Compiled by reggae historian Steve Barrow, Doing Our Things - More Soul From Jamdown is a collection of soul / disco covers by Jamaican singers, deejays, musicians, and producers. Original and ingenious in approach, some of the tracks are hardly recognizable from the sources they draw from, and the record as a whole showcases not only how much influence music from the U.S. had on Jamaica, but also how the island's artists "attained their own voice" while reinterpreting stateside sounds. Standouts include: Davee Barker's "Johnny Dollar," Alton Ellis' "Too Late To Turn Back Now," August Pablo's "Too Late," Dillinger's "Cornbread, Earl & Me," John Holt's "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine," and Phillip Frazer's "Special Request To The Manhattans."

• includes liner notes booklet by Noel Hawks, Steve Barrow
• gatefold sleeve
• music label: Cree Records 2017

reviewed by rei kwondo 04/2018