With its six main tracks and a few extended dub plate versions of three of the originals, it is unclear whether Junior Murvin's Bad Man Posse is an EP or a full-length. What is clear is that this is a classic recording of early '80s dub/reggae. While Murvin made his name working with Lee "Scratch" Perry on his 1976 debut album Police & Thieves, this little work features some stirringly hypnotic tracks to go along with the hit title track. "Guitar" is an eerie ode to Murvin's first guitar, riding craftily over a headnodding rhythm provided by D.A.T.C. (Dread at the Controls) studio musicians the Roots Radix Band. While Murvin changes speeds quite mercurially, from the love lost recollection "Never Fall in Love" to the politically charged "Rebellion," the high quality of the music remains even throughout. Murvin's outstanding doo wop-inspired falsetto is a uniquely inspired nod to the R&B tradition as well as the stylings of ska, rocksteady, and dub. Murvin tops the album off with simply astonishing version "Man Is the Fire." This joint is a must have for reggae enthusiasts. ~ M.F. DiBella

Rovi