TOOTS & THE MAYTALS レコード& CD

Review: Renowned pioneers of ska and rocksteady, Toots and the Maytals emerged in the early 1960s as pivotal figures in the popularisation of reggae. Fronted by the late Toots Hibbert, regarded alongside Bob Marley and Peter Tosh as one of reggae's chief pioneers, his soulful vocals drew comparisons to Otis Redding. Rolling Stone hailed him among the top 100 male singers ever. Their 1968 hit 'Do the Reggay' notably coined the genre's name and introduced it globally. This Is Toots and the Maytals, their third album originally released on Beverley's Records, captures their influential sound from that transformative era.

Review: Toots and the Maytals were sent back to Dynamic Sound Studios in Kingston for new recordings that eventually gave rise to the album after their Funky Kingston success. It features a number of covers of material aimed quite specifically at the English market such as John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Though first recorded in 1974, it still packs a punch and of course delivers plenty of the Jamaican band's melodic reggae with beautiful vocal harmonies. The whole thing oozes soul and is underpinned by a certain sense of spirituality that makes it all the more alluring and enduring.