The legendary Burning Spear delivers exactly what you’d expect on this live recording – free-spirited, vivacious performances of excellent reggae songs. His status as one of reggae’s most important figures has remained unchanged for decades, and Live At Montreaux shows no signs of fumbling. The beauty of the genre is in its effortless duplicity, combining cheerful, upbeat grooves with lyrics tackling society’s direst problems. Tracks like “Old Marcus,” “Columbus” and “Slavery Days” exhibit this delicious clash with a palpable energy. The mix is airy and crisp, leaving more than enough space for the spirit of the artist to seep through.
Appeared in the September 2003 issue of Rockpile magazine.