Another release from the Studio One gold mine: Winston Francis and his two albums "Mr Fix It" and California Dreaming take us back to the carefree 1960s. Fans will be won over.
Surrounded by heavyweights such as Jackie Mittoo, Horsemouth Wallace, Ernest Ranglin and Skully Simms, Winston Francis can also count on Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Ken Boothe and Jackie Mittoo for backing vocals… no less. Drawn from the inexhaustible Studio One catalogue, this release collects Winston Francis's two landmark albums. Recorded in the famous studio where Winston Francis began his career in 1969, "Mr Fix It" and "California Dreaming" develop a rocksteady inevitably inspired by American soul, as shown by the cover of the hit California Dreaming, by The Mamas And The Papas. One thinks of The Drifters, of Nat King Cole…
At a time when rastafari had not yet invaded the lyrics, ballads and other lightness from the United States make up the essential subject matter. It comes as no surprise to find a majority of soul covers. Whether it is the joys of meeting or the melancholy of break-ups, love remains the hard core of the lyrics. His warm-toned soul voice, backed by vocal harmonies, lends itself particularly well to it.
The naivety of the words of certain love songs, like one by Lauren Aitken, sometimes raises a smile, but the emotion never fails. Games People Play, another cover, is far more serious: "Pride and vanity turn you away from humanity. I'm talking about you, about me, about the games we play." Stand and its very soulful chorus is just as thoughtful. As a bonus, two versions of Let's Go To Zion: the only genuinely reggae track, with its heavy bass and drums, closes an album full of the slightly old-fashioned charm of 1960s soul.
