Fally Lover

One of Johnny Osbourne’s most beloved albums, the Henry Lawes–produced Fally Lover finds Osbourne turning in a set of nocturnal seducer’s anthems, many of which became instant hits on Kingston’s soundsystem circuit. Osbourne led a distinguished career as the singer with the rocksteady outfit The Sensations and recorded a string of stirring roots sides for Studio One in the late ‘70s. But in the ‘80s he reinvented himself as the undisputed don of late-night dance, deepening his voice and adopting a cooler, more relaxed delivery style that perfectly matched the stripped-down rub-a-dub rhythms being pioneered by producers like Prince Jammy, Linval Thompson, and Henry Lawes. This set opens with “Fally Lover,” a simmering re-cut of Osbourne’s “Fally Ranking” that transforms the original's paranoid dread into an ode to romantic longing. Osbourne maintains the sweet, slightly melancholy atmosphere of “Fally Lover” throughout the entirety of this outstanding LP. “Ice Cream Love” and “No Lollipop So Sweet” may have been the big dancehall-packing hits, but everything here's worthwhile.