Truths and Rights

iTunes Review

Johnny Osbourne’s seminal 1979 release on Studio One, Truths and Rights, reasserted Coxsone Dodd's innovative spirit and daring. For Truths and Rights Dodd recut a number of classic, soul-derived Studio One rhythms in a more aggressive Rockers’ style that emphasized slower tempos, propulsive, earth-shaking bass work, and echo-laden percussion ideal for Jamaica’s crowded dancehalls. The veteran Johnny Osbourne, who had cut his teeth as a rocksteady crooner with his group Johnny and The Sensations, approached these radical new sounds with an equally revolutionary approach. Rather than mimicking the melodic precision of earlier Jamaican and American vocal stars, Osbourne toyed with the rhythms, bending and shaping melodies on the fly and vacillating from ad-libbed scatting to soulful displays of vocal virtuosity. His style on legendary cuts like “Jah Promise” and “Truths and Rights” would be adopted by legions of singers in the coming years, making Truths and Rights one of the most influential albums of the roots era.