Trod On

Usually, when people talk about the best work of this great reggae harmony trio, they bring up early Joe Gibbs releases like Two Sevens Clash, or the Virgin Front Line classics Cumbolo and International Herb. And don’t get me wrong; those are essential albums. But this 1993 effort released on the Heartbeat label is another one. Featuring backup by a shifting array of A-list sidemen including Sly Dunbar, Vin Gordon, and Ansel Collins (and produced by the underrated S.E. Pottinger), it finds lead singer and bandleader Joseph Hill stripping his songwriting down to its most important elements: simple and powerful melodies coupled with lyrics of spiritual uplift and embroidered with the often eerie harmonies of Kenneth Paley and Albert Walker. Listen to the light, smoky backing vocals on “Trod On”; give yourself over to the sweet comfort of “Weeping Eyes”; be called to repentance by “Jah Alone a Christian.” And through it all, be transported by that loping, effortless groove.