KEN BOOTHE Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Let's Get It On was the seventh album from reggae pioneer Ken Boothe, and it was produced by Lloyd Charmers and released by Trojan Records in 1974. This classic album gets a deserving and limited, numbered, 180-gram pressing on orange vinyl that perfectly showcases Boothe's signature style. The album features notable tracks such as Syl Johnson's well-known cover of 'Is It Because I'm Black' and the iconic 'Let's Get It On' which was originally by Marvin Gaye. Boothe's smooth vocals and the album's rich instrumentation make this a superb listen and a great reminder of Boothe's influences on the genre.

Review: Black, Gold & Green was the first of three albums Ken Boothe recorded with producer Lloyd Charmers, who did fine job of elevating his Memphis-via-Kingston sound. Featuring some of Boothe's finest soul vocals, standout tracks include 'Out of Love,' 'Missing You,' and the gritty 'Second Chance' which offers up a vocal style reminiscent of the one and only dock man, Otis Redding. Rooted in powerful religious and social messages, the album carries a deep political undertone throughout. Quite notably, it also features a superb cover of Bill Withers' lovely 'Ain't No Sunshine' as part of an album that marked a significant evolution in Boothe's fusion of Jamaican soul and reggae.

Review: Ken Boothe was the featured vocalist on the Inna Da Yard album The Soul of Jamaica back in 2017. Despite begin a relatively new record, it has all the authenticity and sonic hallmarks of a long-lost 70s classic. Now the best tunes from the album are pressed up to its own 7" by Reload. 'Let The Teardrops Fall' opens with a vocal doused in reverb and some shiny metal synth lines with a hypnotic harmonica taking the lead. 'Let It Go Dub' then gets all stoned and laidback with bottomless dub depths sinking you in deep.

Review: Jamaican vocal legend Ken Boothe teams up with British bassist Jah Wobble for a rich, dub-inflected reimagining of soul and pop classics. This cross-generational collaboration brings warmth and grit to well-worn favourites, with Boothe's honeyed voice rising gracefully above Wobble's cavernous basslines and spiralling effects. Their version of 'Everything I Own' is mournful yet punchy, while 'Ain't No Sunshine' is transformed into a meditative, slow-swaying lament. Elsewhere, 'Just My Imagination' floats through layers of reverb and echo, nodding to the roots of dub while leaning into lush, widescreen textures. Wobble's history in post-punk and experimental music adds weight to the arrangements without ever crowding Boothe's vocal clarity. The result is a tender and atmospheric project that blurs genre boundaries, reconnecting classic songwriting with sound system sonics. A project that feels reverent yet exploratory, it's a testament to both artists' ability to evolve while staying true to their foundations.