Mr. Isaacs

Personnel: Gregory Isaacs (vocals); The Revolutionaries (various instruments); The Heptones (background vocals).
Recorded at Channel One Studios, Kingston, Jamaica.
Released in 1977, MR. ISAACS features Jamaican singer Gregory Isaacs stepping away from his signature lover's-rock style, and opting instead to unleash a more political album. Although Isaacs was no stranger to socially conscious songs, this kind of extended topical focus was atypical for the crooner, best known for outings such as '74's LOVE IS OVERDUE. What makes MR. ISAACS particularly notable are the songs' arrangements and Isaacs's vocal delivery, both of which retain the relaxed vibe of his more romantically minded outings. Although "Slavemaster" boasts comparatively weighty backing, tracks such as "Sacrifice" and "Set the Captives Free" are deceptively breezy reggae numbers, making for a surprisingly sweet way to help the lyrical medicine go down. The result is a delicate balance of Isaac's musical inclinations, and while both the roots-minded and mellow sides of the performer are more clearly divided on other records, on MR. ISAACS those aspects are fascinatingly of a piece.