Dennis Brown Love Is So True Import LP

One of the greatest reggae singers of all time, Dennis Brown made an incredible impact during a career that spanned four decades, his reign cut short by his tragically early death from a collapsed lung in 1999, aged just 42. First released in 1995 under the title Take a Stand and also known as Temperature Rising, the album Love Is So True was expertly produced by Anthony Dehaney, alias Bunny Gemini, at the Record Factory studios in Kingston, then home to some of the better dancehall being cut in Jamaica. Along with saxophonist/arranger Dean Fraser and the Fire House Crew and "Rhythm Twins" Sly and Robbie, the featured musicians include the stalwart keyboardist Ansel Collins of "Double Barrel" and "Stalag" fame, guitarist Lascelles Beckford and bassist Danny "Axe Man" Thompson of the Gifted Roots band, trumpeter David Madden of Zap Pow, and keyboardist Dennis "Jah D" Fearon. The keen musicianship brought forth by these players helped coax the best out of Brown on songs such as "Never Let Your Heart Be Troubled," which rides a tough re-cut of the "Full Up" rhythm; the meditative "Sea Shore" is on a great dancehall cut of "Real Rock" and the anti-rude boy "Gangster" is voiced on a beautiful dancehall interpretation of "Freedom Blues." There's even a dancehall take of the Beatles' "You Won't See Me," delivered as only Dennis Brown can, as well as a likeable remake of Dennis' own "Have You Ever."

Cited by Bob Marley as his favorite singer, Dennis Brown's death in 1999 at 42 cut short an extraordinary career that spawned some 100 albums, and close to 300 singles, and while maintaining consistent artistic quality would obviously be difficult given such a massive catalog, this set shows why even his second-line releases are worth checking out....here [Brown] sounds bright, energetic, and still on top of his game.