Reggae Magic

AMG Review of Reggae Magic

Jason Ankeny
All Music Guide

After living four years in Toronto, the music of Jamaican émigré Jackie Mittoo officially qualified as "Canadian content," so for the non-profit organization Canadian Talent Library he cut the Coxsone Dodd-produced Reggae Magic, a supremely soulful LP that transforms leaden contemporary pop like "Too Late to Turn Back Now," "For All We Know," and "Alone Again, Naturally" into golden, sun-kissed funk. While unmistakably eggae in terms of form and structure, the album is deeply indebted to the multidimensional American R&B of the early '70s, harnessing elements of funk, Philly soul, and even jazz fusion. Dodd's lush production at times threatens to turn the music to mush, but Mittoo's lean and mean keyboard work keeps the performances on message.