VARIOUS ARTISTS
Jamaica to Toronto: Soul, Funk & Reggae 1967-1974
Light In The Attic
· Get down to the re-found sounds of Hogtown’s Jamaican splashdown.
Bless the record geeks and O.C. crate-diggers of the world. Without them, their 45-slingin’ DJ counterparts or labels like Stone’s Throw, Vampisoul and Soul Jazz, so many musical gems would be lost to time’s passage. Instead, regional hits that inexplicably failed to break out of their neighbourhood have regained their glory, garnered the widespread recognition they’re due and, in some cases, resurrected the careers of deserving artists.
Luckily, Canada has its own torch-bearers and Seattle’s Light In The Attic imprint have tapped Vancity DJ Sipreano’s wellspring of knowledge to serve up a sumptuous feast of rare riddim delights from Trenchtown by-way-of Hogtown. Lovingly compiled, thoroughly researched, heavily annotated and immaculately packaged, this impeccable selection spotlights the work of Jamaican ex-pats as they fed off each other, their homeland and their new environment to create a heady gumbo of good-gosh-almighty grooves and soul-stirrin’ sounds.
Cuts by Jo-Jo and the Fugitives and Eddie Spencer could go toe-to-toe with any Northern Soul stormer. Tracks from The Cougars and The Hitch-Hikers stand up strong to those Keb Dharge and his kind have dusted off, while Alton Ellis’ son Noel gets deeply rootical with the smoky stepper "Memories." Speakin’ of smokin’, contributions from more familiar names like Ram, Studio One’s Jackie Mittoo and Wayne McGhie (the search for whom was the impetus behind Sipreano’s labour of love) are flat-out barn-burners. Shell out for Jamaica to Toronto soon and sanctify the sound of your summer.
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