Few contemporary reggae singers are as steeped in the history of Jamaica’s musical culture as veteran roots artist Glen Washington. When in the ‘70s he started to make his way as a singer and musician, he worked alongside childhood friends like Freddie McGregor, Beres Hammond, and others, and recorded his first hit, “Rockers ‘Nu’ Crackers” for Errol Thompson in 1976. Though he kept pursuing his musical ambitions, he didn’t record another appreciable hit until the early ‘90s, when he reemerged with “Resistance,” a powerful roots anthem cut on the celebratory “Cherry O Baby” rhythm. Washington has been experiencing a creative renaissance ever since, becoming something of a roots elder statesman. On Masterpiece, Washington teams with the Zion I Kings production team to produce another reliably excellent set of mellow lovers rock and socially conscious roots. The Zion I Kings are known for their heavy rhythms and vintage sonic aesthetic, and their relaxed productions perfectly match Washington’s gruff, care-worn vocals, particularly on the plaintive “Take Away the Whip” and the echo-laden “Dark Days Are Gone."