Toots and The Maytals Album: “True Love”

this jamaica soul singing legend (who supposedly was the first to include the word 'reggae' in a song way back in the 60s) has remade alot of his classic songs with the help of a wide range of contemporary and classic singers and musicians. alot of the time there's no point in re-recording your past hits but in this case it works. the wide range of guest artists bring their unique talents to each song so there's something different to hear on each cut. and toot's voice is still a marvel-remember alot of these songs were originally recorded by him decades ago. pick up the original recordings and you'll hear just how well his voice has held up. of course on a c-d you don't get the great live show that toots and the maytals put on....part otis redding//part james brown. when i saw him in l-a back in the 90s...he put on a 3 1/2 hour performance complete with dance moves and splits. catch him live if you can...

till then... we have another 'keeper' in toot's musical and reggae legacy.

The greatest voice of all reggae acts (sorry, Bob Marley fans) returns to the limelight with remade versions of his greatest hits alongside an all-star cast.

The good news is that most of the big stars don't get in the way (No Doubt, Trey Anastasio, Eric Clapton). In fact, you have to listen fairly closely to dig Gwen Stefani or Anastasio out of the mix, they're treated basically as background singers.

There are some duets, notably with Bonnie Raitt (on the title tune), original Wailer Bunny Wailer ("Take A Trip") and Willie Nelson on the Nelson-penned "Still Is Still Moving To Me." Unfortunately, Toots also lets Keith Richard sing along on "Careless Ethiopians" and that song isn't quite as successful as the others. And "Funky Kingston," with guest shots from Bootsy Collins and Roots, doesn't have the sweaty intensity as the original, but it's a fun groove anyway.

Guest stars aside, the entire CD rocks with a tuneful, tropical bounce. And surfing on top of it all is the remarkable voice of Toots Hibbert, (I'll say it again) the best singer in all of reggae. This is a great companion for your springtime/summer barbecue and an indispensable soundtrack for drivin' tru da Babylon.

Produced in the same vein as recent Santana and BB King albums, this is a throughly enjoyable reggae compilation of hits from Toots and the Maytals---with contributions from some wonderful talent---and some that maybe should not have been included.

While the old school players on this album shine; Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Bootsy Collins; Ken Boothe, Marcia Griffiths, Bunny Wailer and Keith Richards, some of the younger talent contributing to this album may pale in comparison.

Overall this is a highly enjoyable, well produced CD that has scarcely a weak track on it.

Keep on movin' Toots!

This is the summer music of 2004. The sound is great. The songs are top notch. Anyone who has a problem with this release takes themselves too seriously. Ignore them. Treat yourself. Have some fun. Support Toots. Buy this disc. If you move to music you will love this.

Dear Music People, you will be happy to hear these songs. I could go into detail on each one, but better you listen for yourself. As some of the other reviews have complained, these versions are derivative. Simply put, they are recordings of Toots singing with his friends. They are all masters of their own style. They all were very much influenced by Toots and his music, and, this is their opportunity to jam.

So what is the measure of success in such a thing? Like all the other Toots albums, I can put this one on and never want to take it out of the CD player in my car. When I play it (anywhere) people start to smile, and even dance.

Times are getting Tough. True Love is really hard to find. Pressure is dropping---on you too.

And the beautiful thing is, you will find that some of these songs are actually, in their own way, better than any of these artists could have done alone. The friendship, love, respect, and musical joining is something special, worthwhile, and precious. If you ever played guitar and sang, you know what I am talking about.

In my opinion, this CD is Medicine--emotional, psychological, musical Medicine. I don't usually buy music by Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton (OK a couple of important ones) Ryan Adams, and Willie Nelson. I respect all of them, and, as it turns out, they also respect Toots. He gave us a lot, and continues to grow, and has become even more Masterful. The other musicians you hear singing and playing agree with me, and show just how this process works.