Sunday under covers with Keith Hudson
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Artist:
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Album:Class and Subject
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Track:Never Get To Heaven
Having cut his teeth as a producer in 1968, using some cast-off Voiceroys and Termites riddims from Carl Bryan, and using the Soul Syndicate to back artists of the calibre of Ken Boothe, Alton Ellis, Dennis Alcapone and U-Roy, Keith Hudson (1947-84) cut his first LP "Furnace" in 1972, on which he sang on only four tracks, the others being instrumentals, DJ tunes and one version cut. In the mid 1970s and therefafter he was a dub pioneer, and his 1975 LP "Flesh Of My Skin" remains a groundbreaking classic, albeit one that was widely misunderstood on release, when fewer than a hundred copies reached Jamaica.
However, his second foray into the studio to make an LP was quite interesting. The twelve tracks on "Class and Subject" (1972) were six Keith Hudson vocals, each followed by a dub version by the Soul Syndicate; a style that did not become fashionable until at least six years later, when "showcase" albums ruled the roost. Three of the tracks were his own compositions, suited his frankly limited vocal talents. His voice was a fairly aggressive rasp in his younger days, and it wasn't until he was in his thirties that he really got the hang of singing within the limitations of his range.
This did not, however, restrict his ambition. His third LP "Entering the Dragon" features a quite jaw-dropping version of Maxine Brown's "Oh No Not My Baby", while "Class and Subject" featured his attempt to take on Alton Ellis' "Willow Tree" and *this* - in which backing vocalists The Ebony Singers try as best they can to hide the fact that Mr Hudson is no Dionne Warwick.
Comments (3)
Lest it be thought that the previous cut was representative of Keith Hudson's early performances, here he is in 1972 from his first LP "Furnace", versioning a mid-sixties rocksteady tune from the wholly obscure CB Productions, called "Show Me The Way" by The Termites. This is his second take on the rhythm - "Don't Start It Up"
Really like the second button, but must be honest - the vocals on the first were pretty brutal. I am willing to believe that virtually all reggae covers are superior to the originals, but....
On his early singing records, Mr Hudson's vocals vary between terrible, but they work in the context of the song and its lyrics, and simply terrible. When he writes for himself, he often simply rasps the lyrics without any pretence and using two or more notes, e.g. "Too Possessive and You Know It Baby", and "Like I'm Dying". Mind you, when he tried to remake Phyllis Dillon's "Don't Stay Away" as "Will you Come Out Tonight", the results were far from successful.
Vocally, he is something of an "acquired taste", although his albums after "Rasta Communication" demonstrated a greater confidence in his abilities, combined with awareness of his limitations.