Family Affair

It's fun to imagine a group of reggae legends hauled up in a villa for days, switching between recording sessions and moments out on the hilltops, staring over Kingston's mountains and the city skyline. This might not be an exact representation, but Inna de Yard's Family Affair suggests a scene of this sort: one of community and roots, a meeting of the organic and the streetwise. Recorded, appropriately, at Reggae Legends Villa, this release follows a series of earlier albums and a documentary, and sees a slightly different set of artists meeting to re-record some classic – and less well-known – roots reggae.

Despite lengthy artist credits, a lack of female representation raises questions, though the project does a better job of inter-generational cohesion. Here, established names – including Johnny Osbourne, Winston McAnuff, and Cedric Myton (The Congos) – feature alongside an emerging generation – Steve Newland (Rootz Underground) and Derajah. While some tracks sit a little close to their original versions, the best also bring in the new. ‘Africa’, featuring Derajah, is a great example, merging traditional Nyahbingi drumming, improvisation from saxophonist Guillaume Briard and dancehall-influenced lyrics. Given the range of sounds that contribute to this release, the whole is wonderfully cohesive, and often very beautiful.