V/A – Studio One: Rub-a-Dub (Soul-Jazz, 2007)
(This originally appeared in the Spring ‘07 issue of Skyscraper)
The songs that make up this album, when originally released, contributed to Jamaicans creating rap. There wasn’t a funky jazz band backing up any of these singers. And the concept of “band” is rather removed from the precedings on this slab. But the record industry in Jamaica, after rock-steady hit, spawned versions or dubs. Each one of these versions would be used repeatedly, by different singers, to different effect. Production became increasingly important, so most of these tracks are either a band playing an old composition or an instrumental record, augmented with other worldly noises and a vocalist chanting or singing atop of it. Every reggae compilation is generally split into well known names and the folks who only released a few singles and never a proper album. Len Allen Jnr., who falls into the later category, here is the standout with “White Belly Rat”. The Coxsone Dodd produced track sounds more as if it was birthed by Lee Perry, but the startling, ghostly vocals are unlike anything else on this release. The Horace Andy track, “Happiness”, is a pleasant contribution. But seeing as there’s nary a misstep on Studio-One comps, the inclusion of only one middle-of-the-road song is not surprising. This Soul-Jazz comp, regardless of how numerous they have become, serves to explicate a significant change in a music that would impact the globe.
