The Ladies at Joe Gibbs

The legendary producer Joe Gibbs produced a host of female singers, who provided him with some classic songs and ‘riddims’ in the golden years at his studio. With five tracks to her name, the star here is Marcia Aitken (no relation to ska star Laurel Aitken), most famous for her rendition of Alton Ellis’ rocksteady standard ‘I’m Still in Love With You’. Another featured Aitken track is The Paragons’ ‘Danger in Your Eyes’, a song covered numerous times throughout reggae history. Aitken’s 1979 version takes inspiration from one of the best, sharing both the percussive rattles and haunting vocals of Linval Thompson’s 1977 dub makeover. Tennessee-born Dhaima’s ‘Ina Jah Children’ is a mighty, horn-heavy roots cry, while Althea Forrest provides the only other tracks that aren’t cover-versions, bouncing lazily over the riddims of ‘Downtown Thing’ and ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ in a style later popularised by Sister Nancy, herself a pioneering female voice in the even more male-centric world of dancehall.