Heavenless

Vin Gordon is a true legend of the Jamaican music scene. As a stalwart trombonist he has featured on albums by The Skatalites, Lee Perry, Max Romeo and Bob Marley, taking an active part in the evolution from ska and rocksteady to dub and reggae. In 1977 Bob Marley bought him to England to play on Exodus, where Gordon helped kick start the growing reggae scene by touring with Aswad. Heavenless, a collaboration with the London-based Real Rock Band, is a resonating affirmation of Gordon's loyalty to British reggae. Anyone craving a non-digitalised, instrumentally sound reggae album – Skatalite slick, you could say – will embrace Heavenless. Crisp, live-sounding horns take centre stage, with Gordon occasionally adding a few Jah-inspired mutterings in a playful drawl; it's his trombone that essentially acts as lead vocalist. The title-track is a dubby reworking of Gordon's 1964 hit, evidently the standout moment of his 50-year career. This whole nostalgia trip seems more motivated by fun than money, with the nonsense lyrics and animal-noise percussion of ‘Outta Jungle’ being the culminating moment. The only negative here is that, at only seven tracks long, Heavenless ends in mid-swing.