Rating:
Genre:
Reggae
Release Date: 02/20/1996
The partnership of
Dennis Brown and
Errol "Flabba" Holt continues to pay rich dividends, for of all the producers the singer worked with across the '90s, arguably
Holt was the most sympathetic.
Blood Brothers, where
Brown joined forces with
Gregory Isaacs, was very good indeed, but
Holt still had to cater to the latter man's style as well; here he can lavish his attention on
Brown alone. The results are awe-inspiring. Backed by
Holt's
Roots Radics, and with a guest appearance by bassist
Leroy Sibbles and drummer
Sly Dunbar, the album is driven by modern digitized beats, but boasts
the Radics at their richest. The group plunder the Jamaican songbook for old rhythms, reaching back into the past to root out old
roots numbers, disinter the beautiful melodies of the
rocksteady era, and even cross the Caribbean to plunder the American
pop chart. There's a phenomenal lush and soulful cover of
the Jackson 5's classic
"Never Can Say Goodbye," slightly retitled within.
Horace Andy's gorgeous
"My Guiding Star" provides
Brown with the inspiration for the lovelorn
"Why U Wanna," its rhythm totally reinvented by
the Radics. That's just one of a stream of glorious love songs that
Milk and Honey is drenched in.
"Caress Me Girl" is just as soulful, but its arrangement is even more sizzling, the sparkling keyboards counterpointing
Holt's heaving bassline. The cover of
"Your Love" has a backing that is downright perky, all stiff beats and taut riffing, but here
Brown is at his most passionate.
"Dumb Thing" travels back in time, resurrecting an old
Studio One rhythm, but serving it up in lush
lovers rock style, sending
Brown into sizzling
R&B mode as he promises he'll be there, whenever the girl wants him. Then it's back to the present and into the dancehalls for
"Darling." For as
Holt has discovered, the tougher and sparser the rhythm, the more soulful the singer, and here
Brown virtually self-immolates in the flames of his desire.
"Love Love Love" is actually a cultural song and unity-themed, despite its bouncy rhythm and sweet
pop melody. The title track revisits the past, a sizzling remake of an old
Brown standard.
"Revolution, Pt. 3," a continuation of a number originally cut for
Sly & Robbie, and
"Things in Life" journeys further back in time, their rich
rocksteady rhythms providing the perfect backdrop for
Brown's heartfelt words of wisdom.
"Wisdom" itself is the richest
roots number on the set, and the most inspiring, a true redemption song. It's an incredibly powerful set, a brilliant coming together of minds and music:
Brown is in top form,
the Radics at their best, and the production nigh on perfect.
~Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
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