Absolutely The… Uniques

Sweet harmonies reign supreme on this previously ultra-rare Trojan release, available now for the first time since 1968. In Jamaica, The Uniques enjoyed success equal to fellow rocksteady groups The Maytals, The Heptones and The Ethiopians in the late 1960s, but in time the trio became almost exclusively remembered for their solo careers. Lead singer Slim Smith was probably the greatest vocalist to emerge from the ska era, defining the genre with his Motown-worthy slickness and raw emotional passion. Lloyd Chambers and Jimmy Riley went on to produce and star on their own reggae records.

Legendary producer Bunny Lee plays a huge part in making Absolutely The… Uniques such a gem. This is Lee working the studio like a well-oiled machine, playing the trio as sharp-suited heartthrobs backed by the tightest skanking rhythm section on the island. Around the same time, Lee took more of a creative gamble with Max Romeo’s hugely successful ‘Wet Dream’; none of these Uniques tracks are quite as world changing, but Slim Smith-led rocksteady ballads like ‘Speak No Evil’ and ‘A Yuh’ capture the age perfectly.