Two years after "Abyssinians & Friends: Tree of Satta", the venerable English label Blood & Fire pulls the one-riddim album trick on us again, and revisits the instrumental of Fisherman, an anthem to fishermen chiselled by the Congos and Lee Perry in 1977. With the exception of the two original tracks (Fisherman and its dub) that frame the album, all the versions are recent, signed in 2005 and 2006 by their renowned friends. Between legendary voices (Freddie McGregor, Horace Andy, Max Romeo, Michael Rose, Tony Tuff...), glorious deejays (Dillinger, Big Youth, U-Roy, Prince Jazzbo), and the new generation (Lucan I, Lutan Fyah, Al Pancho...), the riddim opens up to a wide range of styles. Unlike "Tree of Satta", it is regrettable that the musicians are absent from the project, Dean Fraser excepted.
There are still 22 unreleased tracks. Among them, some stunning hits, like Horace Andy's fiery Love Love Love and Ricky Chaplin's cutting Behold Jah Live. A few disappointments too: the new generation on the second CD does not always convince, any more than certain veterans: Gregory Isaacs (it's becoming a habit) or Tony Tuff, who let themselves be carried away by the glitter of a powerful riddim. His contemporary reading is nonetheless a success, but we would place it a notch below his impeccable elder.
Worth noting, this double album comes in a CD/DVD format, with videos of Max Romeo in the studio and a megamix in which one glimpses Horace Andy, Gregory Isaacs and Ricky Chaplin.
