Jamaican Memories By the Score

Jamaican guitarist Dwight Pinkney is best known for his work with Zap Pow and the Roots Radics, but with Jamaican Memories by the Score he has found a new platform for his melodic playing and steady, deep tone. A mixture of light reggae and jazz, Memories features old playing mates Ansel Collins on organ, Dean Fraser on saxophone, David Madden on trumpet, and the seemingly everywhere-at-once Sly Dunbar on drums and percussion. Revisiting well-known Jamaican standards like Gregory Isaacs' "Tune In," Delroy Wilson's "Better Must Come," Dennis Brown's "Left With a Broken Heart," Eric Donaldson's "Cherry Oh Baby," and Alton Ellis' "Cry Tough," Pinkney weaves easy, lyrical leads from his Fly-Parker (his signature Les Paul became too heavy to use regularly, particularly on-stage), resulting in a sound not unlike what fellow island guitarist Ernest Ranglin has been doing for some time now. Pinkney isn't quite as sprightly a player as Ranglin, but he has a thick, elegant tone to his lines that give these tracks a stirring and subtle depth. He also doesn't overplay, giving Jamaican Memories by the Score a real ensemble feel.