Derrick Harriott may sing Jamaican reggae, but he does so here with plenty of help from American soul – as half the record features songs from the US 60s scene, including some Motown and southern soul gems – all retooled nicely for the sound of young Kingston! Derrick produced the set himself, and gets the groove just right for that warmly crackling vocal style of his – getting help from Bobby Ellis and Boris Gardinier on the arrangements – in a lineup that features Earl Chinna Smith on guitar, Winston Wright on organ, and Val Bennett on tenor sax. Titles include "It's Alright", "I'm Not Begging", "You Really Got A Hold On Me", "Have Some Mercy", "Sitting ON Top", "Close To Me", "Standing In", and "Long Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Peter Tosh joins with Mick Jagger on this late 70s reggae remake of the Motown classic, with production help from Robbie Shakespeare, and a nice dub mix on the b-side. 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of our favorites in the colossal reissue and compilation series put together by Pressure Sounds. Deep soulful roots cuts, all produced by Derrick Harriott, one of the finest producers of Jamaican music, with a feel that is at times reminiscent of some of the best soul cuts coming out of Motown or Curtis Mayfield's productions. Most of the tracks here are DJ cuts, with some of the best, like Big Youth & U Roy chatting over the bubbling rhythms, and a couple of nice harmony tracks featuring the Ethiopians, plus some instrumentals with Augustus Pablo blowing some nice melodica lines. Derrick even takes a vocal turn himself on the massive 12" version of "Slave". Also included are Dennis Brown's "Concentration", an version of "Dock of the Bay" by Big Youth & the Ethiopians "Good Ambition". 16 tracks in all. CD