Roots Rock Reggae

Week Ten: Sunday 3 December – Saturday 9 December

If music is the universal language, then reggae is its most widely spoken dialect. So says ‘Putumayo Presents World Reggae’ in the blurb that comes with the cd. How do I know? Because I bought the cd.

Term had ended, the course night out had left me with a head that felt like my brain had been used as a football, and I was out getting some fresh air and doing some grocery shopping.

I popped into the Natural Store to buy some organic and Fair Trade goodies and before I knew where I was my feet were tapping and my hips were swaying to the beats playing in the shop. Possibly still under the influence from the previous nights partying, but, be that as it may, the music had me.

Sashaying on up to the counter to pay for my goods, a sign greeted me that said ‘Now Playing – Putamayo Presents World Reggae. I had been sure that the tunes I could hear were reggae tunes, but they had an unusual sound to them so I wasn’t sure. But I was sure that I was sold on the sound.

The blurb also says, ‘reggae’s bouncing bass lines seem to compel listeners to join in the groove.’ I couldn’t agree more and my reaction in the shop is testimony to that fact.

I love reggae music: it plays a big part in my life and has done so since I sat listening to Bob Marley sing Exodus some fifteen years ago; the immortal lines, ‘Open your eyes and look within, are you satisfied with the life your living?’ resonated deep within my psyche and changed my life forever.

I devoured Marley after that; listening to as much of his music as possible, reading about him and watching documentaries on him too. The more I listened, read and watched the more I came to love the man with the coolest named backing band in the history of music –The Wailers.

Apart from the obvious delights of the sound of reggae, what drew me in were the words of the songs, the messages and intent. Reggae comes from the heart and has meaning. Again the blurb that comes with the World Reggae cd confirms that: ‘but while reggae has an engaging beat you can dance to, the music alone is not the sole reason for its worldwide popularity; reggae has also long been a tool for social and political discourse. The irresistible offbeat shuffle and powerful social messages of reggae have earned it fans around the globe.’

Again, I’m in complete agreement. Stumbling across the World Reggae cd is a true serendipitous event for me. There was a time, after I first got drawn into the world of Bob Marley & The Wailers, that I only listened to Bob. It wasn’t long though before I gravitated to other reggae artists: Pete Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Toots Hibbert, Leroy Sibbles, Bunny Wailer, Gregory Issacs … and so the list goes on.

And now I’ve gravitated on to world reggae. Reggae got soul!