Fever

by Tenor Saw

Overview

The introduction of the Casio keyboard to Jamaica in 1985 began a shift in reggae music that would bring about the digital era. During that time, Tenor Saw made himself a star and provided a bridge between live and digital recording. With all the skill of earlier dancehall stars like Barrington Levy, Saw used the updated digital versions of familiar riddims to become a dancehall phenomenon in a very short period of time. His hypnotic vocals floated over digital tracks, helping to deliver dancehall into the modern era. Fever, his only full-length album release during his life, is a testament to the strength of Saw's voice as well as his songwriting. The updated riddims are made fresh with simple melodies that are repeated with the smoothness of the best roots singers who came before him. Saw's take on the seminal digital riddim "Stalag" became one of the riddim's best-known versions. "Pumpkin Belly" and the title track, "Fever," are dancehall hits with melodies that were eventually used to create Saw's (and dancehall's) late-'80s signature song, "Ring the Alarm." The absence of "Ring the Alarm" from Fever doesn't diminish the quality of the package in any way. It allows for a balance to be struck and the album to play from start to finish with overwhelming consistency. "Stalag," "Sleng Teng," Joe Gibbs' "Armageddon Time," and Carlton Livingston's "Chalice in Mind" are all riddims versioned by Saw with new melodies draped over the top. Fever captures a moment in reggae history with a clean crisp singer who oversaw the massive changes that swept the genre with track after track of dancehall hits. Tenor Saw was a singer of incredible talent who honed his skills with the Youthman Promotion sound system and was able to transfer his energy in the sound clash directly to an album format. The CD release of Fever includes eight dub versions of the tracks on the album. These versions lack any vocals but are still a worthwhile companion to the original album. ~ Matt Whalley

Product Details

Release Date:	12/03/2021
Label:	Ernie B's / Tafari Records
UPC:	0814481018450
Rank:	57579

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Tenor Saw   Primary Artist,Vocals
Skully   Percussion
Sly Dunbar   Drums
Robbie Shakespeare   Bass
Robert Lyn   Keyboards
Noel "Scully" Simms   Percussion
Wycliffe "Steely" Johnson   Keyboards
Lacelles Beckford   Guitar
Danny Thompson   Bass,Guitar,Guitar
Barnabas Stanley Brian   Drums
D. Thompson   Bass
Barnabas & Orangutan   Drums
Oshai   Keyboards
Orangutan   Drums

Technical Credits

Peter Thompson   Producer,Producer
Sugar Minott   Arranger,Producer
Carl Bright   Composer
Wycliffe "Steely" Johnson   Arranger
Chemist   Engineer,Producer
Danny Thompson   Arranger
D. Thompson   Arranger
Lloyd Evans   Executive Producer
Sugar Minott & Dance Hall Crew   Arranger,Producer