Just what were
Dennis Brown and
Joe Gibbs thinking on
Love Has Found Its Way? Had the two totally lost the plot? The answer is a sad and simple no, sad because with the failure of
Brown's
Foul Play album -- his first for A&M and the record that was meant to make him an international star -- it's evident that the singer and his producer had given up any hopes of reaching the mainstream. So instead, at the label's urging, they turned their attention to the U.S. R&B market. But who better to sell coal to Newcastle than
Brown, one of Jamaica's premier vocalists, whose emotive delivery seemed perfect for the U.S. soul chart? And there's no faulting his performance here. Soulful, romantic, and glowing with sincerity,
Brown's work across this entire set is phenomenal. The music is equally flawless, laid down by a stellar roster of the island's elite. These men were so versatile that they had no difficulty in creating the sound and style that
Gibbs and Lindo, who also acted as co-producer and arranger, demanded. Certainly, all concerned hit the right note with the title track, a rich romantic number that beautifully blends reggae beats with a lush soul style. Released as a single, "Love Has Found Its Way" was directed to number 42 on the Black Singles chart (as it was then called). "Why Baby Why" worked its magic in a similar vein, and a cover of
Burt Bacharach's "Any Day Now" was just as glorious, a perfect hybrid of reggae beats and lush synths. "I Couldn't Stand Losing You" took romance into rootsier territory, while "Get High on Your Love" jumped into fields of pure funkdom. Back then, it was de rigueur for Jamaican artists to split albums between a pop or lovers side and a cultural flip. And although the themes were not segregated by side, the rest of the songs on the set on
Love Has Found Its Way move blithely into cultural waters: the state of the world of "Handwriting on the Wall," the sufferers-themed "Weep & Moan" and "Blood, Sweet & Tears," and the searching for a better way of living on "Halfway Up, Halfway Down." However, in keeping with the label's marketing aims, even these songs were arranged with an Afro-American audience in mind, albeit within a rootsier or more stoutly reggae milieu. "Weep" was downright chirpy, resurrecting a breezy rocksteady rhythm and giving it a chic reggae garb, "Blood"'s high-stepping rhythm beautifully encompasses a jazzy tinge, while "Handwriting," released as a single in the U.K., combines strong reggae riffing with urban soul. "Get Up" was obviously inspired by the
Wailers' classic "Get Up, Stand Up," a celebration of
Brown's own Rastafarian faith and of his Twelve Tribes of Israel sect. A&M could pat themselves on the back, for, like the single, the full-length had no trouble finding its way up the soul chart, finally stopping just outside the Top 35. The only clouds on the horizon was the scathing response the set received from
Brown's core reggae fans outside the island and the label's desire for not just more of the same, but an even "blacker" sound. ~ Jo-Ann Greene