Reggae
RIYL: Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Jimmy Cliff
Sugar Minott bridged four decades of transformation in reggae music. At the age of 54, Minott left us in July 2017. Despite the departure from his corporeal form, Minott left behind a massive catalog of roots rock reggae. Some of those songs are featured on Hard Time Pressure, a posthumous release, that contains 36 kicking reggae tunes.
Minott first gained recognition as a teen for his harmony singing with Derrick Howard and Tony Tuff as the African Brothers. Not too long after that, Minott ventured out on his own. He recorded solo albums, and booked concerts throughout the world. Minott even recorded for Studio One, Jamaica’s first black-owned recording studio and label. Unfortunately, none of the songs recorded from his sojourn to Studio One made it to this compilation.
From that studio, and the days of Bob Marley, reggae evolved from its Rastafarian message of peace, love and justice, to a style called lover’s rock. This saw reggae in a different light, utilizing a simpler form geared more toward dancehall style music. Dancehall also caused more abrasiveness from toasters, who started to dominate the genre. The music became misogynistic, but Minott, an early practitioner of Rastafari shunned the harshness for something more pure.
That purity gave us sweetness and humor in the music. Hard Time Pressure sheds the weight of negativity, and embraces the true form of Rastafari, particularly in songs like “Lovers Rock” and “Easy Squeeze.” Songs like “No Vacancy” reflect on the realities facing Jamaican’s everyday life, and the work they have to do to support their homes. We also hear this message on tracks like “Man Hungry” and “Penny For My Song.” What’s great about this record is that it is made up of self-produced songs. Minott’s emotional voice flows smoothly over the laid back grooves.
Ultimately, if reggae music is something that you jive with, Sugar Minott’s record is for you. There are fantastic grooves throughout the anthology, paired with fantastic production from a myriad of folks, all credited on Minott’s Bandcamp page. It’s such a chill record, and perfect for a laid back Friday afternoon.
