“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Never truer words spoken, my good friend Mark Twain certainly knew what he was talking about when he formulated this immortal quote. Easily attributed to anything that someone will willingly do with no pay, let alone earn a living carrying out, Twain’s point was that infinite joy can be found in what most of us consider a laborious undertaking. While I can’t certainly plan my retirement writing about and reviewing music, doing so is one of the absolute joys of my already satisfying life. This fact becomes so much more evident to me when I have to lend my eval to my most favorite artists. The irrefutable Delroy Wilson just happens to be the focal point of this particular review, and make no mistake, stifiling the desire to ramble incessantly about my love for this man is harder than you know.
Pioneering Singer
A pioneering singer whose soulful voice and heartfelt performances made him one of Jamaica’s most beloved musical talents, Wilson rose to prominence in the 1960s, leading the Rocksteady tsunami with legendary producer Coxsone Dodd at Studio One. The sheer amount of hits he produced is just head shaking. Rising For A Fall, Pretty Girl, Dancing Mood, I’m Still Waiting, and Put Yourself In My Place, some of my all-time conniption inducing cuts, are just but a handful of his bangers. For me as a Rocksteady super-devotee, he is at the top of the list alongside Pat Kelly, Alton Ellis and Phyllis Dillon as those artists who dragged me into this musical abyss, never to emerge again.
Shining Example
Patate Records, an imprint and distributor of reggae music situated in France made sure to cast a spotlight on Wilson’s genius with a reissue of There Is No Sunshine, a collection of chunes from Wilson’s segue way from rocksteady into roots-based productions. Coinciding with the 30th year of his passing, this collection is but one shining example of the man’s versatility and talent, emphasis on the word shining for me. I’d been so immersed in his Rocksteady era that it was refreshing to get a taste of the music that carried him into the latter part of his career.
Gem
Opening with the title track, Wilson instantly makes himself comfortable on an uptempo number replete with a classic roots sound. Refreshing to say the least. The production, done by Rodguel Sinclair aka Blackbeard, is crisp, clean, and sets the vibes perfectly. 13 tracks make up this effort and there is not a dud among them. Tracks like I’m Yours, Talk Too Much, Here Come The Heartaches, and Prophecy Must Fulfill fit the skanking bill, providing fans of classic Jamaican music exactly what they clamor for. Delroy makes certain to cover the American soul catalog as so many reggae artists have done over the years to great effect on Kiss And Say Good Bye and People Get Ready, by the Manhattans and Curtis Mayfield respectively, and then further lends a nod to fellow Rocksteady stalwart Derrick Harriot with a nice rendition of Solomon. Closing things out lovely with I Don’t Mind, Wilson delivers a gem of an album and a great reminder to fans like myself who reference more so the early part of his career as a default that this mans reach was far and wide when it came to impacting reggae’s history. Personally, I needed the wakeup call, and I’m glad that Patate chose this particular album to highlight. Clearly a deeper dive into D.W’s other roots efforts is needed by myself and likely many others. Doing so won’t even be considered “work” as ol Twain alluded to. With that, I lift a cold Red Stripe to you sir!