Alton Ellis

Alton Ellis is, along with Delroy Wilson and Ken Boothe, one of the Jamaican soul singers who I've come to think of as a master.



The thing about falling in love with this music and these singers is that there is almost no information about them on the Web. That might not be a good thing for their legacies but, as a listener, it keeps them at a distance and the focus on what matters: the music itself.

Of the three singers I've mentioned, Ellis is the spookiest. There is some kind of blue mysticism in his voice, a twinge of backslidden gospel. On "When I'm Down," from a record of duets with his sister Hortense (who deserves her own post), he sings, When I'm down I just pray to the Lord, but rather than deliver a soothing, hymn-like embrace it comes across totally unsettling. It's partly because the chords are requiem-dark and partly because Ellis doesn't sound like he believes a word of what he's saying - like somebody roped him into recording this religious tune and he's going to make the best of it and undercut the lyric's empty promises by injecting some of his own sad perspective.

Ellis also has a bit of the madness in his delivery. There's no better example of this than "I'll Be Waiting," and its last third where Ellis has had enough of crooning and resorts to an ugly, broken falsetto wail. "It's a Shame" is just Ellis at his most relaxed and perfect.

Alton Ellis - "When I'm Down"

Alton Ellis - "I'll Be Waiting"

Alton Ellis - "It's A Shame"