Ernie Smith was a Jamaican artist who had a string of hits in the early seventies, including “I Can’t Take It,” “Pitta Patta,” “Bend Down,” and “Life Is Just For Living.” He recorded for the Federal Records label, who is know for their polished take on reggae. The production on this best-of collection owes more to the countrypolitan sound coming out of Nashville in the same time period as reggae.
There is none of the deep bass or colly-fueled skank of contemporary reggae producers like Joe Gibbs, Niney the Observer, Bunny Lee, or Lee Perry. Instead, there is a pop sheen to the songs, from Smith’s restrained baritone to the inclusion of non-reggae elements like strings and piano. Many of the songs sound like country-western, but for the mild reggae lilt. “I Can’t Take It” even includes a spoken word interlude at the end of the song, in clear, American English, without any of the patois or slang that makes reggae so distinctive. He also experiments with pop on “Footprints on the Ceiling.”
Even the more “reggae” songs on this disc are produced in a way that make them sound country. In the hands of Joe Gibbs or Bunny Lee, “Bend Down” could be a mellow, post-rocksteady reggae song. Smith makes it sound like George Jones with some dreadlocks on bass and guitar. The same is true with “One Dream,” “Ride On Sammy,” and “Pitta Patta.” Smith tries out some patois on “Duppy Gun Man,” but it sounds staged and insincere. His patois on “Key Card” and “Nice Time” sound more natural.
I’m not trying to write him off as a posh, fake Rasta. His pop approach to reggae may not have jibed with what was going on in the dancehall at the time, but forty years later his material sounds like other pop artists of the time, including Johnny Nash and George Jones. Smith’s take on “Sunday Morning Coming Down” is on par with Johnny Cash’s version. The pop production techniques add novel elements to the reggae sound palette, and it’s old enough to sound cool and retro rather than cheesy and watered down. As non-traditional as Ernie Smith’s music is, I found myself really enjoying this album.
Article comments
1 - Anna
Ernie Smith is an undersung and underpublished hero of his craft. It is not that he is a pioneer of reggae or country or funk/ska but that he has and continues to make songs that people, of varying genre preferences, would want to listen to again and again. I run a small venue in RI, a state filled with reggae lovers that would have been more than happy to pay 8 bucks to see this moving and uplifting musician perform. Yet, by the end of the night our venue thinned to a mere 20-25 enthusiastic fans. He, likely didn't care or chocked it up to lack of marketing effort but I, as a huge fan and owner of this venue, know that it was more due to people (though knowledgable of even the most obscure caveats of reggae) not knowing the depth or longevity of this great musician. Some, far more reggae-pulsed than I had never heard of him nor did they care to pay even a partial cover to bear witness. The onus is always on the venue to infirm possible and current fans of events and that is 100% good by me, but this was a case of something entirely different. A reggae legend, with music that is marketable to nearly every demographic to the enth degree
has never even been heard of by mOst people since the early eighties. I am not complaining as much as I am looking for perspective on why this man doesn't have a cult following made up of funk, reggae, ska, country, and roots/Americana fans from all over the world.