For much of the '70s,
Ken Boothe seemed set for international success. Having torn up the '60s at Studio One, the singer linked first with producer Sonia Pottinger and then Leslie Kong late in the decade, and unleashed a stream of reggae hits. It was
Lloyd Charmers who finally put the singer onto the U.K. charts in the mid-'70s. Cruelly, it was the very success of his chart-topping "Everything I Own" that set in motion Trojan's financial difficulties and the company's eventual collapse, and with it
Boothe's own hopes of continued international stardom.
Back home, though, the reggae scene was booming, and in 1978 the singer returned to the studio and began recording a series of sessions with producer Bunny Lee. In the sound systems, even as roots and rockers took hold, there was an immense market for reactivated riddims, with classic melodies reworked, overdubbed, or versioned. Lee set loose on a myriad of such revitalized golden oldies, with 16 gathered up onto this superb compilation, all recorded in 1978. Some of the numbers are straightforward covers, like "Duke of Earl," "Puppet on a String," and "I'm Just a Man" and
Boothe's take on
Alton Ellis' classic "I'm Just a Guy."
Others are remodels of
Boothe's own old hits, including "Artibella," "The Train Is Coming," and "Moving Away" (which oddly appears under the title "I've Got the Power"). And then, just to shake things up, there are old numbers paired to entirely different recycled riddims, like the rich romance of "It's Gonna Take a Miracle," which
Boothe initially cut for Kong, but now sings over a version of
John Holt's "A Love I Can Feel," or the fabulous "Ain't No Love," which he soulfully delivers across
the Heptones' "Fatty Fatty" riddim.
The glorious sounds of the '60s reborn as the more militant rhythms of the '70s,
Rock on Love was a potent reminder of the beauty of the past, and
Boothe's own part in it. And thus with perfect timing, the singer looked forward by looking back. This is a rich collection of timeless classics dipped deep in romance and swaddled in
Boothe's sweet, soulful vocals. ~ Jo-Ann Greene