Roots Archives Forum

Sorry if this sounds crass, but is this the album that he was working on when he died?

I heard this a couple of days ago for the first time and upon hearing the singing on there, that was my immediate thought. The music is excellent, but it sounds like only rough guide vocals were recorded (and then used)...

"it sounds like only rough guide vocals were recorded"

That is just the way how Keith sings. In my opinion there are much worse examples of him singing.

I know that he's quite difficult to stomach vocal-wise. But as with many reggae singers it's his personal touch which in the right context (and way) adds a lot to his productions.

Yeah, I have enough Keith Hudson CDs to know what he sounds like... but on this, even for someone who was not really a 'great' singer, his vocals just sound really 'off', if you know what I mean.

Dunno, maybe it's just me.

I love the album, but I think part of the weirdness is how it's overdubbed over older rhythms and the overdubs sometimes seem pretty separated rather than integrated.
It's weird, I used to really find his voice a turn off, but it's grown on me to a pretty profound degree. He just projects weight and authority and soul to me.

Oh, also, this site says it came out in '81. Steaming Jungle came out in '82 and he died in '84, so Playing it Cool wasn't his last album.