What a System

Clinton Fearon was one of the founding members of the Gladiators, and although he's left the distinctive sound of the reggae harmony trio behind, his music is still deeply rooted in the classical sounds of 1970s reggae: real drums, horns, and dub-inflected production (provided here courtesy of the legendary Scientist). Fearon is still writing great songs and singing them with all the energy and vibrancy of youth; "Rock Your Bones" and "What a System" are both on a par with the best material that Albert Griffiths wrote for the Gladiators, and there are a couple of Gladiators tracks here as well, including the great "Chatty Chatty Mouth." As a bonus, this package includes a separate disc of dub versions corresponding to all but one of the songs on the first disc; unfortunately, the dub treatments are mostly pretty unremarkable. But the first disc is strong enough to make the package highly recommendable regardless.