Freddie McGregor – Big Ship (1982)

“R&B has long been a major influence on reggae (just as it influenced ska and, before that, mento). In the early 1980s, different reggae artists were being influenced by different types of R&B — some were getting into slick, keyboard-driven urban contemporary sounds, while others maintained their devotion to 1960s and 1970s soul. On 1982’s Big Ship, Freddie McGregor’s love of African-American soul music comes through loud and clear — even though many of the more Rastafarian-oriented lyrics are very much a product of the Jamaican experience. True to form, the singer provides a variety of political and apolitical songs. While gems like ‘Holy Mount Zion’ and ‘Get United’ underscore his political/spiritual beliefs as a Rastafarian, McGregor favors more of a lovers rock approach on ‘Let Me Be the One,’ ‘Stop Loving You,’ and ‘Sweet Lady.’ In reggae circles, the term lovers rock refers to reggae that chooses romantic themes over social or political topics — essentially, it is the reggae equivalent of romantic R&B. And any soul lover who has spent a lot of time savoring the romantic sweet soul of the Delfonics or Brenton Wood should have no problem getting into the lovers rock on this album. For that matter, McGregor’s more sociopolitical songs have just as much classic soul appeal.”
allmusic

YouTube: Big Ship, Sweet Lady, Peaceful Man, Stop Loving You, Get Serious, Don’t Play The Fool, Get United, Let Me Be The One, Roots Man Skanking, Holy Mount Zion

Freddie McGregor – Mr. McGregor (1979)

“The impact of Freddie McGregor’s debut album Mr. McGregor would be lessened just months after its release thanks to the appearance of his classic sophomore effort Bobby Bobylon. Thirty years later, VP’s expanded reissue — by way of their 17 North Parade imprint — makes a great argument that these sides cut for Niney’s Observer label deserve better. Offering a solid opening argument is ‘We Got Love’ featuring a Tower of Power influenced horn section underneath McGregor’s tale of love conquering all. The classic ‘Rastaman Camp’ combines muted horn and an earthy, Nyahbinghi-like chorus for one of producer Niney’s deeper constructions, but the lightweight fare is equally welcome as the easy strolling and not too sugary version of ‘Brandy’ displays. Taking a cue from the Heartbeat label’s 2006 reissue of Bobylon, VP’s Mr. McGregor is greatly expanded with remixes and versions. The difference here is that the bonus tracks are basically the 1981 album Showcase, an Observer release which collected all the loose ends, although with massive tracks like ‘The Overseer’ included, it was no stale set of leftovers. Its inclusion enhances this reissue, making this a great overview of McGregor’s early days in Niney’s workshop.”
allmusic

YouTube: We Got Love, Walls Of Jericho, Jah Can Count On I, Oh No, Not My Baby, Why Did You Do It, Zion Chant, Rastaman Camp, Do Good, Brandy, Rasta Have Faith