremely tender age of 10, McCreary’s vocal talents were featured on the 1961 album Through Children’s Eye’s and by her early teens she was recording songs with the Heavenly Tones. By the end of the sixties and still only in her teens Mary was part of the Sly Stone produced Little Sister whose couple of outstanding seven inch recordings are an absolute must have for anyone who’s a fan of the late sixties spaced out drum machine sound (at least one of them is featured on the incredible What It Is! compilation).

All the above meant that, going solo around the age of twenty, McCreary already had more industry experience than most artists twice her age and put it to good use with a couple of great slices of soulful funk on the eclectic Shelter label. It’s also wroth noting that McCreary wrote and played piano onthe album which, considering the various styles on offer, is no mean feat in itself. Sadly, unlike her first album Butterflies In Heaven, Jezebel doesn’t have the midas touch of D.J. Rogers in the production booth but there’s enough fire in Mary’s vocals and arrangements to carry the album home.

Soothe Me is just, pure and simple, an outstanding example of how to build a track. Starting with an acoustic guitar riff, Mary comes in over nothing more than a piano line and strings and you’re just hoping, praying, that the song doesn’t fall apart when the epic build up finally kicks into overdrive. Strings, a distorted bass, piano and McCreary’s voice all create a whirling vortex of sonic emotion as José Feliciano joins into the mix creating something not unlike a long lost Wonder song from the period (Seriously, I can’t compliment a song much more than that). Throw in a choir for the final part of the song and we have an absolutely stunning final product. Epic, epic, epic.

I was going to post up another funky cut from the album but I’ve always had a major soft spot for the slightly random reggae version of Singing The Blues that starts the album off and, what with it definitely being Spring now, this seemed more appropriate. Somewhat of a unexpected addition to the McCreary catalogue, it works far better than I would have ever expected it to as Mary floats over the backing track, her voice overlaid with a slightly alternate take to create a burst of sunshine that never really goes anywhere as such but is such a pleasant journey you don’t really care about the destination.

Extra bit of good news, Mary is still recording today under the name Mary Rand and is due to release a new album shortly, you can find out more at her MySpace.

Talen (featuring Sizzla): The Vibes-A Sizzla Tale
From: Kingston Book [Mouthwatering Records, 2009]

After the positive Fela! experience, I’m trying to not ignore promo emails so much. I’m glad; otherwise I would have missed out on this fine jam – a wonderfully successful collaboration between Winterthur, Switzerland based production/DJ crew Talen Bass System and Dancehall legends Sizzla and Cutty Ranks.

When I read “Switzerland” and “Sizzla” in the same sentence, my curiosity was peaked. I know absolutely nothing about the Swiss music scene so exploring the mp3 links seemed like a good learning opportunity. Indeed. The Vibes-A Sizzla Tale is quite literally a “tale”. Sizzla uses his time on the mic to do some story telling, and, it’s a good read- a sort of Reggae how-to coming-up success story all boiling down to… don’t fight the vibes. And, Talen do well providing some deep undeniable vibes. Massive kick, plenty of deep (almost acid’y) synth, and a rocking bass line. I think Talen themselves nail it when they describe their tune:

A mighty, yet playful, beat… Rock’n'Roll in a Dancehall costume, or rather vice-versa? Doesn’t matter – as long as the vibe is right.

Main Source: Just Hangin’ Out
From: Breaking Atoms [Capitol, 1991]

Gwen McCrae: 90% of Me Is You
From: Rockin’ Chair [Cat, 1975]

Sister Nancy: Bam Bam
From: One, Two [Techniques, 1982]

Skull Snaps: I Turn My Back On Love
From: Skull Snaps [GSF, 1973]

Ike and Tina Turner: Bold Soul Sister
From: Hunter [Blue Thumb, 1969]

Mike Bloomfield/Al Kooper/Steven Stills: Season of the Witch
From: Super Session [Columbia, 1968]

While the blistering sun is warming the asphalt in Portland today, I thought I would take the opportunity to bless your ears with a sample breakdown from Main Source’s Breaking Atoms.

This record first dropped in the summer of 1991, right about the time when real hip-hop was being replaced by braggadocio and bling. The rhyming and production skills on this record are practically unparalleled in the history of hip-hop, with the dense, layered production enhancing the creative rhymes of Producer/MC Large Professor. Main Source went on to make one last attempt at stardom with the ill-fated Fuck What You Think in 1994, but Breaking Atoms is the one that sticks in my mind as a true classic.

