Dread Locks Dread

As dread as its title suggests, and featuring the sadly neglected Skin, Flesh & Bones band, Dreadlocks Dread skanks from punchy, rhythm-heavy reggae to the deepest, dubbiest roots. This is indeed Big Youth at his dreadest and, if there's any doubt, check out the song titles -- "House of Dreadlocks," "Dread Organ," "Some Like It Dread," and so on. That last song is, as the title suggests, a version of Dennis Brown's "Some Like It Hot," where the DJ's toast is intertwined with a bluesy harmonica. There's also a fiery version of Burning Spear's "Marcus Garvey" that adds even more power to the original. On "Lightning Flash," Big Youth has another go at Yabby You's "Conquering Lion"; it's even more potent than his first attempt, "Yabby Youth." The DJ even rejigs the slacker favorite "Soldering" into the more appropriate "Natty Dread She Want," but loses none of the song's original rude connotations. Almost half of the album comprises instrumental dubs, showcasing Skin, Flesh & Bones at their seething best, while producer Tony Robinson and engineer Errol Thompson turn up the bass and fiddle with the knobs. There's a spellbinding version of the aforementioned "Some Like It Hot," retitled "Black Man Message," a thoroughly charming take on the John Holt classic "Keep on Moving," and a scintillating dub of the Techniques' rocksteady masterpiece "You Don't Care." Not your typical DJ album by any means, the music equals the toasts and vice versa and, regardless of whether you're a dub fan or a Big Youth supporter, the entire album will leave you sated. ~ Jo-Ann Greene