Red Rose For Gregory - Gregory Isaacs

...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. ...
...70's Jamaica!

Red Rose For Gregory was released under the mega-famous Greensleeves Records who are also responsible for other such reggae greats as Beenie Man, Eek-A-Mouse, Shabba Ranks, Shaggy (come on girls, who wouldn't???) and Frankie Paul amongst others. Everything that comes out of the Greensleeves studio is pure class and this album is no exception.

First up is the title track, 'Red Rose For Gregory' (obviously). ... more

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 was released under the mega-famous Greensleeves Records who are also responsible for other such reggae greats as Beenie Man, Eek-A-Mouse, Shabba Ranks, Shaggy (come on girls, who wouldn't???) and Frankie Paul amongst others. Everything that comes out of the Greensleeves studio is pure class and this album is no exception.

First up is the title track, 'Red Rose For Gregory' (obviously). A cheeky little song about Gregory's many women and what does a man do when he gets a rose sent to him with no card? He can't thank any one woman in case it wasn't her! I'd say this is probably one of Gregory's most mainstream songs, a lot of his music is looked over as being too reggae/ragga influenced but this one did hit big when it was released as a single. His voice in this is amazing, low with the Jamaican lilt that makes him so listenable and relaxing. The beat on Red Rose isn't as strong as you'd expect from a reggae tune but, as I said, I think Gregory had toned down his act slightly to be more acceptable to mainstream 80's music.

"Suppose it's from Sandra, I wonder, she could be the answer,
Who should I thank for this red rose? Your guess is good as mine I suppose"

'Teacher's Plight' is the next track and one of my personal favourites. A gorgeous song, full of low moans and groans as Gregory sings. The main influence behind the writing of this song is the way much younger women often seduce teachers/preachers just for the sake of getting experience and the way Gregory sings this track *perhaps* makes you think he's been in a similar situation himself. The bass on this track is excellent, it'll make full use of your speakers and leave you tapping the rhythm for ages after the song's finished. Gregory's voice on this track will blow you away, it's low and gravelly in a style to make Shaggy jealous and just about sexy enough to get naked to. Excellent stuff!

'Break The Date'. Another lovers song, these black guys certainly know how to talk to a lady... A gorgeous song, another mainstream(ish) track that doesn't contain a beat to blow your speakers and shows why Gregory's voice is one of the most sought after in reggae. He sings this slow and very low with the dropped Jamaican vowels coming through beautifully, when I listen to this song he sounds so unbelievably sexy that I forget how old he is and just fall in lust with him...

'Rumours'. This is next and I'm not sure about this one, never have been quite convinced that I like it. It's a 'jangly' reggae song, full of bass and all through it is Gregory's low voice bemoaning the fact that (as a black man) he's assumed to be a criminal - an attitude more suited to Hip Hop perhaps than a man who advertises himself as an artist of Lovers Rock. The voice and tune are fantastic but he's never seemed entirely comfortable singing this song and (to me) it shows even though it's been a big hit and is yet another of Gregorys dancehall classics.

"Please mr. officer, leggo me hand, you don't know me and you don't understand
You see me flashing a Criss rental, so you take that me a criminal"

The next track is 'Slow Down' and in my opinion this is the only really weak song on the album. It starts off nicely enough with a great opening tune and women singing a few words of reggae but as soon as Gregory starts singing it just doesn't sound right to me. He sings this track in a higher tone than the others and the bass overtakes it so you have to listen hard to catch the words properly.

'All I Need Is You' is a cracker, real Lovers music. It's got the catchiest tune I've heard in a long time and the words are just beautiful. This track is slow, sexy and Gregory's huge voice comes through it all and just turns what could be a feeble song if any other artist released it into a pure work of art.

The next track is 'Rough Neck' and (to me) is quite hard to understand. You know when you hear a song and want to sing along but don't know the words so end up going 'Rough Neck, dee dee da dee doo' - that's this one! lol Sung by Gregory it's gorgeous because his voice is just so suited to this style of raw raggae, my Aunt insists on calling this Slave Reggae (which it isn't, slave reggae is the forerunner of ragga and in no way is Gregory a ragga artist) but I can see her point because he's singing a bit of a worshipping song here.

"Who is without fault let them cast the first stone,
I don't see no stone so I know I'm not alone."

Ohhhhh, the next one's my favourite! 'Intimate Potential'. Wow, this is one hugely sexy track. Full of erm... sex sounds, if I'm listening to this album while the kids are around I have to make sure I remember to skip this track because the moaning and groaning is a bit much for their delicate ears - and my mums! lol The tune is ultra cool on this track, listening carefully you can hear all the classic reggae instruments - drums, trumpet, bass guitar and what sounds disturbingly like a hurdy gurdy... nah, can't be!

"You keep me awake all through the night, your fingers touching my body should be alright,
When you do the things you do, I just can't get enough of you."

'Me No In A Dat'. No I've not made a spelling mistake, this is the name of the track - whatever it means! Oh I love this song so much. It starts with a slow tune and then Gregory comes in with his voice again turned down low and he just sounds so sexy you can imagine being in bed with him and him singing to you... no? Must be just me then! A track like this makes you appreciate the mans amazing talent, he's stayed completely true to his Jamaican roots but manages to inject songs like this one with such an presence that you can't help but love it He's got women singing the reggae chorus of this track and it brings the whole song together, there's something powerful about a 'proper' woman reggae singer and it works well here. No lyrics for this one for the simple reason that they wouldn't look anything special on paper and it would take away from the wonderful song.

The next one is 'Closer Than A Brother' and is very similar in both style and content to All I Need Is You. Gregory is (yet again) declaring his love for a woman who is unsure of his motives and he sings it with such a passion and with such a catchy tune in the background I can almost guarantee you're going to like it. No, love it.

"Don't bother to look, no, you need to look no further,
Cos I intend to be, much closer than a brother."

'Mind You Dis', the 12" Manners Mix, is just excellent. It starts off very big band with drums and a huge bass and is more reminiscent of his earlier 'ghetto phase'. It's reggae in a big way and is all about being disrespected by people when they're in a crowd but when they're alone they've got nothing to say. Haven't we all been there? Again, no lyrics for this one would do justice to the amazing quality of the song. Gregory uses his voice to project the words over the loudness of the music and it works brilliantly, real chill out music.

So overall, I recommed this album whole heartedly. There's not one thing on it's own that makes this such a classic - his voice, the lyrics, the bass, the tune - they're all unfaultable. A couple of weaker tracks on the album don't spoil it, they simply work to enhance the quality of the rest of Gregorys work. Despite being released 15 years ago, this album has stood the test of time and is still available from Amazon, Ebay and various Reggae websites which have an ordering facility and you can expect to pay around a tenner which is excellent value considering once you listen to this album one time you'll be hooked. Look for a sophisticated cover featuring a black and white chess board adorned with rose petals.

Thanks for reading and I hope this opinion has encouraged you to give one of the lesser known classic artists of our time a listen. As Gregory himself would say... 'GWAAAAAAAAAN.'
 

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