SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: HORACE ANDY – MIDNIGHT SCORCHERS

Horace Andy
Midnight Scorchers
On-U Sound

Jamaican singer Horace Andy is known to the world in general for his work with UK trip-hoppers Massive Attack (there is a remake of “Safe From Harm” here); reggae lovers know him for a string of high quality singles and albums reaching back to the late 60s. London’s Adrian Sherwood of On-U Sound is a sound manipulator par excellence, taking the art of dub in new and different directions for a few decades now. Midnight Scorchers is the follow-up to April’s acclaimed Horace Andy album Midnight Rocker, and consists of re-workings (“Feverish” is a very fine sound system special), tracks that were not felt to quite fit into the earlier release, and instrumental dub passages – try “Sleepy’s Night Cap” for the latter. All tracks have a deep dread sound, played by the style’s leading musicians (and there is some very interesting playing of violin and cello), and Sleepy’s soul side is well-represented by a fine modern sounding dub of Bobby Bland’s “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City”. Horace is well-represented on this set, though as dub tends to demand, it is the performance skills, effects, and production that really stand out here. It is a companion set to the earlier album, but also stands well – very well – on its own merits.

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