The Wire (p.67) - "[W]hen the tunes are lined up, John Holt turns out to be the template for many of the great vocalists who followed, and the rhythms he used at Studio One will be versioned into infinity."
Personnel: John Holt (vocals); Enid Cumberland (vocals, percussion); Barrington Llewellyn, Earl Morgan, Howard Barrett, Leroy Sibbles, Tyrone Evans, Noel "Skully" Simms (vocals); Carlton Manning (guitar, bass guitar); Fil Callender (guitar, drum); Eric Frater, Ernest Ranglin, Errol Walters, Patrick McDonald (guitar); David Madden, Roland Alphonso, Vin Gordon, Cedric Brooks (horns); Jackie Mittoo, Richard Ace, Robbie Lyn (keyboard); Leroy Sibblies, Boris Gardiner (bass guitar); Leroy Wallace (drum); Denzil Laing (percussion).
Recording information: 1969 - 1972.
This entertaining collection of lovers rock singer John Holt's late-1960s recordings spans the ephemeral pop of "OK Fred" and the social commentary of "Change Your Style"--neither of which particularly suit Holt's sophisticated, nuanced vocal abilities--and his masterful covers of the Neil Diamond-penned "Holly Holy" and "Soolaiman." In between there are early lovers rock experiments like "Have You Ever Been in Love," "Darling I Need Your Loving," and "Stranger in Love." Though Holt's major successes wouldn't come until the early '70s, this set reveals the roots of one of Jamaican music's biggest stars.