FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1998 All Rights Reserved.
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| CD REVIEW HORACE ANDY · Renowned for his beautiful falsetto, his recording with Massive Attack on their last two releases has sparked more interest in his past work. · All tracks are from the '70s, when Horace was in his finest form. Horace Andy was one of the best reggae vocalists during its fertile period of the mid-to-late 1970s, famous for a falsetto voice that could move the heart of the rudest rude boy. His 1977 album In The Light and its companion dub piece (re-released on the rock solid Blood & Fire label) are high watermarks not only of his career, but of the entire reggae and dub genre. Music Club has assembled a fairly good collection of material from this period. Starting off with his trademark track "Skylarking," we're treated to some of the better songs that this mournful voice has sung including "You Are My Angel," "Money Money," "Collie Weed" and covers of "Natural Mystic" and R&B standard "Ain't No Sunshine." As usual with Horace, tracks are evenly split between syrupy sweet love songs and the reflections of a righteous Rastafarian. The compilation leaves a bit to be desired, as some of the best of Horace's work isn't included. For tracks like "Spy Glass," which Massive Attack covered on their album Protection, and the heavy dub-wise tunes that shake your soul as much as the shit on your shelves, you should pick up Skylarking, the Horace Andy compilation on Massive Attack's Melankolic label. If you already have that, however, and are a die-hard fan of either dub or reggae, then this will make a worthwhile contribution to your collection. 3/5 |
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