A fantastic record from the great Delroy Wilson – a set that's dubby at the core, but also has a righteous sense of soul too – almost a Jamaican extension of the hippest styles of early 70s American soul! Delroy's vocals are wonderful – very powerful, even without trying too much – and set up amidst some great production from Bunny Lee that really makes the whole thing shine like a slow-burning dark star – a perfect vibe that's laidback, but never lazy – and a great change from some of the more polished early 80s Jamaican soul. Titles include a great remake of the Chi-Lites "Go Away Dream" – plus "No More Heartaches", "Spit In The Sky", "When She Was My Girl", "I Can't Take You Back", "I Can't Fight It Anymore", "Won't You Come Home", and "Silhouette Silhouette". LP, Vinyl record album

Clement Coxsone Dodd and Lee Scratch Perry – a match made in any reggae lover's dreams! This tasty little collection pulls together more than chicken scratch, rather it documents a batch of deep cuts from Perry's formative years, early numbers cut under the tutelage of Coxsone Dodd during the ska era. Perry takes care of the vocal duties while the Skatalites and other luminaries from the Brentford Road stable deliver bouncing ska rhythms for a truly seminal collaboration between the best of the best on the Kingston scene! 18 tracks in all, including "Feel Like Jumping", "Chicken Scratch", "Solid As A Rock", 'Tackoo", "Roast Duck", "Gumma", "Just Keep It Up", "Open Up (Cook Book)", "Mother In Law", "Madhead", "Cannot Wrong (And Get Right)", "John Tom" and "Run Rudie Run". CD

A set that's way more than just another dip into the legendary catalog of the Studio One label – as there's a well-chosen selection of cuts here that go well past the hits, and really live up to the kind of "classics" promised in the title! It's no secret that Studio One was one of the first and most important studios and labels to rise up on the Kingston scene at the end of the 60s – pioneering impeccable production, tight musicianship, and the kind of soul-drenched vocals that helped Jamaican music rich a much larger global audience – music that's given a fantastic showcase here on titles that include "No Man Is An Island" by Dennis Brown, "Simmer Down" by The Wailers, "I'm Just A Guy" by Alton Ellis, "Rocking Time" by Burning Spear, "Confucious" by Don Drummond, "Rub A Dub Style" by Michigan & Smiley, "Fever" by Horace Andy, "School" by Prince Jazzbo, "Love Me Forever" by Carlton & The Shoes, "Rockfort Rock" by Sound Dimension, "Pretty Looks Isn't All" by The Heptones, and "El Pussycat Ska" by The Skatalites. LP, Vinyl record album

Completely top-shelf work from the short-lived Top Deck label in Kingston – one of the great early imprints to really help get things going from the indie side of things in the 60s – run by Justin Yap, an entrepreneur with a great ear for the changing sides of the scene! This is badass early ska at its best – the Skatalites serving up plenty of jazzy instrumentation over hard-rocking rhythms – not the watered-down modes of the ska-revival years, but really sharp, short instrumentals that are to Jamaica what the Stax Records work of the MGs and Bar-Kays was to Memphis in the 60s! There's a starkness and darkness here that's wonderful – and titles include "Ghost Town", "China Clipper", "Lawless Street", "Chinatown", "Ska Ra Van", "Confucius", "Surftide Seven", "Skaravan", and "Ringo Rides". LP, Vinyl record album

The title certainly gets it right – as Derrick Harriott serves up a wonderful mix of sounds that owes plenty to American funk and soul of the early 70s – some cool Kingston covers of famous US tunes, and some other originals that are equally groovy overall! The set's one of the best that we've ever heard from the Dub Store label – and almost has a Soul Jazz level of track selection – really wonderful work that either features Derrick in the lead, or working with some hip contemporaries, in a groove that's totally great – neither straight reggae, but also quite far from more familiar funk and soul too. Titles include "Black Moses" by The Preacher, "Tougher Than Tough" by I Roy, "Brown Baby" by Derrick Harriott, "Hell Below" by Crystal Generation, "Going Back Home" by The Chosen Few, "Psychedelic Train" by Derrick Harriott, "Slippery" by Karl Bryan & The Crystalites, "Home Sweet Home" by Bongo Herman & Les, "Rescue The Children" by Junior Murvin, "Phoenix" by Noel Brown, "People Make The World Go Round" by The Chosen Few, and "Message From A Black Man" by Derrick Harriott. LP, Vinyl record album

To say this one's been a long time coming would be an understatement! This awesome set features a 4 hour (!) DVD, loaded with rare footage of the Skatalites, Jackie Mittoo and Ernest Ranglin, plus in-depth interviews with Dodd and a whole host of artists that had worked their way through the Studio One stable throughout the years. Then there's the 16 track CD – a fitting complement to the film and next worthy installment in the fine series of compilations of Studio One material that Soul Jazz has undertaken, this time spanning all the genres that Studio One would cover, including ska, rocksteady, roots and dancehall, including Theo Beckford "Easy Snapping", The Skatalites "Guns Of Navarone", Delroy Wilson "Dancing Mood", The Heptones "Baby", Alton Ellis "I'm Still In Love With You", Tommy McCook "Tunnel One", Sugar Minott "Jah Jah Children", The Dub Specialist "Banana Walk", Dennis Alcapone "Run Run", The Lone Ranger "Love Bump" and Jackie Mittoo "Freak Out". And if that weren't enough, there's the 100 page booklet, loaded with photos and a complete history of the label, making this choice set one of the nicest packages we've come across in a long, long time! CD