Johnny Clarke ADD

Review

Album Review: Johnny Clarke + Sly & Robbie - Love Up

06/06/2024

by Steve Topple

If ever there was a trio with a huge back catalogue to draw on, it would be Johnny Clarke and Sly & Robbie. Instead, though, on their new album they also draw in hits by other artists. Love Up, released via TABOU1 (exclusively available as download & vinyl in their new Music NFT shop) sees the trio join forces for what is a retrospective look at some of Clarke’s hits, as well as classics by other artists. But ‘retrospective’ doesn’t tell the whole story – as each track has been reimagined by the team.

Love Up (originally Love Up Your Brothers And Sisters produced by Bunny Lee) sees a slight reimagining, with a deeper, richer sound, the inclusion of a shrill electric organ, and overall, a more intricate arrangement. Play Fool, a reworking of Clarke’s original on the Jackpot label (produced by Lee) Play Fool Fi Get Wise, sees the sound broadened out with a heavy horn line, and some additional intricacy across other instrumentation.

Every Knee brings his self-produced Gorgon Records classic Every Knee Shall Bow into 2024, with an additional focus on dub engineering – including some well-placed reverb – and a speeding-up of the drum line. Then, General is a reworking of the Black Uhuru track General Penitentiary. It sees a key change, a heavier drum line, and some brilliant work across the keys to create a heady dub sound.

Johnny Osbourne/Studio One’s Jah Promise gets the Clarke, Sly, and Robbie treatment – with a pleasing electric organ and guitar line, as well as a lovely trombone (plus the obligatory dub tricks again). Ride On (originally Ride On Girl) doesn’t stray far from Clarke’s original, albeit with some great attention to detail on the rhythm section – while Jacob Miller’s Shaky Girl sees the trio fill-out the arrangement, with Clarke smoothing out the vocal.

Bitty McLean's recent As Far As Eyes Can See sees McClean himself on backing vocals (as he provides across the entire album), after Sly & Robbie of course produced the original, too. Here, there’s some excellent additional use of synths instead of the melodica and some vocal tweaking by Clarke, with the sound being fuller.

When you hear Fire In A Kingston, you expect the Yabby You/Vivian Jackson and the Prophets track. Not here, though – it is a reworking of the Clarke/Lee original Fire And Brimstone A Go Burn The Wicked, which is admittedly infinitely better the second time round. There are three dubs: Ride On Dub, Play Fool Dub, and Love Up Dubwise, all of which are inventive and engaging.

However, the triumph across Love Up is Clarke, Sly, and Robbie. Clarke has lost none of his vocal skill over the years, nor his interpretative power – as seen especially on the cover versions. Sly & Robbie are still at the peak of their powers, too – as the new arrangements often deviate a long way from the originals; sometimes improving on them. This leaves Love Up as a brilliantly executed project that deserves to be a success.

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