It’s been 43 years since the release of The Selecter’s seminal debut album Too Much Pressure and while it still inspires and resonates today, their new studio album Human Algebra keeps the fire burning with a stellar collection of hard-hitting tracks in the band’s own inimitable style. Human Algebra, released April 21st, is a word from the wise – from questioning ‘fake news’ (“Big Little Lies”), to pointing the finger at keyboard warriors (“Armchair Guevara”), and the scourge of knife crime (“Human Algebra”). Human relationships are also touched upon (“Boxing Clever”), along with a touching tribute to the late great Ranking Roger from The Beat (“Parade The Crown”).

Burning Sounds are proud to announce the release of 'Heaven', the final album from Lee 'Scratch' Perry before his passing in October 2021, on Vinyl and CD and including a booklet with extensive sleeve notes by Noel Hawks + photos. Lee 'Scratch' Perry is one of "the major cultural figures" of the twentieth and twenty first centuries. His contribution to the furtherance of Jamaican music as producer, arranger, writer and artist is beyond compare. He played a pivotal role in, and was the inspiration behind, many of the key movements in the development of reggae throughout the Sixties and Seventies.

This double-disc set from Trojan includes classic ska, rocksteady and reggae tracks from Desmond Dekker & the Aces, Jimmy Cliff, Lee Perry & the Upsetters, the Melodians, Toots & the Maytals, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Ken Boothe, John Holt and many others. Though there are quite a few Jamaican classics missing from this history of the music, all the tracks included are quite solid.

Soul Jazz Records new Studio One release Rocksteady Got Soul is a collection of uplifting and superb rocksteady and soulful reggae from the late 1960s and early 1970s. Studio One is the number one label in the history of reggae and he album features - as ever with Studio One - an impeccable and unbeatable line-up of reggae superstars all soaring at the height of their creative powers. Alton Ellis, John Holt, The Heptones, Jackie Mittoo, The Ethiopians, Lee Perry and more.

Brand new songs and recordings from legendary Specials & Fun Boy Three toaster Neville Staple and his partner in crime Sugary Staple as well as former Specials' guitarist Roddy Radiation! Produced by Tom Lowry (The Specials), the album is a celebration the band's love of ska, punk, rebel reggae, bluebeat & 2tone!

In 1963, a 21-year-old welder with dreams of becoming a full-time singer-songwriter, auditioned for one of Jamaica’s new elite record producers, Leslie Kong, owner of the recently launched Beverley’s Records label. After performing a number of original compositions, a deal was secured and within weeks the first of Desmond Dekker’s many 7” singles hit Kingston’s record stores. The record, which coupled two of his own songs, ‘Honour Your Mother And Father’ and ‘Madgie’, became an instant best-seller and heralded the beginning of a long and immensely successful run of hit singles by Dekker throughout the remainder of ska era and well beyond. This 2xCD set showcases both sides of Dekker’s first twenty singles for Kong’s esteemed Beverley’s label that set him on the path to international stardom.

After embarking on a career as a singer in the early 1960s, Robert Thompson aka Dandy achieved significant success on the British music scene with a series of popular ska and rock steady singles.

For those who don't want or can't afford to plonk out for the Toots & the Maytals' Time Tough: The Anthology, The Very Best Of provides the perfect solution, distilling down that two-CD, 41-track set to a single 19-song disc. There are a few subtle differences, however; for starters this set boasts two different versions of the band's reggae smash "54-46, That's My Number," as well as the original ska version of their Jamaican Song Festival winner "Bam Bam," unlike the anthology, which included only a later remodel. However, the "Never You Change" found on this set is not the trio's original ska hit, but a reggae-fied remake. The rest of the album pulls directly from the anthology, with the disc divided almost evenly between the trio and a solo Hibbert's pre- and post-Island career. Thus, for those who prefer the Maytals' ska and/or reggae hits, this is not the collection for you, as there are much better compilations of those periods. But for fans looking for a larger overview of both the band and Hibbert himself, this is an excellent place to start.

Arguably the most gifted Jamaican performer of his generation, Ken Boothe is today widely regarded as a living legend, having recorded innumerable ska, rocksteady and reggae classics over a period spanning some 60 years. After making his recording debut in 1962, Ken enjoyed a hugely successful career in Jamaica before achieving international stardom in 1974 with his chart-topping interpretation of "Everything I Own" and the top 10 follow-up "Crying Over You." Both of these hugely popular tracks feature on this collection, which forms part of Trojan Record's new Essential Artist series, which showcases the best-loved recordings of some of Jamaica's greatest musical talents.