Recorded over five years in no less than ten locations, ranging from decent studios to living rooms with dozens of musicians live and overdubbed,
No Dark in America
represents the last will and testament of one of this country's greatest if obscure songwriters. Issued by
Dualtone
for
Skuntry
and produced by
Elijah "Lij" Shaw
with support from his label partner,
Chris King
, these 15 songs represent the great
Rosco Gordon
at a creative peak. Along with
Brad Jones
and
Audley Freed
,
Ken Coomer
makes an appearance on these sides as well.
Gordon
is widely regarded as the true source of
ska
reggae
's heartbeat, based on the unique rhythmic pattern of his
R&B
tunes in the 1950s, like
"No More Doggin'."
His tunes have been recorded by luminaries such as
Elvis Presley
Jerry Lee Lewis
Little Richard
, and
Jimi Hendrix
. The music here ranges form the startling brilliance of the title track -- a whomping
anthem written after the fall of the Twin Towers on 9/11 -- to a skittering, off-kilter version of
"Night in Rio,"
the complex stroll and roll of
"That's What You Do to Me,"
the off-key piano orgy of
"You Look Bad When You're Naked,"
and the soul-busting
ballad
"One More Time."
~ Thom Jurek