As I’ve written previously, Burning Spear are among the roots reggae greats. The spiritual, righteous classic 1975 LP, Marcus Garvey, contains several brilliant songs, including…
Tag: Roots Reggae
01/05/2021: “Who The Cap Fit” by Bob Marley & The Wailers
“Who The Cap Fit” is a cautionary tale. The title means that people should accept their wrongdoings. Marley takes aim at false friends, backstabbers and…
29/03/2021: “African Child” by The Heptones
As with many older roots reggae songs, it can be hard to pin down a song’s exact origin. “African Child”, sometimes spelt “An African Child”…
12/02/2021: “Away With Your Fussing And Fighting” by Junior Delgado
“How can we have some fun? When rebel a buss dem gun?” 70s Jamaica was often a conflict ridden place. But people were just trying…
07/02/2021: “Zion We Want To Go” by Sons Of Negus Churchical Host
Sons of Negus is a group led by Ras Michael. Many of the big acts from Jamaica such as Bob Marley were devoutly Rastafari. But…
04/01/2021: “Columbus” by Burning Spear
This is roots reggae at its absolute best. The lyrics are powerful and challenge the common conception that Christopher Columbus was some kind of hero….
05/12/2020: “Ignorance And Poverty” by Martin Campbell
When I first heard Martin Campbell, I assumed he was a product of 1970s Jamaica. The production is heavy roots, the singing militant dread. But…
16/10/2020: “Prodigal Son” by Steel Pulse
Steel Pulse splashed on to the international reggae scene with Handsworth Revolution. Handsworth is an area of Birmingham with a large Afro-Caribbean community, which has seen…
18/10/2019: “As We Enter” by Mikey Dread
Why is this song so heavy? You can only assume that it is intentional; that the waves of bass which crash out of the speakers…
30/08/2019: “Why Am I A Rastaman” by Culture
A lot of more hardcore songs about Rastafari can be quite impenetrable to people who don’t listen to a reggae. The accent is thicker, the…