Although Junior Delgado didn't shy away from dancehall and digital styles as his career progressed, he always remained at heart a true oots performer, with a strong allegiance to sufferers everywhere, and his impassioned singing style, while technically not perfect, always conveyed a strong personal connection to his material. This Trojan collection is a bit more hit or miss than the label usually releases, and it certainly shouldn't be confused with anything resembling a comprehensive anthology of Delgado's major achievements, but that said, there are some undeniable gems compiled here, including an expanded 12" version of the magnificent Lee "Scratch" Perry-produced title tune, "Sons of Slaves," which features background vocals from the Heptones and Dennis Brown. Also worth noting are the Rupie Edwards-produced "Mi Nuh Matta," which is a dubbed-out and versioned take on Slim Smith and the Uniques' "My Conversation," and a trio of Delgado self-productions, the elegantly ragged "Shelter" and the bubbling, stomping "Gimme Your Love" and "Song of Love." Delgado arguably did his best work with Augustus Pablo, and none of that material is here, so Sons of Slaves can't really be called essential or definitive, but what is compiled here is solid and strong, and well worth hearing.
Junior DelgadoSons of Slaves: Rebel Anthems from a Roots LegendTrojan TJACD288Junior Delgado, famed for his gruff yet warm voice, was a roots singer with a long career of both singing and producing, in his native Jamaica in the 70s and in the UK in later decades. "Sons of Slaves" is one of several retrospective compilations of his works which appeared after his death in London in 2005.This comp...
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 "Sons of Slaves")
