Double Dekker

Desmond Dekker (1941-2006) brought Jamaican music to an international audience in a way that no other artist had previously achieved: he scored the first Jamaican No 1 in the UK and Top Ten in the US (with ‘Israelites’ in 1969) and proved himself a remarkable singer, songwriter and performer in an era where few took music from the Caribbean (or anywhere else in the developing world) seriously. As Trojan Records celebrated its 50th anniversary across 2018, Doctor Bird Records has been doing a great job at reissuing material by major artists who once recorded on Trojan. Here material recorded in 1970 but only released in 1973 as Double Dekker finds Dekker writing and singing with the confidence of an artist at the top of his game. This is reggae before dub took hold, so the music is supple and crisp and aimed at dancers (while Dekker conveys many a moral homily in the songs). There are 28 tracks and not one is a dud – this single CD is not just for Dekker completists but anyone who enjoys good music. Before Bob Marley, Fela and many others, Desmond Dekker led the way for black music from the former colonies. Give praise and thanks!