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Edmund ‘Mikey’ Brooks has enjoyed a long and varied career; he now lives in Britain where
he is active both as a reggae artist in his own right and as a
producer of British R&B and reggae acts. His own history, of
which the years 1973 to 1979 are neatly covered on this double
CD set, is absolutely fascinating and he has been involved with
many of the major league reggae names since the seventies.
For starters, Mike used to sing guide vocals for Roots
Radics sessions,
outlining the way the song should go, (and some of these tracks are
included here) and he was a familiar face at Channel One, enjoying
close links with all the Hookim Brothers. Additionally, some of the
rhythm tracks come from the Black Ark, some from Bunny
Lee, and some
were mixed by King Tubby, some by Lee Perry, but all produced by
Mike himself. Mike has a high, sweet voice, inspired by the likes
of Curtis Mayfield and Sam Cooke. Be sure however, that this is classic
JA roots music, and to compound that fact, there are Brooks productions
included of vocal contributions by the late, great Bim Sherman (“Down
In The Jamdown”) and Morwell Esquire (“In God We Trust”),
which indicates the esteem in which Mike was held.
To sum up then, this is a very fine overview of one of the roots
era’s slightly lesser-known singers. That would make it interesting,
but the quality of the music means it is vital for all roots lovers! -
Norman Darwen
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