Pick of the
Week
“That Girl” by Maxi
Priest featuring Shaggy (1996)
You can hear the R&B influence – kind of like a
green-onoionish Booker T and the MGs sound running behind this song which is
not a surprise really. That was one of the influences underlying reggae in fact
this style is often called ‘reggae fusion’.
 |
| Booker T. and the MGs |
The island sound of reggae music is irresistible. In 4/4
time if you emphasize the third beat and not the first and put in a strong
funky bass line that sometimes meanders you have the musical rhythm for reggae.
Of course there was Mento, then Ska, Rocksteady and dub but reggae is the most
well known universally. As I have often talked about, music is often influence
by other music and evolves. No different with reggae: Traditional Jamaican folk
music and then Mento was influenced by Jazz and then R&B to become
Ska/Reggae toward the end of the 1960’s and into the 1970’s.
There is a spontaneity about reggae. It is soulful music
that has its origins deep in folk music of sorts.
