Jimmy Cliff - The EMI Years 1973-'75 (2004)

Jimmy Cliff's strongest work was done under the wing of legendary Jamaican producer Leslie Kong in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a period that saw the pair craft such soulful pop-reggae classics as "Wonderful World, Beautiful People," "You Can Get It if You Really Want," "Vietnam," and the gorgeous "Many Rivers to Cross." Work on the soundtrack and movie The Harder They Come had just been completed when Kong died of a heart attack in 1971, and with him went a certain intangible spark in Cliff's recordings; Although he was too gifted a performer and writer to make patently bad albums, Cliff hasn't delivered anything since as brilliant as his early efforts with Kong. This compilation, drawn from his three albums with EMI, Unlimited (1973), House of Exile (1974), and Brave Warrior (1975), represents Cliff's first extended phase without Kong's guidance, and while the tracks here follow roughly the same template as before -- melodic, wise pop tunes over solid rhythms, sweetened with tasteful string arrangements -- the results seem only partially realized. The best tracks here ( "On My Life," the bitter "I've Been Dead 400 Years," "Every Tub," the beautifully sad "Million Teardrops") all exhibit a kind of weary exhaustion, and whatever optimism they project seems strangely desperate. Cliff at half-speed is still a charismatic pop artist, and this compilation certainly is worth a listen, but don't expect the magic of his earlier years.

Tracklist:
01. Jimmy Cliff - Born to Win
02. Jimmy Cliff - On My Life
03. Jimmy Cliff - Fundamental Reggay
04. Jimmy Cliff - Under the Sun Moon and Stars
05. Jimmy Cliff - Oh Jamaica
06. Jimmy Cliff - The Money Version
07. Jimmy Cliff - Black Queen
08. Jimmy Cliff - Be True
09. Jimmy Cliff - The Price of Peace
10. Jimmy Cliff - I See the Light
11. Jimmy Cliff - You Can't Be Wrong and Get Right
12. Jimmy Cliff - Foolish Pride
13. Jimmy Cliff - I've Been Dead 400 Years
14. Jimmy Cliff - Look What You Done to My Life Devil Woman
15. Jimmy Cliff - Music Maker
16. Jimmy Cliff - Every Tub
17. Jimmy Cliff - Don't Let It Die
18. Jimmy Cliff - Actions Speak Louder Than Words
19. Jimmy Cliff - Million Teardrops
20. Jimmy Cliff - Save a Little Loving