Flip and Twist

Album Review

Toots Hibbert is one of reggae music's pioneers, a man who was on the scene during the ska years and participated in that music's transformation into rocksteady and the eventual midwifery of the slower, smokier reggae rhythms that emerged around the turn of the 1970s. So it should come as no surprise that his sound has always drawn as deeply on American soul, R&B, and disco as on the mento and Caribbean sounds that were blended with R&B in Jamaica to create what would eventually come to be called reggae. And while those who consider themselves reggae purists might be discomfited by Hibbert's exploration of gospel, hip-hop, and modern R&B on his latest album, they should bear in mind that this kind of fusion is strictly in keeping with reggae's truest roots. Of course, none of that matters if the songs aren't catchy, but Hibbert's greatest talent has always been for the hook, and that talent doesn't seem to have diminished over the four-plus decades of his career, nor has his gravelly, soulful voice weakened noticeably. Flip and Twist features brilliantly gospel-inflected soul tunes ("Perfect Lover"), swinging rockers reggae with a Gamble & Huff feel ("Hope That We Can Be Together Soon"), greasy funk ("What Kind of Woman"), and slinky blues ("Good Woman"). Its weakest moments (such as the silly skiffle-reggae workout "Bye Bye" and the drearily thumpy disco track "Jungle") tend to be the ones that stick too closely to a single music genre. Hibbert seems happiest and most in his element when blending sounds promiscuously. That's when his listeners will be happiest too.