DENNIS BROWN - VISION

.....

VISION


TRACKLIST


01 - Deliverance Will Come
02 - Oh Mother
03 - Love Me Always
04 - Concrete Castle King
05 - Malcom X
06 - Repatriation
07 - Jah Can Do It
08 - Milk And Honey
09 - Stay at Home
10 -Say What You Say




DATE : 1976

Full title is: Visions
Bobby Ellis - Trumpet
Dennis Brown - Vocals
Eric Lamont - Guitar
Errol 'Tarzan' Nelson - Keyboards
Errol Nelson - Keyboards
Franklyn Waul - Keyboards
Harold Butler - Keyboards
Herman Marquis - Saxophone, Sax (Alto)
Lennox Gordon - Guitar
Lloyd Parks - Bass
Robbie Shakespeare - Guitar
Sly Dunbar - Drums
Tommy McCook - Saxophone, Sax (Tenor)
Uziah 'Sticky' Thompson - Percussion
Vin Gordon - Trombone


Following a series of early single releases for various Jamaican engineers, singer Dennis Brown entered a particularly prolific partnership with producer Joe Gibbs. The two worked together from the mid-'70s to the early '80s. "Visions" (1977) presents Brown as a roots-based singer with major crossover potential. The smooth, reassuring quality of his voice and his comfortable range would seem to make him the obvious choice for an American label seeking an international success story. Brown's subject matter spans the spectrum of Rasta concerns, detailing economic suffering, African oppression, deep religious conviction, and a strong political consciousness. The potency of such themes is tempered only by the inevitable lovers rock of 'Love Me Always' and a take on Ray Charles' 'This Little Girl of Mine.' Throughout, Brown delivers pleas to his people to follow the virtuous path. It's a sentiment that becomes particularly poignant with 'Stay at Home,' the tale of a young runaway. Carrying the musical weight is a typically seasoned set of session players including appearances by the dream horn team of Bobby Ellis (trumpet), Vin Gordon (trombone), Herman Marquis, and Tommy McCook (saxophones). Though the musicians rarely extend themselves (preferring to stay respectably anonymous), their effortless flexibility is well suited to Brown's polished delivery. They soak songs like 'Oh Mother' and 'Malcolm X' in the sadness of the blues and provide the lighter material with the appropriate lift. Two years down the road, Brown would score a hit with 'Money in My Pocket.' At the start of the 1980s, the singer's albums would find U.S. release through A&M. Like many of Jamaica's most promising stars, however, the singer's music was largely mishandled, suffering from poor promotion. "Visions", however, finds him in his prime and on the verge of the international success he deserved.