The union of two dub giants Horace Andy and Adrian Sherwood

In his eight decade, Jamaican vocalist and songwriter Horace Andy receives praise for his latest album 'Midnight Rocker'.

One of the most recognisable voices of our time, Jamaican singer Horace Andy treats us to one of his finest performances yet on this late-career album ‘Midnight Rocker’. Produced by dub pioneer Adrian Sherwood on his label On-U Sound, ‘Midnight Rocker’ features rearranged Horace Andy classics as well as six mature dub tracks. Known for also coaxing equally fine performances out of the late Lee “Scratch” Perry, Sherwood’s production approach on this album is more subtle than many of his other works, opting for an acoustic dub sound and instrumentation so as to bring Andy’s vocals to the forefront of the compositions. The album opens with classic roots tune ‘This Must Be Hell’ which Sherwood brings up to date by removing the jazz piano refrain and introducing a crisp bassline and driving rhythm. The rework of 1977’s ‘Materialist’ brings this track into high definition; a synth bass bolsters Horace’s yearning, crackling vibrato, giving more urgency to his lyrics. An essential Horace Andy album wouldn’t be complete without paying homage to his work with Massive Attack, ‘Safe From Harm’ sees Andy reinterpret Shara Nelson’s vocal line on this laid-back, earnest cover.  New material ‘Watch Over Them’ and ‘Try Love’ see a successful foray into the intimate register of lover’s rock with Andy’s vocals mirroring a slow dance over the syncopated piano and bass groove. Lovingly mastered by Frank at The Carvery Studio, this album forms part of both Sherwood’s and Andy’s impressive catalogs. At 71 years of age, this legendary voice remains full of vitality and gravity, giving us all hope that Horace Andy has a fair few dubs left in him. 

‘Midnight Rocker’ is available on LP, CD and digital here.