Just Dennis/Deep Down

Despite being dubbed ‘The Crown Prince of Reggae’ by Bob Marley, Dennis Brown's success in Jamaica never led to international stardom. His name instead hovers somewhere between roots reggae and lover's rock: too sweet a vocalist to fit neatly in the former sub-genre, but too dedicated to Rastafari to be put in the same lover's rock bracket as Ken Boothe or John Holt. This double album revisits Brown with his first collaborations with producer Winston ‘Niney’ Holness, who oversaw some of his best work.

There is, however, something distinctly unpunchy about the tracks of his Just Dennis (1975) and Deep Down (1976) albums. It's only in the bonus tracks that this release shows what Niney and Dennis Brown would go on to achieve. Specifically, the bonus tracks of disc 2 – which feature Lee Perry co-produced anthems ‘Wolf and Leopard’ and ‘Here I Come Again’ – demonstrate how Brown's voice could be made the perfect accompaniment to a simple drum, bass and skank roots backing. Newcomers to Brown would be better off getting the albums Wolf & Leopards or Visions of Dennis Brown. This reissue only offers a glimpse of Brown and Niney finding their groove.