During the period of this 1984 recording, Sugar Minott was arguably the brightest star in reggae music world-wide. In the early seventies he had singlehandedly revived the fortunes of Studio One, before cutting a string of hits for Channel One. Meanwhile his Youth Promotion sound system and his own label Black Roots nurtured fresh new talent like Tenor Saw, Nitty Gritty and Junior Reid. After moving to London at the turn of the decade, his international smash Good Thing Going brought Sugar a rash of lucrative major label offers, which he declined, preferring to link up with Bullwackies in New York. This album - for the first time on cd here - contains the full vocal versions of tracks included on African Roots Act 3, out 08/2002 in the Rhythm & Sound Bullwackies reissue programme. With the core of his band drawn from the Wackies group Itopia, Sugar sings inimitably for lovers, bubblers and rootsmen all. He recasts Michael Jackson again; and – alongside Studio One maestro Jackie Mittoo in the studio – revisits his all-time favourite album, The Heptones On Top.
For those who like their Sugar unrefined, raw and uncut.