I Man a the Stal-a-Watt cover

I Man a the Stal-a-Watt

Released

There were several outstanding falsetto singers during reggae’s roots-and-culture era in the 1970s — Junior Murvin, Slim Smith, the eerily ethereal Cedric Myton, for example — but none had the nimbleness and the tonal sweetness of Cornell Campbell. He recorded so prolifically that it can be hard to know where to start; this two-disc retrospective makes a great introduction to the man and his art. “Bandulu,” “Conscious Eastman,” and the “Gordon”-themed trilogy of dancehall hits are all particularly strong tracks.

Rick Anderson

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