"Alton Ellis is one of the best Jamaican vocalists to have emerged during the ska and rocksteady periods in the '60s. His singing prowess remained intact through the reggae, dancehall, and ragga years as well, proving that his uniquely soulful delivery and impeccable phrasing could transcend reggae's many changes. Recording with his preferred producer Clement Dodd, Ellis cut Sunday Coming around 1969-1970 at Dodd's legendary Brentford Road studio. Most likely backed by the producer's Sound Dimension band (featuring the great Jackie Mittoo as arranger and organist), Ellis offers up a typical set of originals and choice covers from the day's charts. On the handful of tracks Ellis co-wrote with Dodd, breezy medium-tempo cuts like "It's True" and "The Picture Was You" particularly stand out; the buoyant soul-based rocksteady beats, occasional jazz chords, and sweet harmonies all seem to be part of a musical setting in which Ellis thrived. The point is substantiated by great Ellis performances on similarly disposed covers like the Guess Who's "These Eyes," Blood, Sweat & Tears' "You Make Me So Very Happy," and the "Junior Walker hit "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)." Ellis also shows some musical flexibility with his funky James Brown-inspired jam "Alton's Groove" and the fine roots reggae track "Reason in the Sky"; he even proves his contemporary relevance on two impressive tracks from 1994, including the updated rocksteady cut "Joy in the Morning" and a digitally enhanced number entitled "The Winner." This disc is one of Ellis' best and comes highly recommended to newcomers and reggae enthusiasts alike."
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2 comments:
Thank you for these new (to me) sounds!
Alton is more than one of the best IMNSHO....he is probably THE best, and this album surely is representative of him at the height of his powers....Just a shame that this reissue from Heartbeat doesn't really do the set justice....sound quality is just okay, but the real problem for me is why the company would choose to top and tail a classic album that well represents a certain era at Studio One with a pair of later recordings (from 1994) that sound so out of place. They could have at least had the decency to put them both at the end or, preferably, augment the running time with other contemporaneous tunes...It really is worth tracking down a UK vinyl issue of this set on Bamboo, as it presents these same tracks in split stereo where every vocal nuance and harmony can be clearly heard....But still, as an intoduction for those who have never had the pleasure of hearing the soulful outpourings of Mr Ellis, even this slightly lacking reissue of the set has to be far better than no copy at all. Glad to see a bit of reggae here, too, while a little disappointed that there is not much of a response to the post...People don't know what they're missing!
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