Horace Andy - Rockers & Scorchers '2022

Tracks list

       Since he began making music in the late '60s, Jamaican singer Horace Andy
has been known for the haunting, arresting qualities of his vocals, which add a
tinge of mystery and longing to even his most straightforward material. His
voice was the guiding force of roots reggae hits like 1972's "Skylarking," and
along with albums of his own that explored dub and dancehall styles through the
'80s, Andy was prominently featured on select songs by trip hop pioneers Massive
Attack on their genre-defining '90s albums. He made music consistently as the
years went on, collaborating with artists like Alpha and Sly & Robbie on 2000s
output, and teaming with British dub producer Adrian Sherwood for his 2022
effort Midnight Rocker and its dub counterpart Midnight Scorchers, released
later the same year.

Born Horace Hinds in Kingston, Jamaica in 1951, Andy came on the reggae scene as
part of the second generation of great singers who were following in the
footsteps of seminal reggae vocalists such as Ken Boothe, John Holt, and Delroy
Wilson. What separated Andy from that group and virtually all Jamaican male
vocalists of the early '70s (a notable exception being Junior Murvin) was his
clear, powerful, high tenor voice. With the ability to shift from sultry croon
to full-throated wail, as well as his delicately impeccable phrasing, Andy could
be positively stunning. By the age of 21 he was already a music-scene veteran,
having cut the hit records "Skylarking," "The Love of a Woman," and "I Found
Someone," among others. In the early '70s he was one of the most in-demand
vocalists on the island, recording great sides for Bunny Lee; the pair formed a
relationship that would last for nearly the rest of the decade and account for
some of Andy's best recorded work.

After leaving Bunny Lee, Andy went to work with New York producer Everton
DaSilva. Unlike Lee, who could sometimes be autocratic when it came to
recording, DaSilva gave Andy the latitude needed to craft his own records. It
was a great idea, leading to the recording of Andy's signature work, In the
Light (with a companion dub LP) in 1977. Andy's vocals seemed to soar higher
than ever before and the band, which included such Jamaican luminaries as
Augustus Pablo and Horsemouth Wallace, never sounded better.

Andy continued recording through the '80s, working with producers such as Lloyd
Barnes (aka Bullwackie) and the enigmatic Tappa Zukie. In 1990, Andy was asked
to contribute vocals to Massive Attack's brilliant debut Blue Lines. Ecstatic
with the results, the band asked him back for 1994's Protection (which also
featured another haunting vocalist, Tracey Thorn) as well as 1998's Mezzanine.
Andy continued to make solo records, including a tribute LP to Bob Marley, and
in 1995 the British label Blood & Fire reissued both In the Light and In the
Light Dub on one disc. Andy continued recording throughout the next few decades,
releasing albums like his 2007 collaboration with Sly & Robbie, Livin' It Up,
and 2013's Broken Beats, which wandered at times into dubstep territory. In
April of 2022, Andy worked with dub innovator Adrian Sherwood on a new album,
Midnight Rocker, which reworked some of Andy's older songs and presented them
alongside several newly written tunes. In September of the same year, Midnight
Scorchers followed, offering a classic dub revision of the album. In addition to
experimental remixes from Sherwood, Midnight Scorchers included songs from the
Midnight Rocker sessions that didn't make the album, and newly recorded guest
appearances from dancehall toasters Daddy Freddy and Lone Ranger. ~ John Dougan
& Fred Thomas, Rovi

Tracklist:
1 01. Horace Andy - This Must Be Hell (03:33)
1 02. Horace Andy - Easy Money (03:54)
1 03. Horace Andy - Safe From Harm (04:52)
1 04. Horace Andy - Watch Over Them (03:32)
1 05. Horace Andy - Materialist (03:52)
1 06. Horace Andy - Today Is Right Here (03:58)
1 07. Horace Andy - Try Love (04:10)
1 08. Horace Andy - Rock To Sleep (03:02)
1 09. Horace Andy - Careful (02:58)
1 10. Horace Andy - Mr Bassie (04:00)
1 11. Horace Andy - My Guiding Star (04:35)
2 12. Horace Andy - Come After Midnight (04:26)
2 13. Horace Andy - Midnight Scorcher (04:54)
2 14. Horace Andy - Away With The Gun And Knife (03:35)
2 15. Daddy Freddy - Dirty Money Business (03:43)
2 16. Horace Andy - Sleepy’s Night Cap (02:59)
2 17. Horace Andy - Feverish (04:09)
2 18. Horace Andy - Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City (03:35)
2 19. Lone Ranger - Dub Guidance (04:30)
2 20. Daddy Freddy - More Bassy (03:34)
2 21. Horace Andy - Hell And Back (03:47)
2 22. Horace Andy - Careful  (Instrumental) (03:56) 

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