“studio_one_showcase”
Studio One Showcase
Volume 1
Heartbeat
Heartbeat does a wonderful job of mining the gems from the vaults of Jamaica’s legendary Studio One, and this collection is no exception. Studio One Showcase collects the 12-inch mixes that became all the rage in ’70s Jamaica. The ten mixes here are appearing on CD for the first time, and are sure to please any fan of Jamaican music. If the CD has a fault, it’s an over-reliance on the Heptones, who get four tracks (though all four are great, especially the classic “I Love You”), but when the remaining tracks are from artists of the caliber of Alton Ellis, Cornell Campell (better known as Prince Buster), Ernest Wilson, the Bassies, the Tonettes (whose “I’ll Give It To You” is based on the same groove as Led Zepplin’s “D’yer Mak’er”), and Johnnie Osbourne, it’s really hard to find any fault at all! I hope the “Volume 1” in the title indicates that there’s more to come in this series!
Rounder Records, 1 Camp St., Cambridge, MA 02140; http://www.rounder.com
