Nitty Gritty – Turbo Charged

1986, Greensleeves & Jammy’s Records

Turbo Charged is the debut album from yet another addition to the Tenor Saw / Anthony Red Rose / King Kong / Carl Meeks brand of rub-a-dub singing style. Listening back to records from the 80s it seems like this style really came from nowhere and five big stars were born into it at the time (plus several smaller artists). How this style got taken over by the crooner-aligned style from the likes of Thriller U and Pliers which become the dominant style going into the early 90s is beyond me. Sometimes I wonder what rub-a-dub singing is “””supposed””” to sound like and I feel like this should be the first thing that comes to people’s minds when the question is raised. In any case, Turbo Charged is one of the best records in this group, among some fierce competition.

Side note: I have seen it called the ‘waterhouse style’ online, but I have also seen other things called the ‘waterhouse style’ so.

Nitty Gritty brings two defining characteristics to this style. One is his relentless commitment to his heavy-duty tenor-range tremolos, which seem best suited to dreary emotional lines like “What a life, what a life” in Down In The Ghetto, but are forced into the romance, crop trouble, and soundboy killing-themed tunes just the same, with great taste and great results. The other is his tendency to swallow his voice and switch up vowels halfway through long notes (“go in deh-yyy”, “woman fast aslay-eep”). Es become As and As become Is and it goes to show that even in patois music, you don’t even need to get your vowels right to make compelling reggae. This may sound silly but the end result of Nitty Gritty’s vocal quirks end up having him sounding more like ‘meticulously practiced art’ than many others on the spectrum of singer to singjay. Despite having his own subniche carved out for himself, this is still not enough to save him from putting ‘zeen’s and ‘ay’s on the fifth at the end of his phrases, which is the compulsory Dennis Brown tribute all those under rub-a-dub law are obliged to make.

TUNE wise, the standout hit tune on this record is of course Hog In A Minty, on the Tempo riddim just made massive by Anthony Red Rose in the months prior. Despite being a hit song in the right place at the right time, it is a good tune, inherently fresh due to being authored by Nitty Gritty. The title is literal and the tune is based on an old folk tale of pigs rooting out vegetables – tunes based on old time proverbs and tales are always a delight to listen to. See also Old Time People by Super Black, and of course Pumpkin Belly by Tenor Saw for more in the same time period. Turbo Charge is the other instantly recognizable and unmissable tune in the set, with Nitty Gritty taking it easy way behind the beat and with no stress in his voice, and one of the coziest and best-mastered Jammy’s cuts of the era. Compare Mr. Gritty’s performance on this tune to the higher energy on Rub A Dub A Kill You and higher emotions on Amazing Grace.

A 2008 CD re-release brings four extra tracks: Run Down The World, Man In A House, False Alarm and Gimme Some A Your Something (Human Side). This is one of those very rare cases where the bonus tracks make the experience better rather than worse. The difference in mastering is very subtle and the tunes blend right in with the style. The human-instruments cut of Gimme Some A Your Something is a little highlight delight for me personally.

My picks: Gimme Some A Your Something, Turbo Charge, Amazing Grace, Hog In A Minty
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