Delroy Wilson possessed a rich, smooth voice that gave his rocksteady sound a distinctive and quite satisfying flavor. He worked with some of the biggest producers in Jamaica like
Coxsone Dodd,
Bunny Lee,
Joe Gibbs, and
Keith Hudson during his long and fruitful run as an underrated hitmaker.
Rocksteady Massive gathers up songs from various stages of his career. It hits the mid-'60s when he was working with
Dodd and churning out hits like his percolating cover of the Tam's "I'm in a Dancing Mood," "Riding for a Fall," "Rain From the Skies," and "Here Come the Heartaches." It also runs through the '70s (his rootsy classic "Better Must Come" from 1971, "Cool Operator") and what sounds like the '80s ("It's Impossible"). It is hard to be sure because Burning Bush provides the usual dearth of discographical information, and unless you are a
Wilson fanatic, you mostly have to guess at the song's vintage. Despite this perhaps overly geeky gripe, the music is first-rate rocksteady and roots rock, and this disc would be a positive addition to a reggae lover's collection.
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Tim Sendra, Rovi