Jimmy Cliff: Rebirth

Hard to believe that Jimmy Cliff is still around and still sounding great. He bridged the gap between “old school” reggae artists like Desmond Dekker and the later and iconic Bob Marley. In 1972 he starred in the reggae film classic The Harder They Come and since then has drifted in and out of the pop scene. This latest release finds Cliff in amazingly strong voice after all of these years, able to use vocal inflections they way a haute cuisine chef uses spices, throwing dashes here and there to keep the senses awake. The up-tempo and supercharged pieces like “One More” are accentuated with a thriving horn section, giving the music a sweaty vibe, while “Guns of Brixton” mix percussion and guitars in a dramatic mode. All throughout, Cliff sounds like a master of his art and genre, as if he invented the stuff. Hey, he did!!!!

www.umusic.com

Leave a Reply