Haul and Jack Up

Because it was released at a time when the singers of Horace Andy’s generation had become mostly obsolete, 1987’s Haul and Jack Up has remained a vastly underrated entry in the catalog of one of Jamaica’s greatest singers. One of Andy’s strengths as an artist was his adventurousness. He wasn't content to simply rehash the styles of an earlier era, and he was always seeking collaborators who'd provide him with new and interesting sounds. One such collaborator was Prince Jammy, who had apprenticed to King Tubby during Andy’s '70s heyday; by the mid-'80s he was riding a huge wave of success due to his digital productions. It was the right partnership at the right time. Of all the older singers, Andy was one of the best matches for the digital sound. His genderless vocals and grave disposition jibed with the skeletal approach of machine-made dub. Andy had taken just enough from the younger generation of deejays to update his classic vocal style without altering it. Among the album’s greatest cuts are “Give Me Some Money,” “Sweet Reggae Music," and “Love Light of Mine”; each is hard and haunting, but not without a mysterious and unanticipated note of sweetness.