When
Dennis Brown was recording for A&M in the early '80s, some reggae fans were hoping that the label could make him as big a star in the U.S. as he was in Jamaica and England. But that never happened--for the most part, America's urban contemporary and pop/Top 40 stations continued to resist reggae. In London, Manchester and Kingston,
Brown was as famous a star as
Marvin Gaye or
Smokey Robinson, but in the U.S., he had a much smaller following. It's regrettable that American stations resisted
Foul Play, for this LP, although not quite essential, has a lot going for it.
Brown, who was 24 when
Foul Play came out, shines on sociopolitical offerings like "The World Is Troubled," "I Need Your Love (Rasta Children)," and "The Existence of Jah" as well as apolitical lovers' rock tracks such as "If I Had The World," "Your Man," and "If I Follow My Heart." Even though R&B stations in the U.S. seemed to be dead-set against playing anything on this album, the fact is that a lot of
Brown's more romantic material was quite similar to romantic northern soul. Anyone who can get into
Marvin Gaye,
Teddy Pendergrass,
the Delfonics, or
the Dramatics could easily get into "If I Follow My Heart." But regardless of how American stations responded to
Foul Play, it was a respectable addition to
Brown's catalogue. ~ Alex Henderson