Black Uhuru edge on to dance floor

Press, 24 July 1986, Page 22

Black Uhuru edge on to dance floor

BLACK UHURU “Brutal” (Jayrem RAS 3015).

Since the untimely death of Bob Marley, the progress of reggae as a musical force has been tortuously slow. Only Marley scored the hits (with some watereddown exceptions), and only Marley looked like making an impression in the United States, where there was no place for reggae in the rigid format of commercial radio.

The most credible successor to Marley’s position at the top of the reggae tree is Black Uhuru, featuring the considerable talents of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, on drums and bass respectively. Sly ’n’ Robbie have

been hugely successful as the rhythm section for artists such as Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, and most notably Grace Jones. Their current bankability is obviously a bonus for Black Uhuru, providing a link between hardline dreads and more casual listeners. But there is also a danger that the hard-edged music of previous LP’s such as “Sinsemilla” and “Anthem” will be compromised.

The new Black Uhuru LP “Brutal” (released here by the Wellington label, Jayrem) tries to please both camps, but ultimately is a lot more like a Sly ’n’ Robbie disc than some may like.

The frontline of the band are the lead vocalist, Junior Reid, and the

backing vocalists, Puma Jones and Ducky Simpson.

Reid is also the main songwriter, but the material is considerably lighter than before; especially feeble love songs such as “Uptown Girl” and “Reggae With You,” both on side two.

Apart from the single “Great Train Robbery,” side two lacks the high spots of side one. Dunbar’s heavy drum sound crashes through “Let Us Pray” and “Dread in the Mountain,” while the title track lets you know that this is Black Uhuru, not Musical Youth.

Jones, the only woman in Black Uhuru, is responsible for “City Vibes,” a convincing song that is nevertheless a lot closer to funk than reggae.

“Brutal” is nowhere near the tough LP its title suggests. This is more like Black Uhuru’s “Kaya,” pushed subtly toward the (white) dance floor by their famous rhythm section.

Even though the true spirit of the band is perhaps lacking, this LP is successful on its own terms, as evidenced by the appearance of “Great Train Robbery” high up the New Zealand charts — that “wider audience” may not be far away. -TONY GREEN