You gotta love Ken Boothe – a guy who can take familiar pop tunes like "Impossible Dream" and "Theme From The Godfather", and turn them into surprisingly soulful reggae classics! Yet that kind of magic is exactly what makes a great reggae album so great – the kind of special inflection and inversion of source material, especially when mixed with original inspiration – and served up in a classic Kingston setting that features the great Lloyd Charmers on piano and organ, as well as production of the entire set! But it's the soulful style of Boothe that really makes the whole thing great – as he presents the tunes with one of the most unique voices in 70s Jamaican music – almost a Caribbean trill at points, but mixed with raspier soul at other times. Titles include "Speak Softly Love", "Everything I Own", "Evil Girl", "Crying Over You", "Sad & Lonely", "Impossible Dream", "You Will Reach Your Goal", "Time Passage", and "My Kid". LP, Vinyl record album

An early classic from the Studio One/Coxone catalog – and a set that has a sound that's every bit as iconic as its cover – the kind of record that really helped set a new standard for soulful sounds from Jamaica! Alton Ellis is almost in early Marvin Gaye territory here – working with a style that's every bit as groovy on the upbeat tracks as it is personal and moving on the mellower ones – with the difference, of course, that the rhythms here are more in a rocksteady mode, and served up with some great studio help from the Soul Brothers and Soul Vendors! The whole album's great – and titles include "So Much Love", "I'm Just A Guy", "Get Ready", "Why", "Mad Mad Mad", and a beautiful version of The Bee Gee's "Massachusetts"! LP, Vinyl record album

An early classic from the Studio One/Coxone catalog – and a set that has a sound that's every bit as iconic as its cover – the kind of record that really helped set a new standard for soulful sounds from Jamaica! Alton Ellis is almost in early Marvin Gaye territory here – working with a style that's every bit as groovy on the upbeat tracks as it is personal and moving on the mellower ones – with the difference, of course, that the rhythms here are more in a rocksteady mode, and served up with some great studio help from the Soul Brothers and Soul Vendors! The whole album's great – and titles include "So Much Love", "I'm Just A Guy", "Get Ready", "Why", "Mad Mad Mad", and a beautiful version of The Bee Gee's "Massachusetts"! LP, Vinyl record album

White Boy reggae recorded at the height of the genre's climb to fame – at a time when a guy like Eric Clapton, or even worse, the silly-looking Johnny Wakelin, could put out a reggae record with confidence. Fortunately, Johnny's real claim to fame is the great novelty number here – "Black Superman" – a huge worldwide hit, and a pretty great little number about Muhammad Ali. The rest of the record's in a similar vein – not really bad, just pop reggae sounding, or proto disco grooving. Titles include "You Got The Bug", "Cream Puff", "In Zaire", "Me I'm A Capricorn", and "Sleep On Baby". (Soul, Reggae) LP, Vinyl record album

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