Further East Vol 1 – Jammys Records

Gregory Isaacs is the anchor here, and “My Pride Don’t Let Me Home” gives Further East Vol 1 its emotional center before Sugar Minott and Wayne Smith come in with sharper, more streetwise cuts. Jammy’s keeps the Far East riddim in that late-’80s digital roots pocket, crisp and lean rather than cluttered, with Barry Brown’s title tune and King Kong’s “Let Jah Arise” doing a lot of the heavy lifting. There’s a nice sense of continuity with the label’s earlier dancehall-riddim work, only this one leans a little more melodic and singjay-friendly than the harder shelling Jammy’s was known for a few years earlier. With ten different voices on one rhythm, it fits neatly into the King Jammy catalogue as one of those compilation sets that captures the period when his productions could still carry heavyweight roots singers without losing that modern edge.