Barry Brown and Cornel Campbell don't really meet here as much as share an album, each of these Jamaican singers getting nine tracks, most of which were produced by
Bunny Lee (
Brown's "Are You Ready," "Chucky Boo," and "Pass the Food" were produced by
Niney). Backed by the
Aggrovators, both
Brown and Cornel concentrate on roots and conscious material here, and the disc as a whole moves fairly seamlessly, but the difference in the two singing voices is obvious.
Brown has a rougher, weaker voice than
Campbell, but he manages to convince by sheer sincerity on cuts like "Politician" (voiced over
Horace Andy's "Money Money" rhythm) and "Big Bad Pollution."
Campbell's voice, on the other hand, is just this side of the angels, and his high tenor soars heavenward on the light as air "Have Mercy on Jah" and his early signature tune, "100 lbs of Collie." The good news about this release is that it doesn't feel like two mini-albums tossed together. The downside is that it actually is two mini-albums tossed together.