To Be a Lover (Have Mercy)

George Faith’s To Be a Lover is an absolutely peerless collection of dubbed-out lovers rock recorded at the legendary Black Ark Studios during one of producer Lee “Scratch” Perry’s most creatively fertile periods. To Be a Lover is almost entirely given over to Faith’s infatuation with the smoothest, most romantic aspects of American soul music. The most engaging cuts here are languid interpretations of soul classics like William Bell’s “I Forgot to Be Your Lover," The O’Jays’ “I Got the Groove," and Tyrone Davis’ “Turn Back the Hands of Time.” Perry and The Upsetters slow these tunes to a syrupy crawl, letting Faith linger over his lovers’ devotionals. He cultivates a relaxed, ad lib–laced delivery that evokes the improvisational style of great soul vocalists like Al Green and Billy Stewart. This dreamy atmosphere makes To Be a Lover a fantastic front-to-back listen. It's an ideal, if potentially hallucinatory, accompaniment to late-night reveries and a fantastic, Jamaican-bred riposte to the smoother side of American soul.