Search - Joe Higgs :: Blackman Know Yourself

Brilliant album

The Arbiter | Ann Arbor, MI, USA | 03/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Don't be fooled by the overly condescending, know-it-all review from the insufferable Patrick L. Kelly, Sr. "Saints Fan." Despite his lecture, he is the one who demonstrates insufficient knowledge. "Stepping Razor" was indeed written by Joe Higgs, and while Peter Tosh's recording of it (clearly credited to Higgs) may have preceded this one, Kelly needs to realize that artists sometimes record their own versions of songs long after others have already popularized them. The song's lyrics don't even make sense for Peter Tosh, who at 6' 5" seemed an unlikely author of the lyric "I'm like a stepping razor don't watch my size, I'm dangerous." The diminutive Higgs wrote those words, of course.



My only criticism of this album is that it's too short -- I would love ten or fifteen more minutes of similar songs. Higgs keeps the arrangements simple, which helps to showcase his deceptively nimble voice. With its rousing call to action and anthemic melody, "Let Us Do Something" should have been a major international hit, and "She Was the One," with its bubbling organ and bursts of piano, burrows its way into your brain in a most agreeable way. Another standout is "Saturday Morning," a lover's lament with an incongruously lilting pace.



With Higgs' death in 1999, reggae lost yet another of its great pioneers. It's a pity that he did not leave behind more of a recorded legacy, but what exists is of tremendous quality."

JOE HIGGS is inimitable and his work immeasurable

Troy Freeman | Los Angeles, CA | 03/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I started listening to Joe Higgs in high school and Blackman Know Yourself still sits firm with his other collections. Done with the Wailers band, this CD is a must have. If you love reggae, it's time you know the source. Get this CD today. If you have a reggae collection, how can you not have the "FATHER OF REGGAE"? I strongly recommend this!!!"