Cleveland Watkiss

The Great Jamaican Songbook Vol. 1 CDUBYA MUSIC. CD/DL

Reggae standards with playful jazz inflections.

On The Great Jamaican Songbook Vol. 1,

multifaceted vocalist and former Jazz Warrior Cleveland Watkiss reconnects with his reggae roots, reworking archetypal tracks by such revered crooners as Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown and Delroy Wilson, the loose jazz-influenced backing spurring a blurring of the boundaries in renditions that are refreshingly free from tight strictures. Recorded at Zak Starkey’s studio in Ocho Rios with keyboardist Phil Ramacon, guitarist Alan Weeks and saxophonist Ray Carless, the

Songbook’s non-standard approach sees Watkiss adding plenty of bite to Gregory’s If I Don’t Have You, Prince Lincoln’s Humanity, Burning Spear’s Red, Gold And Green, and Delroy’s What Is Man (the latter complete with a frisky toasting section). And although a lacklustre take on Night Nurse comes across as a detraction, the offbeat versions of Junior Byles’ Curly Locks and Bobby Melody’s Joy In The Morning make for smoother sailing. ★★★