Out Deh - Gregory Isaacs

Advantages: Excellent chill out music, what a voice!
Disadvantages: You can't sing along to some songs cos you can't suss the words out!

...Just sitting here tonight chilling I read an opinion earlier that gave Gregory Isaacs a mention. Now, he's been one of my favourites for years so I thought I'd share one of his many albums with you. Red Rose For Gregory was released way back in 1988 but has been re-released many times due to it's unerring popularity, hopefully this review will convince you to give him a try. So who is Gregory Isaacs? He's only THE reggae dancehall master - Sean Paul wasn't even born when Gregory started releasing his reggae classics and now Sean Paul is not only born but also out of nappies and into condoms, Gregory is still doing the business. He's well over 50 now and commonly referred to as the 'Grandaddy of Reggae', not bad for a guy who was at one time being busted for gun charges on a regular basis in 70's Jamaica! Red Rose For Gregory... Read review

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Advantages: classic soul
Disadvantages: not short to listen to

...Before Isaac Hayes was 'Chef' in South Park, he was 'Isaac Hayes - soul prophet'. 'Hot Buttered Soul' is one of the top ten soul albums of all time, and possibly the best ever soul debut album, most acts taking time to deliver their best in this genre. Hayes scores straight out of the blocks with an astonishing 12 minute version of 'Walk on By', the old Bacharach-David staple, except we've never heard it like this - riding in with the strings and choir from an imaginary western, cut with acid guitar and a razor-sharp backbeat. Isaac Hayes is unusual in that the longer one of his tracks is, the better it seems to be. His vocal style starts gentle and works up a head of steam into the middle of the cut, which is followed by an instrumental ending which starts softly and goes into a hammond organ and drum-driven rhythmic freakout featuring... Read review

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Advantages: a few good tracks (drama setter, so seductive)
Disadvantages: a poor effort

...from the pen, but he ain't trying to be a hardcore rapper and LL Cool J at the same time like Tony Yayo is. Yayo sings the melody of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" (you know....the Duh Duh Deh Duh song) on "G-Sh*t", sings Gregory Abbott's song "Shake You Down" on his debut single "So Seductive", and he sings New Edition's "Mr. Telephone Man" on "Eastside Westside" as if he should have been Bobby Brown's replacement and not Johnny Gill. Last but certainly not least is the horrendous production on this album. No thought was put into the beats used on this substandard project. The song "It Is What It Is" has a beat that sounds like the Atari game "Pitfall" when the character is swinging across the vines. "Love My Style" sounds like a reject song from Massacre considering it sounds like it could be used for a black version of the movie Psycho... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average not helpful