Sly & Robbie: Blackwood Dub – review

Jamaica celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence this year, so it's right there should be a new release from this duo, the heartbeat of the island, and arguably the world's finest rhythm section. Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare have backed everyone from Grace Jones and Bob Dylan to Gregory Isaacs and Black Uhuru, but here they return to the hardcore dub of their 1985 set, A Dub Experience. There are no vocals. Bass and drums dominate, there's extra backing from members of the Compass Point All Stars, including guitarist Mikey Mao Chung and percussionist Sticky Thompson, and the set is named after their engineer, Alberto Blackwood. The best tracks are Dirty Flirty, with its explosive percussion, Riding East, with its insistent, driving bass riff, and The Bomber, a hypnotic workout that will surely become a dancefloor favourite.