BIM SHERMAN

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Review written by Benoit Georges on Wednesday, March 21st 2007 - 8 845 views Somewhat belated reissues, "Rub-a-dub" and "The need to live", compilations of dubs for the former and of singles for the latter, pay a posthumous tribute to the singer, producer and lyricist Bim Sherman, a pillar of Adrian Sherwood's English label On-U Sound. Born in Jamaica, Bim Sherman spent the first half of his career on the island. Like many other singers, he tried his luck with different producers before financing his own recordings, a risky choice that at the time rarely led to an international career. The compilation "Rub-a-dub", put together while Sherman was still alive, thus goes back over this period with dub versions of Jamaican singles, the originals of which are mostly available on the compilation "Love forever", already released in 1999. As its title indicates, the dubs here smell sweetly of the sound of the late 70s and early 80s. The studios (Randy's, Channel One, Tubby's) and the musicians (Soul Syndicate, the Gladiators or the Roots Radics) "borrowed" for these sessions were safe bets of the moment. The result easily gives us good-quality reggae (despite the excessive use of "claps" on some dubs): a few well-known riddims are readily recognisable, such as the General riddim, as well as versions of tracks that have become classics such as I know or Whole world, where Bim Sherman's voice appears intermittently. The only interloper, Beyond the hill, an old-school hip-hop version, has little interest in itself among a roots selection. "The need to live" for its part presents rare tracks, unreleased versions and other remixes, sweeping across nearly 15 years of Bim Sherman's collaboration with On-U Sound. The result is very heterogeneous, with several types of sound. On the one hand, nicely digitised and dubbed rub-a-dub such as Be my lighthouse, To be free or Run them away. More disconcerting, the compilation gives pride of place to rather electro-dub tracks such as The need to live, More is insane or an electro cover of Man next door, which may or may not pre-date Massive Attack: if these sounds were precursors in the 90s, they have nonetheless aged less well than good old roots. The most successful track in this register is probably Can't take it easy, a cover of Gregory Isaacs that sums up in itself the quintessence of Adrian Sherwood's sound. The acoustic versions produced by the guitarist Skip McDonald, which would serve as the framework for the album Miracle (an acoustic and dub masterpiece made with the Bombay String Orchestra), are on the other hand essential and particularly refreshing: the alchemy between guitar, percussion and tablas, underlined by discreet dub treatment, works wonderfully on Use your head, No longer or Purify your heart, a superb cover of Johnny Osbourne. The need to live finally offers a few more classic but equally interesting reggae tracks such as Memories or Vice of my enemies. If we have not spoken about Bim Sherman's voice, it is because there is little to add in that department: warm and soft, it settles lightly and even invites meditation on some tracks. Fans of dub, of English sound or of reggae voices will therefore find what they are looking for in these two compilations of varied content. The curious listener can also refer to the compilation "Love forever" for a fuller panorama of this little-known artist who passed away in 2000.

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