Paper Bag – Sly and Robbie And The Family Taxi

Muted but warm, Paper Bag finds Sly and Robbie and the Family Taxi in a more song-oriented groove, with a mix of rootsy cuts and a few left-turn covers tucked into the sequence. Belinda Brady’s “By Your Side, ” Courtney John’s “Run To You, ” and Jimmy Riley’s “All The Way” sit alongside Japanese-language selections from Chitose Hajime, Ina-P, and Masanori Takumi, which gives the set a wider reach than a straight local compilation. The project also folds in three Taxi crew instrumentals from Sly and Robbie themselves — “Darker Shade Black, ” “Mambo Italiano, ” and “Memphis Underground” — so the riddim gets room to breathe between the vocal sides. Released in 2011, Paper Bag lists 15 tracks and 13 unique artists.