Love

In the late '60s, reggae began breaking out in Britain, with crossover singles regularly entering the U.K. pop charts. By the mid-'70s, however, British tastes began shifting toward heavier sounds, and for the first time Jamaican artists' albums began to sell in substantial quantities. Island, the first to take advantage of this shift in full-length fortunes, was also the first to express some interest in the Twinkle Brothers, who already released two albums on smaller U.K. labels. However, Virgin was quicker off the mark, immediately snapping up the six recordings Norman Grant offered them in 1978, unleashing them on the 10" Love mini-album the following year. For all its brevity, Love was an exceedingly strong set, divided equally between powerful cultural numbers and sumptuous romantic tracks. The former include the potent "Free Africa," which remains a fan favorite, the vocal showcase "Solid as a Rock," backed by the Revolutionaries, and the adamant "Watch the Hypocrites." The glorious title track, "I Love You So"'s gorgeous deep roots, and the deeply romantic "Distant Drums" were all beautiful counterpoints to the flip side's cultural classics. ~ Jo-Ann Greene|