William White - Open Country & Open Country Live (Galileo Music/Self-published)

'Open Country' is already White's fourth long player, but unlike for 2005's 'Undone', 2008's 'Evolution' and 2011's 'Freedom', for which he did all the work himself, William this time collaborated with Devon Bradshaw (former bass player for Burning Spear) and Ian Coleman (guitarist for Ziggy Marley). On 'Open Country' White offers a mix of reggae (opener 'Power Reggae' obvioussly reminds Burning Spear), soul, ska ('Rub A Dub' featuring Toots and The Maytals), jazz and even country ('Open Country') and mento ('Rub A Dub' featuring Heart Beat Pop and Mento) and includes a cover of Bob Marley's 'Caution'.
 
The live album, added as a bonus, is of a very different order. 'Open Country Live' was recorded during White's 2012 Freedom Tour, with a completely different track list, highlights William's versatility even more and sounds a lot less reggae oriented than its studio counterpart.