Steppin’ cover

Steppin’

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The profile of reggae in American and England is often skewed towards dub, so much so that fans lose sight of why the rhythms were cut in the first place. Griffiths is a master of something that really only shows up in Jamaican vocal pop—a kind of relaxed emotionalism, not nearly as churchy as American soul (not a Jamaican church, is it?) and not as perky as rocksteady and ska. Griffiths loves the straight ahead, unadorned vocal and Steppin’ will make you yearn for her lack of pretension if you spend enough time with it. I cannot confirm this but I think Adele’s conversational singing takes something from Griffith’s brand of power and quiet control.

Sasha Frere-Jones

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