"Work Your Soul" Jamaican 60s & Northern 1966-74

Twenty foot stompin' gems! Some superb soulful songs on here, sung in a distinctive, slightly sweeter Jamaican way. Jillem

The influence of the Motown sound didn't only spread throughout the U.S. -- Kingston, Jamaica, epicenter of the reggae world, was no stranger to soul music, either. But while the vast majority of the vintage Jamaican soul that's so far been reissued is inflected with the syncopated island beats that are the hallmark of reggae, the music compiled on the excellent Work Your Soul: Jamaican 60s & Northern 1966-74 is virtually indistinguishable from its urbanized inspirations, emphasizing more traditional, straightforward rhythms and arrangements with only the occasional hint of Caribbean patois in the vocals to belie the performances' geographic origins. Equally remarkable is that the majority of material here are originals, suggesting just how deeply the American soul idiom impacted the reggae community -- the artists weren't just adapting records out of Detroit, Memphis, and Chicago for their own needs, but striving to evoke the stateside sound at the risk of suppressing their native instincts. Highlights include the Marvels' "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show," Jackie Edwards' "I Feel So Bad," Jimmy Cliff's "Let's Dance," Laurel Aitken's "Never You Hurt," and Sugar Simone's "I Want to Know." ~Jason Ankeny (allmusic)

trax:
1. Where Is The Love - Glenn Miller 2. I Feel So Bad - Jackie Edwards 3. Help Yourself - Jimmy James & The Vagabonds 4. Work Your Soul - Tommy McCook & The Supersonics 5. Mini-Skirt & Go Go Boots - Glen & Lloyd 6. Make Me Yours - Phyllis Dillon 7. The Hoop - Errol Dixon 8. I've Got The Blues - Desmond Dekker & The Aces 9. Let's Dance - Jimmy Cliff 10. Girl I've Got A Date (Soul Version) - Alton Ellis & The Flames 11. Here Comes That Feeling (Aka That Lonely Feeling) - The Gayletts 12. Do It Right (Soul Version) - The Three Tops 13. Come On Home - Jackie Edwards 14. Never You Hurt - Laurel Aitken / The Soulmen 15. I Want To Know - Sugar Simone 16. Help Me - Owen Gray 17. This Heart Of Mine - Jimmy James & The Vagabonds 18. Mama Didn't Lie - Derrick Harriott 19. Mellow Moonlight - Roy Docker 20. King Without A Throne - Sugar Simone 21. One Monkey Don't Stop No Show - Marvells 22. I Don't Want - Errol Dixon 23. Leave It In The Hands Of Love - Phyllis Dillon 24. Baby Be My Girl - Eddie Thornton Outfit
...served by Jillem...