People of the World [2002 Reissue] [Digipak]

Performer: Burning Spear
Engineer: Mervyn Williams; Mervyn Williams
Producer: Burning Music Production
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: Burning Spear: Anthony Bradshaw (guitar, percussion, background vocals); Jennifer Hill (saxophone); Pamela Fleming (trumpet); Linda Richards (trombone); Richard Johnson (keyboards); Devon Bradshaw (bass guitar); Winston Rodney (percussion); Nelson Miller, Lenford Richards, Alvin Haughton. Personnel: Winston Rodney (vocals); Lenford Richards (guitar); Dean Fraser, Jenny Hill (saxophone); Chico Chin (trumpet); Nilda Richards, Nambo Robinson (trombone); Richard G. Johnson (keyboards); Robert Lyn (synthesizer); Nelson Miller (drums); Alvin Haughton (percussion). Additional personnel: Robert Lyn (keyboards); Dean Fraser, Nambo Robinson, Chico Chin. Audio Mixer: Michel Sauvage. Recording information: Tuff Gong Studios, Kingston, Jamaica. Unknown Contributor Role: Robert Lyn. Though not nearly as intense as his releases from the late 1970s, the albums Burning Spear made in the mid-to-late '80s are still powerful slabs of roots reggae. Winston Rodney (Burning Spear) has never relinquished his commitment to meaningful Rasta music or his moral vision of social justice and equality, and 1986's PEOPLE OF THE WORLD is no exception. Even with the more pronounced presence of synthesizers and a highly polished production, Rodney delivers his Rastafarian message over hard-hitting, hypnotic grooves. Hooky melodies like "Built this City" alternate with deep, dub-like vibes such as "No Worry U Self" and the down-tempo pulse of the title track (with its clarion call to unity). There are surprises in the sunshine-filled tribute to Africa and Jamaica ("Little Love Song"), and the sound of a wailing electric guitar on "Seville Land" (though this adds drama to Rodney's narrative about a slavery plantation). The arrangements--as per usual with Burning Spear--are quite complex and precise, with the horn charts adding rhythmic punctuation throughout. PEOPLE OF THE WORLD was nominated for a Grammy. A nice debut on a major label not known for reggae. This release also includes eclectic material and a female horn section. [The album was reissued in 2002 with no additional material.] ~ Ron Wynn

Burning Spear (born Winston Rodney) was originally a protege of his neighbor Bob Marley, but even his earliest music exhibited his characteristically unique and intense style. His lyrical concerns--black culture and history, a hybrid form of Pan-Africanism, Garveyism and Rasta tenets, and (especially) universal love--have been consistently and powerfully expressed throughout his lengthy recording career. Perhaps most memorable is his 1975 breakthrough masterpiece, MARCUS GARVEY, where he emerged as one of the most distinctive and original talents in the history of reggae.

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