Norris Man - Home & Away (Greensleeves)

Norris Man seems to have signed with the English Greensleeves label and the resulting 'Home & Away' is a solid effort and by far his best since the release of his debut album 'Persistence' for VP Records.

John Holt - 1000 Volts Of Holt (Trojan/Sanctuary)

Re-release of the classic album of the king of lovers rock, John Holt.

King Tubby & Friends - Motion Dub Special: Classic Dubs 1974 - 1978 (Motion Records)

Motion Records is a small English label that specializes in what they call "vintage reggae & dub" and who says dub, says King Tubby.

Dr. Alimantado - House Of Singles (Greensleeves/Keyman Records)

For 'House Of Singles', a compilation you could call a Dr. Alimantado anthology, the doctor personally compiled the track list.

Dub Incorporation - Dans Le Décor (Diversité)

For yours truly, Dub Incorporation, a band from St. Etienne in the south of France, was the discovery at the 2006 edition of Couleur Café.

Various Artists - Dip & Fall Back: Classic Jamaican Mento (Trojan/Sanctuary)

Asked about the roots of reggae most people will answer: "ska!" and others might even remember nyahbinghi. Unfortunately, those answers are close but no cigar! Already in the nineteen thirties, genres like calypso and mento ruled the Caribbean.

Tanya Stephens - Rebelution (VP Records)

Many a reggae fan will have longed for the successor of the success album 'Gangsta Blues'.

Various Artists - Let Me Tell You Boy! (Trojan/Sanctuary)

Tanya Stephens, Lady Saw, Queen Omega, Lady G... Women have conquered their place in reggae music, but times were once quite different!

Skin, Flesh & Bones meet The Revolutionaries - Fighting Dub 1975 - 1979 (Hot Pot Records/Cooking Vinyl)

For those for whom the name doesn't ring a bell, Skin, Flesh & Bones was the first band in which Sly Dunbar (along with Ansel Collins on keyboards and Lloyd Parks on bass) played the drums.

Love Grocer - Across The Valley (Universal Egg)

In essence, Love Grocer is Zion Train's horn section. 'Across The Valley' is reminiscent of the work by Thievery Corporation and other projects with a loungy dub twist, without losing affinity with the roots of the music.

Barrington Levy - Shaolin Temple (Auralux)

In the tangle of different releases and re-releases and dubs, reggae can sometimes become a complicated matter, something that is certainly true for this Barrington Levy release.

African Bush Doctor - Jah Way (Jet Star/Charm)

For his album debut 'Jah Way', Sierra Leone-born African Bush Doctor clearly drew inspiration from reggae greats like Burning Spear, Abyssinians or Culture: solid references but no guarantee for originality.

Mighty Pirates - Give Thanks (Mighty Pirates/Tout Dread Productions)

Belgian reggae releases are a rarity. Together with The Skyblasters, Mighty Pirates is one of the longest lasting reggae groups in our little country, but after more than 15 years, 'Give Thanks' is still only their second release.

Richie Spice - Spice In Your Life (VP Records)

With the departure of founding members Chuck Fenda and Anthony Cruz, the fate of Richie Spice's 5th Element label was sealed. Spice made the best of a bad bargain and signed with VP Records.

Jah Mason - Princess Gone... The Saga Bed (VP Records)

Is this finally that great album by Jah Mason we were waiting for?

Doniki - Radical Expressions (Makasound)

Makasound proudly introduces her youngest daughter Makafresh, a sub-label that will be focusing on fresh new talent. Doniki gets the honor to bear the brunt.

I-Fam - Du Nouveau Sang (Homerecords.be)

The debut of Brussels based band I-Fam, short for One Big Irie Family, is highly reminiscent of the output of French band Trio.

Various Artists - Il Est Cinq Heures Kingston S'Eveille... (Makasound)

For this concept album Makasound called on some of the most well-known names in the French reggae scene asking them to record a reggae-version of a famous French chanson.

Various Artists - Twilight Circus Sound System presents Rasta International (M Records)

M Records, the label of Twilight Circus-man Ryan Moore, celebrates its tenth anniversary in style with a number of interesting new releases: there's 'Warrior', the new Michael Rose album and 'Rasta International', a compilation album for which Moore joined forces with a host of artists each doing their thing over typical Twilight Circus riddims.

Tony Tuff - Say Something (Minor7flat5)

Tony Tuff, once Sugar Minott's partner in African Brothers, is a somewhat underappreciated roots voice from the Jamaican music scene.