Toronto, like London is home to a sizable West Indian
community, so it's not surprising to find a reggae band based there.
What is surprising is finding one this good. Earth, Roots and Water were
essentially the house band for Summer Records, a local operation with a
studio wired by Jamaican dub pioneer King Jammy that hosted reggae
heavyweights like Jackie Mittoo. One could easily mistake Innocent
Youths, released in 1977, for a lost Kingston classic: Floating on a
cloud of dub reverb, with most of its songs extending past the
six-minute mark into deep studio space, the record is long on slo-mo
instrumentals gilded with the sublime, Augustus Pablo-style melodica of
future dancehall hit man Johnny Osbourne. The songs address boilerplate
Rastafarian tribulations, although the dreamy girl-group pop of "Love
the Same Old Way" and the socio-political soul of "Lou Sent Me" show the
North American side of a unique vision. The band never made another
full-length album, alas, but the crate-diggers at Seattle's Light
in the Attic label deserve props for reclaiming this one.
(Posted: Mar 6, 2008)
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