Live in Paris: Zenith '88

AMG Review of Live in Paris: Zenith '88

John Dougan
All Music Guide

Winston Rodney's (aka Burning Spear) first live waxing remains as righteous a live reggae disc you're ever gonna feast upon. Well, this recent live double shot is hardly its predecessor's equal, but Rodney is still one of the truly great voices in reggae. So even when the going gets rough, or boring, or meanders into Jah oblivion, he's still worth the price of admission. His new band (complete with all-female horn section) is a tightly skanking bunch of bohunks who negotiate the labyrinthine rhythmic pulsation with grace and panache. And while the material here is no match for earlier stuff like "Marcus Garvey," "Slavery Days" and "Man in the Hills," it stacks up well by comparison, especially "Spear Burning" and "Creation Rebel."