The opening drum break is skillfully lifted from the 1:44 mark of Skull Snaps’ gritty “I Turn My Back on Love”. Shortly after this intro break, the main groove of the track is spliced from the seven second mark of Gwen McCrae’s soulful “90 % of Me Is You.” While the groove is flowing, the laid-back horns taken from the three second mark of Sister Nancy’s “Bam Bam” create a relaxing vibe that is perfect for summer evenings. At around the 1:21 mark of “Just Hangin Out”, a playful vocal part from the thirty-nine second mark of “Bam Bam” acts as a bridge from the main groove. Ike and Tina Turner’s “Bold Soul Sister” and Mike Bloomfield’s “Season of the Witch were also sampled on this track, but I can’t for the life of me figure out which parts of these songs were sampled. If any of you crate-diggers and vinyl enthusiasts have any thoughts about where these samples came from, please enlighten me.

This concludes the Anatomy of a Sample for Main Source’s “Just Hangin Out”. I hope you guys have enjoyed this episode, and I would love to hear about the summer joints you were bumpin’ in 1991.

Eric Donaldson: Second Time and Look What You’ve Done
From: Kent Village [Dynamic Records, 1978]

Hi gang, sorry I’ve been away for a minute. Miss me at all? No? Oh well.

Refusing to take the lack of love to heart I’m bestowing an almighty album on you today, Eric Donaldson’s 1978 release Kent Village. Even if you’re not a massive fan of the reggae sound the name Eric Donaldson may ring a distant bell in the belfry of your mind as he was the mastermind behind the original Cherry Oh Baby back in 1971 covered by both The Stones and, um, UB40.

I’m always first to get in there and admit that my knowledge of reggae is vague at best but I still think I can spot a damn fine album when I hear one and Kent Village fits the bill. A mixture of roots and soul the album is consistently brilliant throughout its running time.

Second Time is one of those mini epics I’m so fond off. What first caught my ear with this track was the absolutely gorgeous production, the various elements skipping in and out of the sound all judged to perfection. Check out the organ that pops up in the chorus, the changes in drumming pattern and scattered horns. Fantastic song.

Look What You’ve Done is more roots reggae and is equally brilliant. Starting as a incredibly catchy track with a great little bass warp in the chorus it manages to incorporate it’s own dub version within the playing time all in less than five minutes.

Sadly there doesn’t seem to be a cheap reissue of this out there but the good news is that if you keep your eye on ebay it can turn up on there for a reasonably cheap as chips price pretty regularly….

Wayne Wade: Run Come Rally and Man Of The Living
From: Black Is Our Colour [Prophet, 1976]

Some deep and soulful reggae in the house today with Wayne Wade’s debut release Black Is Our Colour. Produced by Yabby You, an artist who was also in the early stages of making a name for himself, the album showcased not only Wayne’s great vocals but also an impressively complex list of subject matters for a sixteen year old artist, rightly turning the Jamaican teenager into a star.

Run Come Rally is a perfect example of Wade’s roots style as his light as a feather vocals play with the dark tone of the song itself. This sombre tone is replicated in Yabby’s production which, though upbeat, is offset by minor keys, creating an underlying edge of unease.

Man Of The Living is the stand out track from the whole album for me. Once again Wade’s almost slightly ethereal vocals meshing beautifully with Yabby’s production as he makes a defiant stand. What I love about this album is the understated nature of the whole release, it’s only on repeated listens that you really get how much work is being done underneath the surface. Those mournful horns just kill me.

Apologies for the crackle and muffled sound – my copy of the LP is somewhat rinked to say the least. The good news is that the album has been reissued at a reasonable price so if you put your money down you can get a far sweeter copy than the one that’s rotating on my turntable.

Wade is still performing to this day and although I haven’t heard a lot of his more recent stuff I’d highly recommend checking out anything you find where he’s collaborating with Yabby You. Classic roots.

Derrick Morgan: Blazing Fire and Conquering Ruler
From: Seven Letters [Trojan, 1969]

The sunny days of May already seem like a distant memory as the rain continues to drizzle all over my expectations of a great British summer. Add to this that I seem to have contracted a particularly nasty case of Man flu and my mood isn’t the greatest. So, working from home with the rain lashing down outside and dosed up to the eyeballs with the best over the counter numbing pills money can buy, I naturally turn to music for release.

Having your music on random can sometimes be more of a pain than a pleasure when you’re constantly inundated with shite jazzfunk that you forgot you’d ever ripped or 5 million skits off a Cam’ron album but today the shuffle gods were smiling on me and blessed me with some Derrick Morgan which seemed like an excellent sign that I should share it with you.

