Tide Is High, The (1962-1979)

Beyond a simple career retrospective, THE TIDE IS HIGH: ANTHOLOGY 1962-79 manages to encapsulate the history of reggae on two discs, as distilled through the voice of John Holt. It starts with his earliest ska side, "Forever I'll Stay". It then chronicles the rise of the Motown-influenced vocal groups and the simmering down of the beat into rocksteady, as epitomised by Paragons, including the influential title track and proto-lovers rock like "Left With A Broken Heart" and "Wear You to The Ball". "Equality and Justice", a rarity in the Holt canon, finds Holt dealing with political/social issues. But it's as one of the leading proponents of lover's rock that Holt truly shines. While the orchestrations on some of his later work might offend purists, there's no denying the puissance of Holt's voice, especially in such relatively stripped-down contexts as "Riding For a Fall" and "My Heart Is Gone", as well as such eccentric covers as "Help Me Make it Through the Night" and "Sister Big Stuff".|