MICHAEL ROSE - PARTY IN SESSION LIVE

.....

PARTY IN SESSION LIVE


TRACKLIST


1. Introduction
2. Sensemilla
3. How You Fi Do That
4. Gone a New York
5. Shine Eye Gal
6. Plastic Smile
7. Short Temper
8. Rude Boys (Back in Town)
9. Youths of Eglington
10. I Love King Selassie
11. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
12. Bull in the Pen
13. Solidarity
14. General Penitentiary / Black Maria
15. Party Next Door
16. Cookie Jar


Label Rounder Select
Orig Year 1998
Discs 1
Release Date Oct 06, 1998
Studio/Live Live
Mono/Stereo Stereo
Producer Chris Wilson
Engineer Bob Skye
Personnel Tony Williams
Michael Rose - vocals
Mark Harris - drums
Mark Harris - drums
Brian Thompson - keyboards
Lincoln Thomas - guitar, background vocals
Trevor McKenzie - bass
Cadien Dixon - background vocals
Donaldson Bernard Jr.
Howard Messam - saxophone, background vocals
Melissa Benjamin




It had been over a decade since Michael Rose had last performed in the States. Although the artist continued recording after his departure from Black Uhuru, none of his music was released in the U.S., and fans were thrilled when the first finally appeared in 1995, driven to distraction by his inclusion on the Heartbeat label's Culture Splash Tour the following year. Party in Session -- Live was recorded during this tour, with the bulk from his set at Slims in San Francisco on June 21 and a pair of numbers taken from the show at Red Rocks in August. The audience can barely contain themselves; their continuous cheering and singing act as a sonic backdrop to Rose's 16-song strong set. It's a carefully chosen mix of new and old, showcasing some of Rose's greatest numbers from his Black Uhuru days and before ("I Love King Selassie" dates from that group's predecessor, Black Sounds Uhuru). Thus a steam of Uhuru classics are revisited -- "Sensemilla," "Shine Eye Gal," "Plastic Smile," "Youths of Eglington," and "General Penitentiary" among them, and, of course, the big daddy of them all, "Guess Who's Coming


to Dinner." Rose treats them all with love and respect, no shaking them up for the shock value, although the backing S.A.N.E. Band gives even the moodiest amongst them a contemporary punch. The group's phenomenal musicianship and spectacular arrangements deserve special mention. Their sound is superb, rich, and full of depth and atmosphere, and although its impossible to equal the Revolutionaries original splendor, the band's accompaniment never suffers in comparison. Their lighter (for who could equal Sly & Robbie's heavy, heavy sound) style gives the songs a welcome modern flavor while remaining true to the numbers' roots. "Eglington" and "Sensemilla" are particular standouts, as is "Dinner," with its slight dancehall sheen and funky feel. This allows Rose to shift into his newer numbers with ease. For example, the dancehall inflections of "Sensemilla" set the stage for the pure dancehall fire of "How You Fi do That." In contrast, his newest hit, "Rude Boys (Back in Town)," is given a sumptuous rootsy backing, allowing it to slot perfectly between the simmering "Short Temper" and the thoroughly revitalized "Eglington." If you were at these shows, you can now continually relive the glory of the moment -- if not enjoy it for the first time, and time and time again. ~ Jo-Ann Greene


Recorded live at Slims, San Francisco, California; The Red Rocks Ampitheater, Denver, Colorado; The Somerville Theater, Somerville, Massachusetts. Includes liner notes by Chris Wilson.


Personnel: Michael Rose (vocals); Lincoln Thomas (guitar, background vocals); Howard Messam (saxophone, background vocals); Donaldson Bernard Jr., Brian Thompson (keyboards); Trevor McKenzie (bass); Tony Williams, Mark Harris (drums); Melissa Benjamin, Cadien Dixon (background vocals).


Dirty Linen (6-7/99, p.86) - "...this CD crackles with energy....Rose's band can stop and strat on a dime, which makes for some wonderful tension..."