Singers & PLayers - Leaps & Bounds (1984)

Singers & Players were a reggae collective made up of vocalists and musicians associated with Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound Records. They recorded five albums between 1981 and 1988.

Including artists such as Bim Sherman, Prince Far I and Mikey Dread they were regarded as a dub music supergroup. There was never any fixed line up to the group, and many different artists featured on each track and each album.

The fourth Singers & Players album was, in terms of continuity and attack, also the last. Although subsequent albums would appear beginning in 1988, "Leaps & Bounds" marked the end of an era, as Adrian Sherwood mourned the recent murder of Prince Far I by all but abandoning reggae for the next four years.

Far I is a tangible presence on the album, of course. His distinctive growl powers the apocalyptic "Alla-La Dreadlocks Soldier" and the seemingly autobiographical "Dog Park," although the bulk of the vocals are handled by Congo Roy Ashanti, while there's also an appearance from Mikey Dread, whose lightly mocking and gibberish-laden tones give the exhilarating "Autobiography (Dread Operator)" an almost Eek-a-Mouse-y feel, before Congo Roy takes over the same rhythm for the equally ecstatic "Breaking Down the Pressure." (Both tracks, incidentally, are re-recorded from the 1983 single that first paired them.) Other highlights include a gorgeous revamp of "Make a Joyful Noise," and "Striving," with a horn section straight out of some great lost '70s soul puncher. Across the board, then, "Leaps & Bounds" is a mighty album, and one that lives up to its dedication to the late Prince in every way.

Tracklist:

A1 Moses
A2 Make A Joyful Noise
A3 Alla La - Dreadlocks Soldier
A4 Autobiography (Dread Operator)
B1 Breaking Down The Pressure
B2 Dog Park
B3 Vegetable Matter
B4 Striving

Singers & Players - Leaps & Bounds (1984)

(192 kbps, cover art included)