Often seen as one of the pioneers of the reggae single, Morgan enjoyed considerable success in the sixties as he successfully rode the changes in the genre from harder ska to more soulful rocksteady and I’ve got two tracks from his 1969 Seven Letters album for your ears to enjoy today.

Now I’ll happily hold my hands up and confess that my knowledge of reggae is pretty much non-existent but, I know what I like, and that is Blazing Fire. This is not only a fantastic tune in it’s own right but also has the bonus that underneath its lilting uplifting melody it’s actually a barely veiled attack on Prince Buster who had a long running rivalry with Morgan. If only all beef records sounded this great.

Conquering Ruler is another uplifting slice of rocksteady with Morgan taking on all challengers, the skat style breakdown where Morgan laughs in tune to the track always cheers me up no end as well.

It seems like it’s another one where getting hold of the original album is a bitch but thankfully you can get a reasonably priced collection of all Morgan’s early work on the Moon Hop album listed above. Here’s hoping it brightens up your day wherever you are….

Ras Michael & The Sons of Negus: Int’l Year of the Child, Sip Your Cup, Jah Jah Power Shall Endure

From: Rally Round [1991, Shanachie]

I was going to post this before the holidays, but listening now, it’s not a bad way to start off the new year. The reggae/dub exploration continues: this time we veer slightly from the well-traveled road of One-Drop to Nyabinghi.

I picked this record up knowing absolutely nothing about Ras Michael; by the end of Side 2 I was a fan and off researching more about his history and the Nyabinghi music with which he appears be associated.

…Since the passing of Count Ossie, the influential master drummer whose troupe of musicians, drummers and dancers brought the living tradition of African music to generations of musicians and ordinary Jamaicans, Ras Michael has been the most important artist injecting roots traditions into popular music. By using both elemental voice-and-drum chants as well as innovative combinations electronic instruments, horns and drums, Ras Michael stands alone in reggae as a respected master of reggae rhythms… Randall Grass, ‘Rally Round’ liner notes

I’m in no way an expert on rhythms, but I am familiar enough to sense how the feel of the 3 songs posted here differ from other reggae I’ve soaked in. The prominent hand percussion in these songs creates a continuous, almost circular groove that seems to roll more than the popular accented 3rd beat bounce. The vocals differ a bit as well; leaning more towards orthodox Rasta praise chants rather than more secular pop lyrics. I find the overall sound quite uplifting.

Hope you enjoy.

Happy 2008; good health and music to all.

Jacob Miller: Baby I Love You So, Who Say Jah No Dread, Jah Dread
From: Who Say Jah No Dread [1992, Greensleeves]

Since my last dub post, I’ve expanded my record collection a bit and discovered this gem.

At just over 30min, Who Say Jah No Dread is a tight, well-crafted experience; 6 well constructed and beautifully performed songs each followed by its respective dub versions. The selections showcase highlights from the early 70’s collaborations between vocalist Jacob Miller (of Inner Circle) and producer Augustus Pablo. King Tubby completes the “triple threat” by mixing the dub versions.

A little research reveals this record to be a classic, and, it feels like a classic: subtle in its plentiful hooks and consistent in its quality. Well worth picking up. Politics, philosophy, and love melt together in one smooth ride.

Ranking Dread: Supa Star
From Lot’s of Loving [Tad's, 1980]

Marijuana Soul
From Girls Fiesta [Burning Sounds, 1978]

Per earfuzz reader request (yes, you guys can do that) I’m doing a post on reggae supa star Ranking Dread. Lot’s of Loving was the first album of his that I bought and it instantly became one of my favorite dancehall albums. At the time, Dread was doing vocal work for Sugar Minott’s Youthman Promotion sound, and they recorded this album under his production. Like the title would indicate, the LP is filled with feel good riddms and rhymes, the choice cut being “Supa Star.” Dread’s exceptional vocal ability is showcased on this one, mixed especially high which I think greatly intensify’s the album’s acoustics.

The other song I chose here was from an earlier album, “Girls Fiesta,” produced by Linval Thompson. Unlike the dancehall riddms of Lots of Loving Dread works with dub soundscapes, which naturally changes his delivery. It’s much more melodic and doesn’t have all the random buh-dah-bee-bum-bum-bum stuff, making it an entirely different listen. “Marijuana Soul” is a great cut, even if it is the most played out topic in reggae music.