Rude Rich & The High Notes - The Soul In Ska Vol. 1 + Winston Francis & The High Notes - Just In Time (Grover Records)

'Tribute To The Greats', the previous long player of what remains the best ska and rocksteady-ensemble in the Benelux, already dates back to 2012, but now there's 'The Soul In Ska Vol. 1', recorded at the Pum Pum Hotel Studio in Charleroi! As the title suggests, on this album the band revisits a number of soul classics. The album opens with 'Ain't Too Proud To Beg', a ska version of the eponymous classic by The Temptations, immediately followed by an excellent version of 'Mouth A Massy', a song by Alton Ellis. Then The High Notes go soul again for Tyrone Davis' 'Turn Back The Hands Of Time'. One of the most original songs in the track list is 'Miss Lulu, Mi Switi', an update of the Derrick Morgan classic 'Miss Lulu' sung in English and Sranantongo, and the next tune, a ska-reworking of The O'Jays' 'Backstabbers' is another one of our favorites on 'The Soul In Ska Vol. 1'. With Al Green's 'Love And Happiness', we're served yet another soul classic and then there's 'How Many Times', a lesser known Bob Marley song that was already dusted off by his son Stephen a few years ago. 'Turn Your Lamp Down Low' is a delightful up-tempo ska version of the Muddy Waters classic. Slim Smith's 'My Conversation' (also featured in an excellent combination with deejay Otty Rankin) of course needs little introduction, and the same goes for Lord Creator's 'Evening News'. Since this is album is titled 'The Soul In Ska Vol. 1', more goodies are sure to follow!
 
The revived High Notes must have been on a roll as apart from their own 'The Soul In Ska' album, the band also joined forces with veteran Winston Francis for 'Just In Time'. The High Notes already collaborated  with Francis in the past, acting as his backing band on various occasions, and in 2006, one of these concerts was immortalized for the DVD release 'Winston Francis meets The High Notes'. As the subtitle of this long player ('A Journey From Ska To Reggae') suggests, for 'Just In Time' Winston Francis revisited a number of classics from ska, rocksteady and reggae; sometimes staying pretty close to the original, as with John Holt's 'A Love I Can Feel' or The Paragons' 'Only A Smile', and elsewhere giving it his own touch (Alton Ellis' 'Breaking Up' or Gregory Isaacs' 'My Number One'). The album opens with the perhaps lesser known 'A Little More Oil In My Lamp', a 1964 adaptation by Eric 'Monty' Morris and The Ska Kings of a Christian hymn based on the parable of the 10 virgins, and also concludes with the same track but this time in a jazzy nyahbinghi version. Delicious musical journey through time!