Toots and the Maytals

Rip It Up, Issue 98, 1 September 1985, Page 10

Toots and the Maytals

Frederick Toots’ Hibbert is no stranger to this country, having charmed New Zealand audiences some three years ago on a tour which had plenty of ups and downs and finished up a bit of a financial flop. One of the original Maytals, Jerry Mathias, was no longer with the group, his place being taken by two women singers. The show sometimes ventured a little too much into soul revue territory for my tastes, but when the band cooked on songs like ‘54-46’, it was demolition time on the dancefloor. Since then, Toots has been singing solo, encouraged by a very smooth and businesslike American manager, who also handles Yellowman's affairs.

This compilation covers the full range of Toots's styles. He’s never really been out of the spotlight since the early rock steady days, with Leslie Kong producing. From that era you get ’54-46’, along with 'Monkey Man’, ‘Sweet and Dandy’ and 'Pressure Drop’. From the 70s you get 'Funky Kingston’, ‘Reggae Got Soul’, 'Time Tough’ and the questionable cover of 'Take Me Home Country Roads’. Toots spent a couple of years in the wilderness after that, returning with the patchy Pass the Pipe, which doesn’t get a mention, followed by the slightly better Just Like That. His return to proper form came with the 1980 Live In London album, which was a testament to his vitality and longevity. Toots’s subsequent output has been a little bland, although ‘Spiritual Healing' is a timeless ballad. His most recent single, ‘Peace, Perfect Peace', is another slow one, suggesting that Toots is mellowing gracefully as he approaches his fifth decade. Save for the exclusion of 'Pomp and Pride’ and ‘Premature’, this compilation charts the development of a charismatic performer.