Hump Day Hitslist: Gregory Isaacs and lovers rock

Tragically, the world lost a reggae legend this past week with the passing of Gregory Isaacs, treasured elder of the "lovers rock" movement. Popularized by artists in mid-1970s London, lovers rock is a sub-genre of reggae that draws on American soul and R&B to produce a smoother, romance-heavy alternative to the politicized Rastafarian creeds of Bob Marley and company. I became aware of Isaacs from the shout out provided by Mos Def on his delicious story rap "Ms. Fat Booty", and was blessed to find all of these dripping wet dub fantasies about affairs of the heart.

You'll find below the latest installment in the Hump Day Hitslist; a five song lovers rock playlist in dedication to Mr. Isaacs. Unfortunately, my laptop befell a tragic fate this week and so I was unable to upload the necessary tunes to embed the mini-player I know readers have become fond of. In its place, I've been able to cobble together a YouTube playlist. Just press play and all 5 songs will play subsequently, or you can flip through to your heart's content. The mini-player will make its glorious return in weeks ahead.

 

1. Winston Reedy - "Dim The Lights": Released in 1983, this was Reedy's biggest hit, and one of the all-time lovers rock titles. Typical of the genre, Reedy's lover has told him it's over, but neither can resist their insatiable appetite for each other, and so they are kept on booty call speed dial. Reedy has to beg his baby to stop coming back for more, because, in the end, it's hurting him too bad. We've all been there.

2. Louisa Mark - "Caught You In A Lie": Accredited with being the first lovers rock single ever to hit the mainstream airwaves, Louisa Mark's "Caught You In A Lie" is about getting cheated on, real bad. Apparently the bastard said the other woman was his cousin! Sadly, Mark died last year from suspected food poisoning, but her pioneering work lives on.

3. Gregory Isaacs - "If I Don't Have You": Where Louisa Mark brought the saccharine preserves of lovers rock to the mainstream, Gregory Isaacs tended the plum orchard. Producing the very first lovers rock record with friend Errol Dunkley on his Jamaica-based record label and reggae store African Museum, Isaacs was the grandfather of the lovers rock sound. While it isn't his biggest hit, nor his first, "If I Don't Have You" finds Isaacs sweetly reassuring his lover that she's the one for him, despite his absences touring on the road. It's a classic theme, and one which would be given a well-deserved tribute by The Roots a couple of decades onward with their tale "You've Got Me", featuring neo-soul spellbinder Erykah Badu.

4. Junior English - "In Loving You": Like many of the lovers rock trailblazers, English moved from Jamaica to England to sprout his musical career. After winning a talent contest for which he was given a record contract with Pama Records, English would go on to achieve a Christmas number one single on the UK reggae charts with "In Loving You". This honey dripping ditty is a welcome escape from the fact that, in modern day, the UK's Christmas number one is annually dominated by the winner of Simon Cowell's talent show X Factor, and is blemished by misguided internet campaigns to usurp whatever pop schlock the X Factor produces with Rage Against the Machine's "Killing In The Name".

5. Jack Wilson - "6 Six Street": Jack Wilson is a jazz pianist, and so it is surprising to hear him on a track that sounds like a beef patty and a tumbler of dark coconut rum. Wilson's "6 Six Street" is a cover of Louisa Mark's original "Six Sixth Street".  Both versions will get you right in the mood for a bubble bath, but we couldn't let Louisa have all the fun.