Winston Francis ★★★★
Unfinished Business
TAMOKI-WAMBESI. CD
Studio One alumni reunite: Mr Fixit meets Roy Cousins in Liverpool.
Smooth crooner Winston Francis and singer/ producer Roy Cousins were neighbours when recording at Studio One in the 1970s; now the longstanding friends have reconnected at the Wirral’s Glass Studios for a new album that blends tasteful cover versions with inspired originals. Renditions of The Melodians’ Everybody Bawling and Delroy Wilson’s I Don’t Know Why ride vintage rhythms, and Francis’s interpretation of the Abyssinians’ Declaration Of Rights is delivered with passion, while the originals are all the more impactful: I Conquer The Devil Last Night has Francis battling a coke-wielding Satan, with sharp harmonies from AJ Franklyn of The Chosen Few, and Jah Music is a laid-back salute to reggae’s longevity; Can’t Do Without You pays homage to wife Angela. With Francis’s voice in fine fettle and Cousins in command of the proceedings, the result is pure quality throughout.