With flair, skill, passion and stamina, Bradley (Reggae on CD) fluidly traces Jamaican music's odyssey from the pure energy of 1950s Kingston's open-air sound system scene to the eruption of homegrown ska, the "smooove of Rocksteady," reggae's depth; holding his nose for digital/ragga/ roughneck, he regains optimism for the emergent new roots genre. But the meat lies in how Jamaica's poverty, societal strife and "politricks," tempered by the creativity, spirituality and upbeatness of its people, yielded the music, which for better and worse reached the U.K., the U.S. and beyond. Born in London to Jamaican immigrants, Bradley spent six years studying his subject. Avoiding the who/what/ when tedium that encumbers many music histories, he reveals the whys and hows. The legendary Prince Buster whets readers appetites in the foreword, then passes the mike to Bradley. Hardly a ham, Bradley passes it often to the originators and major players (including Lee "Scratch" Perry, Big Youth, Burning Spear) for lengthy, lively quotes and anecdotes. He pays scholarly attention to musical detail and attempts to highlight everyone who has made reggae waves, not just the stars. He writes, "It's a brave publisher that will put out a volume about reggae in general without its jacket artwork conspicuously featuring Bob Marley's face." And a brave writer who forestalls addressing the master's impact until the 17th chapter. "For many, Marley is
reggae"; but it's a "colossal irony that, during his tenure at the top, reggae's most famous exponent exerted practically no influence over the music's development at grassroots—i.e., Kingston studios—level." Such insider-expert revelations will delight reggae's many devotees. Agent, Sophie Brewer, Penguin UK. (Oct.)
