Jackie Mittoo - Striker Showcase (17 North Parade/VP Records)

In fact this re-release consists of four Mittoo albums, 'Showcase Volume 3', also known as 'The Jackie Mittoo Showcase' (1977), 'In Cold Blood' (1978), 'The Keyboard King' (1976) and 'Hot Blood' (1977), of which the first two were already rereleased by Blood and Fire back in 2003 under the title 'Champion In The Arena 1976-1977'. The two discs contain a total of 34 tracks including some of Mittoo's best known hits, as there are: 'Drum Song', 'Hot Milk', 'Darker Shade Of Black', 'Champion Of The Arena' or 'The Sniper'. Yours truly has the habit of drawing your attention to the often excellent liner notes accompanying the VP Records and Greensleeves reissues, but in the case of 'Striker Showcase', Harry Wise really seems to have outdone himself, as spread over 10 pages, you get extensive biographies of both Mittoo and Lee illustrated with a slew of unique photos. Jackie Mittoo strikes again!