The Front Line

It took four years for Black Roots to record their 1983 debut album, their sophomore set, The Front Line, arrived the next year. It was titled after a BBC comedy series, for which the band composed and performed the theme song, and with that number the band delved deeper into the Jamaican roots that snaked across their previous set. The production, however, was far heavier and dubbier in feel, the sound starker, the group finally reflecting the musical shift that had taken place across the Atlantic. The unity and peace themed "War" contrarily pushed further into militant Junjo Lawes territory, with the band reaching a dread apotheosis on the extended "Blackheart Man." The album's centerpiece, the nine-plus minute "Blackheart" was absolutely mesmerizing, and when it slipped into dub, pushed the group towards their most revolutionary extreme. By rights, these three tracks should have appeared on the A-side of the vinyl album, the trio of bouncier numbers on its flip; instead the set pendulumed between them. Thus, "War" was followed by the steppers styled "Signs & Wonders," a brightly infectious number doused in omens and revelations. The bouncy and anthemic repatriation song, "Far Over," precedes "Blackheart," the bright lessons in righteous living "Struggling," awash in glorious harmonies, follows that epic. There again, as the entire album was culturally themed, and with the production giving even the breeziest numbers heft, it's really a moot point. On their debut, Black Roots were still experimenting a bit, a little unsure which way they were going to move next. Here they've found their sound, and deliver it with power and confidence.