Congo Ashanti

These days, The Congos’ stunning 1977 collaboration with the legendary Lee “Scratch” Perry, Heart of the Congos, is frequently cited as the finest reggae album of all time. Yet at the time of its release, few outside Jamaica could hear it. Island Records’ Chris Blackwell judged the album unfit for international release and precipitated a feud between Perry and The Congos, who believed Perry had failed to shop their music to Blackwell and Island with sufficient vigor. After this break with Perry, The Congos headed across town to Harry J’s Kingston studio. There, they began to lay down the tracks that would become Congo Ashanti, a remarkable album and a testament to the startlingly gorgeous interplay between the keening falsetto of Cedric Myton, the soulful tenor of Ashanti Roy, and the rumbling bass of Watty Burnett. Throughout Congo Ashanti, The Congos’ crystalline vocals are complemented by first-rate instrumental backing from some of Kingston’s top session men, including Tommy McCook, Ernest Ranglin, and others. Too often passed over in favor of its more famous predecessor, Congo Ashanti is a first-rate effort that deserves the attention of all reggae fans.