Ten years after his last studio album, Flip and Twist, Toots Hibbert returns with a feast of reggae, but he doesn’t stop there. For the leader of the Maytals and author of the classics Do the Reggay, Funky Kingston and the hit 54-46 who has been through every era of Jamaican music since the ska and rocksteady of the 60’s, reggae has never just been a substrate. Unlike most of his colleagues in Kingston, Toots didn’t commit himself to pure Rasta reggae in the 70’s. Although he often talks about God (Jamaica is one of the countries with the most churches per capita), he is not musically sectarian and he proves this once again on this record, accompanied by Sly Dunbar on drums – somebody whose music is a metaphor for open-mindedness. Influences from funk, blues, soul and even country are scattered throughout Got To Be Tough's ten richly orchestrated tracks, even if Toots’ voice is probably better suited to stripped-down tracks, such as Stand Accused, where he sings a skank in minor. The big sell is obviously the track featuring Ziggy Marley on a cover of his father’s Three Little Birds. This cover uses a much lively arrangement, a ska rhythm carried by a distorted electric guitar, which ends up sounding very English. Once again, Toots does reggae for those who don’t just like reggae. And this is undoubtedly the reason for his success. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz