There are lots of obscure reggae singers, and most of them are obscure with good reason. But it's hard to understand why
Winston Jarrett hasn't gotten more recognition. Despite a powerful singing voice, a tuneful writing style and a string of fine albums, his name recognition is limited to serious reggae fans.
Jarrett's street cred in Jamaica seems pretty solid, though, given the all-star cast of musicians that contributed to this album:
Earl "Chinna" Smith and
Dwight Pinkney on guitar,
Clinton Fearon on bass,
Santa Davis on drums, a horn section consisting of
Dean Fraser and
Bobby Ellis -the credits read like an old-school reggae reunion. And it turns out that
Jarrett is also a skilled producer; the sound on this self-produced album is sharp, well-balanced and rich. A couple of tracks flirt with excessive slickness (
"Unity," "Run to the Rock"), but for the most part the richly burnished sound serves the songs well: sufferer's anthems like
"Knotty Got to Find a Way" and the archetypal
"Babylon Broke Dung Me House" bounce and shimmer with a melodic glee that is charmingly at odds with their dour lyrics. Overall, this is a great album from a criminally underrated reggae talent. ~ Rick Anderson
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![Catch a Fire [50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602455659835_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Catch a Fire [50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]")
