Brown Sugar

Beginning his career as a child star along the lines of Michael Jackson or Little Stevie Wonder, Dennis Brown, the "Crown Prince" of reggae, was fingered by many (including Bob himself) as Bob Marley's successor in international stardom. Although held back from that aspiration by a lifelong struggle with cocaine, Brown was nonetheless one of the most prolific and consistently brilliant singers in the world of reggae. BROWN SUGAR finds him conspiring with "Riddim Twins" Sly & Robbie who are not only virtuoso instrumentalists in their own right but, as the bass and drum rhythm section for some of Jamaica's hardest-working studio outfits, the driving force behind many of the innovations in reggae's development from its early days on through the digital dancehall style. Both parties are at the peak of their talents on this 1988 disc, and though only seven songs wide, BROWN SUGAR contains a minimum of filler and a maximum of classics, including the haunting "Revolution (Part One)"and "Sitting And Watching."