Heartical Chart

AMG Review of Heartical Chart

Rick Anderson
All Music Guide

Producer and keyboardist Augustus Pablo is a mysterious character, a quiet, slightly built man whose studio and instrumental prowess has made him one of the most influential musicians in reggae. As the producer of such singers as Jacob Miller, Hugh Mundell, and Junior Delgado, Pablo helped to shape the sound of roots reggae in the '70s and '80s, and as the first reggae musician to make serious use of the melodica, he created an eerie, almost Oriental sound all his own that has been hugely influential. That said, not everything that is hugely influential can bear repeated listening, and this album, important as it is, is a case in point. It consists of 13 instrumental melodica showcases (a few with dub versions), and while all of them are nice, and one, "Java," is a reggae classic, they do all start sounding pretty much the same after the fifth or sixth track. Kudos to the all-star backing cast, though, which includes drummer Santa Davis, bassist Danny Thompson, and percussionist Skully Simpson. There's not a single bad track here; it's just that they're all good in exactly the same way.