Monkey Man & From the Roots

It's likely that everyone reading this magazine will have heard of Toots Hibbert, the 76-year-old legend of Jamaican music who continues to tour his dynamic live show. This single CD gathers two of Toots' albums from when he was leading The Maytals (which was soon to be known as Toots & the Maytals). Formed in 1962 with Toots' ragged, gospel-flavoured voice marking the group as very different from their Jamaican contemporaries, by the Monkey Man album in 1969 their sound was taking on a groove that would soon be known as reggae.

Here the band roar through a dozen songs that include a spirited cover of John Lennon's ‘Give Peace a Chance’, plus the title-track, as well as the classic ‘Pressure Drop’, which still remains in Toots' set today. Perhaps the most stunning is ‘The Preacher’, a slow, very soulful tune that goes back to the trio's church roots. From the Roots (issued 1973) gathers tunes cut around 1970 and so follows seamlessly on from Monkey Man. There's plenty of riches contained here. This CD comes with three alternate tracks and extensive liner notes by Jamaican music expert Tony Rounce, plus photos of the band and the original 45s and LPs. A gem.