This review was excerpted and published by The All Music Guide: see the review on their site.

Artist: Soulive
Album Title: Get Down
Label: Soulive recordings
Catalog Number: SLR 10012
Release Date: Spring 1999
Rating: 4/5

The organ? Oh yes, there’s love for the organ! Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Johnny Hammond, and John Patton have all been at the core of some of the legendary organ groups in the history of jazz. Well, it’s time for the history books to make room for another group of truly talented musicians focused around that wonderful, warm, and expressive instrument: the organ.

This review was excerpted and published by The All Music Guide: see the review on their site.

Artist: The Roots
Genre: Hip-Hop
Album Title: Organix
Label: remedy Recording, Inc./ Cargo Records America
Catalog Number: CRGD81100
Release Date: 1993
Rating: 2.5
Review:

Although to knowledgeable natives of Philadelphia they may have originally been known as The Square Roots, the sound of this group on this album was only occasionally square. When first listening to Organix, The Roots first commercial release, it seems a little hard to digest, especially at this vantage point in time: late 1999.

At this point, The Roots have released 4 decidedly strong albums including an album of live performance recordings. (Their creative flow has even survived all of the drama that went on during the merge of Universal Music Distribution and PolyGram Distribution, which saw their label, Geffen Records, shed all of its urban music projects which were mostly picked up by MCA Records.) The sound, feel, and quality of Organix is much less developed than their subsequent recordings, but that is only to be expected.

This review was excerpted and published by The All Music Guide: see the review on their site.

Artist: King Tubby
Genre: Dub
Album Title: King Tubby & Friends: The Rod of Correction Showcase
Label: Abraham / Clocktower Records
Catalog Number: CTLP876
Release Date: 1974-1979
Rating: 4.5 /5

King Tubby & Friends: Rod of Correction Showcase features titles recorded during a golden period of years for all types of music - and art in general: 1974 to 1979. What makes this collection of songs even more thick with significance is the fact that they were all either recorded at Channel One studios or at King Tubby’s studio. As you might guess of a compilation that bears his name, King Tubby was heavily involved in these songs. Not only did he engineer the recording of these tracks, but he mixed them as well. Give thanks for that because it’s a good thing to be able to pump King Tubby’s music.

The instrumentation of these songs is partly provided by King Tubby & The Aggrovators. Musicians also included were Augustus Pablo, Touter, Scully, Brad Osbourne, Tommy McCook, Bobby Ellis, Chinna Smith, and Ronald Robinson. History has proven that each of those artists are skilled and accomplished. However, the sound of the Aggrovators fascinates this listener with few [but identifiable] exceptions. Made up of Carlton Barrett, Sly Dunbar, Carlton ‘Santa’ Davis (drums), Robbie Shakespeare, Aston Barrett (bass), and Tony Chin (guitar), the Aggrovators seem to be able to maintain rhythms eerily unwavering in timing and melodically interesting in structure. These songs are not influenced by American and British pop music as is often found in some of the other groups playing Jamaican music at the time. The tempos are higher more often than not: on the danceable side of things. Apparently it was not meant for one to just sit around� while listening to King Tubby & Friends: The Rod of Correction Showcase.