Big Ship in Bloomington, MN

R&B
has long been a major influence on
reggae
(just as it influenced
ska
and, before that,
mento
). In the early 1980s, different
artists were being influenced by different types of
-- some were getting into slick, keyboard-driven urban contemporary sounds, while others maintained their devotion to 1960s and 1970s
soul
. On 1982's
Big Ship
,
Freddie McGregor
's love of African-American
music comes through loud and clear -- even though many of the more Rastafarian-oriented lyrics are very much a product of the Jamaican experience. True to form, the singer provides a variety of political and apolitical songs. While gems like
"Holy Mount Zion"
and
"Get United"
underscore his political/spiritual beliefs as a Rastafarian,
McGregor
favors more of a
lovers rock
approach on
"Let Me Be the One,"
"Stop Loving You,"
"Sweet Lady."
In
circles, the term
refers to
that chooses romantic themes over social or political topics -- essentially, it is the
equivalent of romantic
. And any
lover who has spent a lot of time savoring the romantic sweet
of the
Delfonics
or
Brenton Wood
should have no problem getting into the
on this album. For that matter,
's more sociopolitical songs have just as much classic
appeal. Reissued on CD in 2001,
is among the best and most consistent albums that
provided in the 1980s. ~ Alex Henderson