Jamaican musicians have long had a penchant for black American music?Bob Marley borrowed many a Curtis Mayfield melody? and the superb 2001 Blood & Fire compilation Darker Than Blue demonstrated just how effectively reggae stars could reinterpret soul grooves. Studio One Funk trawls through producer Coxsone Dodd’s legendary archives to offer a tasty selection of covers and originals. The title’s misleading as, beyond Cedric Im Brooks’take on “Shaft” , few of the tunes have funk roots. Not that this matters?Jackie Mittoo’s gorgeous, organ-drenched “Hang ‘Em High”and Sound Dimension’s pastoral dub “Love Jah”alone make this worth the asking price.
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