Black And Dekker

Sound DNA

• Reggae
• Ska

• clean
• celebratory
• tropical

About

An old-school reggae icon, Desmond Dekker started his career in the early '60s and established himself as a star in his native Jamaica. By the end of the decade, two of his singles—"007 (Shantytown)" and "Israelites"—blew up in the U.K. among the budding mod scene, and they'd find a bigger global audience with their inclusion in the film <i>The Harder They Come</i> (and on its soundtrack) a few years later. Originally released in 1980, <i>Black and Dekker</i> finds him looking to jumpstart his career; Dekker signed to Stiff Records and rerecorded old hits with new producers and backing bands such as The Rumour (who also played with Graham Parker), The Akrylyks, and The Equators. Dekker's voice still sounds great, and the musicians are on-point, although the modernized new wave/ska sound here takes a little getting used to. Recommended for fans of the English 2-Tone movement (The Specials, Madness, etc.), this remains a compelling listen and a nice surprise from the vaults.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits