Brown Eye Girl

Brown Eye Girl

Reggae artists have never been shy about repurposing classics to meet the demands of a new generation of fans. In the ‘60s, vocal combos like The Wailers and The Uniques performed indelible reggae covers of the American soul hits. In the present day, dancehall DJs deliver rapid-fire verses over instrumentals whose bedrock rhythms date back to the glory days of Studio One. While other Jamaican singers borrow from vintage reggae classics, the dulcet-voiced Sanchez looks to the pop mainstream for inspiration. Since the late ‘80s, when he reimagined Simply Red’s “Lady in Red” as a gently grooving lover’s rock anthem, Sanchez has made a career out of guileless reinterpretations of the standards. Brown Eyed Girl is a standout 1996 album that finds Sanchez putting his distinctive stamp on a dozen well-chosen covers. He draws heavily on early-‘70s American soul hits, and the material seems to suit him well, from his simmering, Prince Jammy–assisted take on Al Green’s “Here I Am” to his near-definitive dancehall reading of The Dramatics’ “In the Rain.”

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