Pinch of Jamaican Soul: Essentials Mix

I've never done a mix before on this blog, but I know that my attempts at spreading the Jamaican Soul bug have gotten some of you ill by now, and I figure it's time to finally wipe you out with the sickness.

Here are 11 tracks that I consider essential, tracks I never get sick of and which epitomize all the things that draw me to this music: deep pockets, majestic singing, rainbow smears of harmony stacks and eccentric, warm productions. Some of these are fairly well known to fans of the genre, but others may have been overlooked in the reggae cannon and deserve a better death.

I left off anything by Delroy Wilson and early Bob Marley and the Wailers because I've got big plans for those mp3s in the near future. But this is still the cream of the crop. Enjoy the fever.

1. Matumbi - "Brother Louie"
2. Dennis Brown - "Man Next Door"
3. The Slickers - "Johnny Too Bad"
4. Myrna Hague - "Touch Me Baby"
5. Lee "Scratch" Perry - "Set Me Free"
6. Cornell Campbell - "Ten To One"
7. Keith & Tex - "Stop That Train"
8. Jimmy Cliff - "The Harder They Come"
9. Pat Kelly - "Somebody's Baby"
10. The Tartans - "Coming On Strong"
11. Twin Roots - "Know Love"