Jah Golden Throne Dubwise

Why Jah Lion had to introduce reggae singer Peter Broggs in dub is a mystery, since Broggs had done numerous dub recordings already. As the title suggests, this is a dub version of the Jah Golden Throne album, one of Broggs' finest. While the stuff is all in the mix for a killer dub album, this attempt falls short — a little, not a lot — but misses the mark nonetheless. Sure, there are screaming analog effects here, especially in "I Put My Trust in Dub" and "Mighty Dub," as well as the skittering, completely crazy drums in "Sinners Dub." The problem is with how Broggs' vocals are mixed into the dub stew. Basically, unlike the phenomenal Black Uhuru in dub or Linton Kwesi Johnson in dub or even Burning Spear's Marcus Garvey in dub, Broggs' voice is used far to often to too little effect here. Rather than taking a syllable or a word and pouring effects and deadly, heady bass through it and around it, Lion insists on using not only a line, but as often is the case, half a verse. Alas, not even Lion's back-masking can protect the dub from such insistent vocalizing. The instrumental chores here — handled by Stephen Mosco, A. Millgate, and Hughie Ichazaar, among others — are without a doubt top-notch, steamy, and goopy in all the right places. It's too bad about the vocals, but it's still a pretty killer reggae album, it's just misleading as dub.