1. Money, Sex & Violence
2. Outlaw
3. Jamming In The Cellblock
4. Mandela Song
5. Revolution Song
6. Solid As A Rock
7. Blame It On Rasta
8. Tan Tan Brown
9. Hoot Nanny
10. Sweetness In Your Life
11. Red Bum Ball
12. Bom Dance
13. It's Not The End
14. It's Not The End Dub
15. Roots Man Blues
16. Blame It On Rasta Dub

Release info :

While it’s true to say that the Jamaican messengers of reality, Cultural Roots, have been around for a decade – often in the background – it’s only right that now, in the years of what could prove to be the deserved decline of the capitalist/monetarist system as we know it, a rejuvenated Cultural Roots are once more on the horizon, rising to the fore. The group have undergone a few shifts in personnel, since their excellent debut album, “Revolutionary Sounds”, for producer Donovan Germain back at the onset of the Eighties, set a remarkable, upful standard to follow.

The sometime trio/quartet struck again with another sobering musical cracker for Donovan Germain, “Drift Away From Evil”, before moving on to what is regarded as their biggest success to date, the album project “Hell A Go Pop” with young hot shot producer of the day (1984), Henry “Junjo” Lawes. The group continued in various guises with a backbone of lead vocalist Hubert Brooks and Wade Dice – releasing only the occasional single – until they came to work for King Jammy, resulting in the Island issued “Running Back To Me” in 1988.

Hereabouts is where Devon Russell – already a veteran vocalist from Studio One and High Times days, and previously lead singer for Sixties vocal group The Tartans – enters the picture. Hubert Brooks decided to call it a day and departed for America, leaving Russell to step in and complete the “Rougher Yet” album for Hugh “Redman” James alongside Wade Dice and Errol Grandson. “Rougher Yet” was also an introduction to the Cultural Roots’ own now-permanent backing outfit, the fast-rising Firehouse Crew, whom – under Russell’s guidance – had already established themselves at the late King Tubby’s Waterhouse studio as sessioners. Several successful UK live shows later, the full Cultural Roots posse have a new album, Money, Sex & Violence”, ready for release, and promise, with their most settled and solid line-up in ages, to make 1990 a year to remember in the annals of roots music.

Text : Simon Buckland