Reggae Greats – Strictly For Lovers – Island Records

REGGAE GREATS – STRICTLY FOR LOVERS – ISLAND RECORDS 1984

Warm, late-night lovers rock is the frame here, with the bass kept plush and the melodies sweet enough to carry the whole thing without ever tipping into syrup. Island’s Strictly For Lovers gathers 12 cuts from 12 different voices, and the sequence leans firmly toward romance rather than roots aggression, moving from Aswad’s “Roots Rockin’” and Barry Biggs’ “Wide Awake In A Dream” into smoother turns from Dennis Brown, Jimmy Riley, Junior Tucker and Ken Boothe. It’s the kind of compilation that reads like a snapshot of Island’s reggae roster in the mid-’80s, when the label was packaging these songs as part of its Reggae Greats series, and the mood stays consistent even as the singers shift. The final word belongs to Dennis Brown’s “Have You Ever Been In Love, ” which brings the set’s emotional centre into sharp focus.

Reggae Greats Tracklist:

1. Aswad – Roots Rockin’
2. Barry Biggs – Wide Awake In A Dream
3. Dean Fraser – Rent A Car
4. Dennis Brown – Have You Ever Been In Love
5. Jimmy Riley – Love And Devotion
6. Junior Tucker – Some Guys Have All The Luck
7. Ken Booth – Show And Tell
8. One Blood – Get In Touch With Me
9. Ruddy Thomas – Key To The World
10. Struggle – Rocky Music
11. Tamlins – Go Away Dream
12. Winston Reedy – Dim The Lights