Right Time (Remastered)

The mid and late ‘60s saw an explosion in Jamaican vocal music reminiscent of the Doo-Wop craze that struck American street corners in the mid ‘50s, as groups of Jamaican youngsters crooned and harmonized in imitation of American soul vocal groups of the era. The Mighty Diamonds honed their chops during this heady time, cutting a number of remarkable rocksteady sides for producers like Byron Lee and Rupie Edwards, but it was not until they found a home at Joseph Hookim’s Channel One Label that they released Right Time, one of the unquestionable high points of Jamaican Music. On Right Time the Mighty Diamonds trade the punchy, soul-influenced sound of their early work for the deep-roots textures of the Channel One house band. They recut one of their first hits “Shame and Pride” in a more relaxed style, but this album is defined by newly composed tunes like “Right Time,” “I Need a Roof” and “Africa,” which frame messages of self-empowerment, cultural pride, and calls for political changes in luxurious harmonies and painstakingly hewn reggae rhythms. They're among the finest tunes of the Roots era.