Anthony Johnson – Gun Shot

Midnight Rock, 1982

This record is one of the crowning jewels of the Midnight Rock catalog. Set comfortably in the heart of early 80’s “dance hall style” (as they had just started to call it…), this is emblematic Roots Radics reggae and a fine showcase of production from Jah Thomas. Jah Thomas is very fond of horns, a self-described “horns man”, but in this set you will hear them only on the title track Gun Shot. Anthony Johnson is a very delicate singer, and this is on the whole a very delicate record, and Jah Thomas follows suit with a more mellowed vibe. Eight out of twelve tunes are romantic, and there is not a whole heap of lyrics to back them up, nor any headstrong style and fashion. In tunes like Feel Like Dancing it becomes almost bittersweet. But most of the time he is just saying something like “I really love you baby”.

Spend Time Loving You is not the most ear-catching opener but Love Take Over draws you in with an insistence on dissonance reminiscent of Sylford Walker’s style. Gun Shot is tonally a complete outlier in this album, with the aforementioned horns doing all kinds of energetic musical moves, and a dramatic performance for a dramatic topic from Anthony. Easily one of the funnest tunes of 1982. Then Jah Love strings up Horace Andy’s classic motif from Got To Be Sure with melody and keys that hang over the mix like a canopy. Details in the mix really shine throughout this record, with my absolute favourite being the guitar and especially the piano licks echoing throughout the background of I’m Coming Home. This tune is not to be missed, and you best bring a good pair of cans when you check it out. Extremely tasteful work, with a very subdued performance for a subdued topic from Anthony.

My picks: Love Take Over, Gun Shot, Jah Love, What Kind Of Herb, I’m Coming Home
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