Ken Boothe, Johnny Osbourne & Lone Ranger @Paris

You couldn't afford to arrive late at the Cabaret Sauvage, because the programme was packed. Not only did Ken Boothe and Johnny Osbourne share the bill, but Lone Ranger took charge of raising the temperature from the very start of the night. Backed by the Soul Stereo sound system in a format we know well, the deejay reels off his many hits: Barnabas Collins, Style & fashion, Love Bump, Can't stand it Dance a fee cork (Throw me corn riddim), You too greedy (Real Rock riddim), and even his combination with the Frenchman Guive, who joins him on stage for New start.

A return in capital letters
Apart from his appearance at the Garance Reggae Festival last summer, Johnny Osbourne had not performed in France for twenty years. The return of Mr Buddy Bye to Paris was therefore an event in capital letters. As at Bagnols-sur-Cèze, Johnny Osbourne delivers a set that runs from roots reggae to his dancehall period by way of digital. His well-preserved voice is enhanced by the work of the Homegrown Band. The horn section (with Stepper) even handles the backing vocals, giving the songs a welcome depth.

After Rock it tonight and What a Lala (on the Stalag), he sends the hall into raptures with Truth & Rights. It takes several pull ups to calm the crowd's ardour, and on the last one, Lone Ranger comes to introduce it for him, inna rub a dub style! Jah Promise, Can't leave Jah, Righ Tracks… In an hour, not one of his classics is missed. Moving on to his dancehall segment, he strings together Ice cream love, Folly Ranking, Purify your heart right up to the unmissable Buddy Bye on the Sleng Teng, whose chorus is taken up by the crowd. Twenty years on, Johnny Osbourne has not fumbled his comeback!

Ken Boothe's recital
The event of the night was perhaps Osbourne's return, but the warm welcome the Paris crowd gives Ken Boothe suggests they came first and foremost to applaud Mr Rocksteady. With the Homegrown Band, the rapport is perfect. They know each other well, having played together for many years, and as every time, the performance turns into a recital. Ken Boothe only has to dip into his countless hits (above all the 1967-1971 period) to enchant a won-over audience.



This is rocksteady, Crying over you, Silver Words, When I fall in love, The train is coming, Tell you goodbye, Don't want to see you cry, The girl I left behind, Moving Away… The selection has the look of a best-of. He even sings New World Order, a song from his latest album, "The Journey", in which he calls out the world's leaders ("Too many wars, too much suffering"). Admittedly, one might regret that he didn't sing You're no good (though planned), Set me free or Puppet on a string, but that would be splitting hairs, and above all it shows the depth of his repertoire.

After Speak softly love, Artibella sets off an ovation. The whole hall sings along to Everything I own, his biggest hit, recorded for Lloyd Charmers, before he leaves the stage. The peak of the night comes with the encore, with Is it because I'm black. On the Syl Johnson song, covered by Ken Boothe in 1978 (also for Lloyd Charmers), he is joined on stage by Johnny Osbourne and Lone Ranger. Together, they reinterpret the chorus, singing: "Something is sweet in here tonight / It's because you're nice" (to watch again below in the video). The infectious ska of Freedom Street closes this magical night where everything was perfect. The enthusiastic comments and the smiles fixed on faces as we make our way to the exit are signs that never lie.