Horace Andy - Rockers & Scorchers. Bleep.

Across a legendary career spanning five decades, Horace Andy has undeniably earned a place as one of reggae’s heroes. There's a lot of gold in his overwhelmingly massive discography, thanks in part to his chameleonic abilities as an artist. His latest album Midnight Rocker is a shining addition to his treasured legacy.

Rising up throughout the 70s and 80s with a string of roots reggae hits, Andy was a beloved singer-songwriter in Jamaica before he linked with trip-hop collective Massive Attack in the early 90s. After getting his start in the 60s, he released his debut album Skylarking in 1972 to widespread acclaim; since then it has been regarded as one of the best reggae albums of all time, along with 1982’s Dance Hall Style for Wackie’s cementing Andy as a key figure in the rise of the dancehall genre. With features on Massive Attack’s groundbreaking debut Blue Lines, Andy became a sudden crossover sensation, joining the group as a touring member and singing on all of their subsequent studio albums. Throughout these collaborations, he repurposes lyrics from his prolific back catalogue, further bringing the sound of Jamaica to worldwide audiences.

Midnight Rocker makes a subtle nod to the singer’s second act with a cover of Massive Attack’s 'Safe From Harm', but Horace Andy’s latest is far more a tribute to the sound that first propelled him to fame. Created with revered dub producer and Horace-devotee Adrian Sherwood, Midnight Rocker assembles an all-star band pulled from On-U Sound’s roster to support a compelling performance from the singer, not dissimilar to the high quality curation of Lee “Scratch” Perry’s later albums (Rainford was one of Bleep’s best albums of 2019). Sherwood’s slick, modern production guides this kaleidoscopic range of what reggae has to offer, also penned by LSK, George Oban, and Jeb Loy Nichols. At the forefront is Andy, and the signature wavering tremolo of his vocals that has made him such a respected and admired singer throughout his many years.

The resurgence of Horace Andy continues with yet another smoking collection of reggae dubs and dancehall reworks on the legendary On-U Sound entitled Midnight Scorchers. A performer with over 50 years experience in the music business, most in the electronic music world have gotten to know him through his guest vocal work with Massive Attack or touring of his 1970’s Jamaican hits. On-U’s prior Midnight Rocker LP from earlier in 2022 looked to switch things up by showcasing Andy's remarkable skill as a vocalist and arranger. A veritable tour-de-force pieced together over several years, Midnight Rocker has received stellar reviews from key voices in the music press, and is currently in its fifth pressing - now On-U is now adding fuel to the fire with Midnight Scorchers.

In the Jamaican tradition of dubs, guest toasting, and versions, Midnight Scorchers gathers up reworks (both instrumental remixes and new editions with added vocal cuts) alongside stray tracks from the Rocker sessions that did not fit into the original sequencing. Like the title track, many of these songs take the bones of Andy’s work on Rocker and blow it out to much headier zones with the use of dub echo. Best of all though, is the redone ‘Feverish’ - a quintessential tune from Andy’s Studio One days, this new version adds an almost jazzy hyperactive drum break that places it firmly in the contemporary style of today. In the same spirit of reworking sounds to stress different rhythms and timbres, the album art for Rocker has also been re-jigged into graffiti by the animator Ruff Mercy, making this a fitting tribute to a legend of reggae.