SHEDROCK  'Test Rastafari'

Shedrock (real name Rupert P.Simpson) is a great reggae singer, even if not so  famous, who hails from St. Catherine, Jamaica. His recording career  started in the seventies with producers like the legendary Lee Perry and Bunny Lee but things didn’t pay off as expected and Shedrock left the musical arena for a while. Then the conscious rastaman made a name for himself  doing some carving which are still regularly sold to tourists. But it would have been a pity if he had definitely stepped from  the music biz. Fortunately, in the second half of the 90s, a small Canadian record label called Tall Korn showed an interest in Shedrock’s compositions and allowed him to return into the reggae scene with the release of two albums, the self-titled ‘Shedrock’ in 1997 and now this wonderful  ‘Test Rastafari’.Recordered at the Groove Studio in Ocho Rios under the wise guidance of Barry O’Hare and with the help of the Positive Force Band (which includes Dean Fraser on sax), ‘Test Rastafari’ is a little jewel, in many parts too sweet for words. Shedrock’s reggae is a powerful roots played with live instrumentation with no trace of dancehall but with solid injections of rock which make the background perfect for his gruff and solemn voice. Shedrock is able to create unique and dragging melodies with a vocal style that reminds me a lot of Norman Grant of the Twinkle Brothers. His rasta-influenced lyrics are wit, incisive and fierce. My personal favourites are the title track, ‘Adam in the garden’ and the beautiful ‘Back Raw’. I think that Shedrock should have a future in reggae music, we need artists like him.

RasWalter

Label  TALL KORN RECORDS

www.tallkorn.com/shedrock.htm

'Shedrock' Tall Korn Records, 1997