Wicked Dem a Burn

Horace Andy delved even deeper into his music in 1972, when he first hooked up with Bunny Lee. Marked by booming bass and full-bodied sonic range, Lee’s productions defined Rastafarian studio reggae in the mid-'70s. Though Lee worked with many of the era’s most talented vocalists (including Linval Thompson, Cornell Campbell, and Johnny Clarke), no one was better suited to his style than Andy. There's an otherworldly intensity and seriousness to Andy’s voice that heightens the effect of Lee’s heavy productions. “You Are My Angel,” “Skylarking," and a magnetic cover of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” became career songs for Andy, even sleeker and deadlier under Lee’s stewardship. Though it's easy to imagine these songs existing out of time, it's crucial to remember that they're a specific reflection of a changing Jamaica. As the country’s political unrest and violence escalated, the music became more ominous. As much as Andy’s voice can be called an instrument of foreboding, he also achieved disarming tenderness in “Love You To Want Me,” “Sea of Love," and “Bless You.”