BARRINGTON LEVY Schallplatten & CDs

Review: A classic 7" by reggae and dancehall legend Barrington Levy returns to the equally legendary Jan Life label. Levy rose to fame in the early 1980s, but it wasn't until much later that Jah Life (founded by Hyman Wright and Percy Chin) clocked onto his talents and funnelled him into their roster. 'Black Roses' is backed up by the infamous 'Rose Dub', and both tracks romantically ruminate no the presence of a symbolically shadowy rose - "something special... got to water it!" - growing in Levy's garden.

Review: Barrington Levy's 1984 7" single 'Murderer' is easily one of the most popular and identifiable tracks in the dancehall genre, laying fresh groundwork for a sound still widely enjoyed today. Produced by Hyman Wright and Percy Chin, originally for Jah Life (and reissued for the same label), the song's infectiously gruff intonation represents the epidemic of violence and crime in Jamaica, and Levy's plea for peace and justice. The flip, of course, has the dub version on it too.

Review: The man known as the 'mellow canary' is Barrington Levy, a legendary Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist who was born in Geel, Belgium. This one is a stonier cold classic of his from 1980 that gets a welcome reissue here. 'Black Heart Man' has lively drums and wooden hits, twisted guitar riffs and noodling bass with Barry's lovely versos up top. On the flip is a fine dub from Roots Radics that takes the tune into psyched and dubbed out Scientist territory. It was produced by Henry 'Junjo' Lawes and recorded at Channel One.

Review: Jai Life digs into their archives for this latest 12" and offers up a pair of killer disco mixes. First up is a tune that deserves the title of being one of the most overlooked gems in the label's catalogue - it has been little known ever since the first time it was released in the early '80s. Terrie from the Nairobi Sisters sings on 'Left With a Broken Heart' which melts into a killer dub-wise groove with fine melodica. On the flip is one of Barrington Lvi's best tunes, 'Black Man Heart', with a killer dub from Scientist remix next to the disco-tinged original.