Nature's Dub CD

New York-based reggae producer Lloyd "Bullwackie" Barnes quietly created some of the best dub reggae of the 1980s, including this delightfully nocturnal-sounding gem originally released in 1982. Everything is stripped back to essentials here, with only an occasional vocal line (courtesy of Jah Butta) floating in and out of the mix, while the unhurried rhythms (by the Bullwackies All Stars and the New Breed) make the seven tracks feel like a single integrated suite. Highlights include "Mash It Up," a version of Junior Delgado's "Sons of Slaves" called "Slave Dub," and Clive Hunt's take on "Rockfort Rock," called here -- what else? -- "Rockfort Dub." This same set (with exactly the same art work) first appeared on CD from Wackies in 2002. ~ Steve Leggett

During the early '80s, New York-based reggae producer Lloyd "Bullwackie" Barnes was creating some of the most well-crafted traditional dub reggae anywhere, including Jamaica. Unfortunately, the albums he made did not fare well in the transitional period between vinyl LPs and compact discs, and most of his catalog was either out of print or virtually impossible to obtain by the end of the decade. A CD reissue campaign in 2002 brought this dub album back into the marketplace, and it's a gem. Featuring rhythms courtesy of the Bullwackies All Stars and the New Breed Band, as well as occasional singjay vocals by Jah Batta, Natures Dub is jam-packed with dark, smoky dub grooves that hark back explicitly to the sound of Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark without sounding wholly derivative. Among the highlight tracks are the legendary "Rockfort Rock," with its faint whiff of flute and descending bassline, and a nice cut of the Junior Delgado classic "Sons of Slaves." A must-have for any dub collection. ~ Rick Anderson