I Roy - Musical Shark Attack Deluxe (2025)

Expect a journey through playful but conscious vocals, followed by deep, echo-rich instrumental mixes. The album captures the synergy of DJ culture and the roots-dub tradition.

I-Roy was the most lyrical of the dancehall DJs of the late-1970s and this is well demonstrated in the excellent toasting he drops over some of the dub plates on Musical Shark Attack. Not all the tracks here are classics, but tunes such as the mighty "Drum Sound" and the title track show why I-Roy is at the top of the heap: his voice is strong, melodic and compelling. Rather than repeat clichéd dancehall phrases like many of his contemporaries, he delivers conscious and intelligent comment and, bizarrely, lines from popular nursery rhymes superbly underpinned by the strong dub versions he uses. Musical Shark Attack does not necessarily represent I-Roy's finest work, but there's not a duff track on the album, indeed some of it is wonderful. --Duncan Thomson

Tracklist:
1-1 I Roy;I-Roy - Semi-Classical Natty Dread [2:58]
1-2 I Roy;I-Roy - Musical Shark Attack [3:14]
1-3 I Roy;I-Roy - Drum Sound [2:53]
1-4 I Roy;I-Roy - Is Love I A Deal With [3:20]
1-5 I Roy;I-Roy - Social Development [2:13]
1-6 I Roy;I-Roy - Jamboree [3:45]
1-7 I Roy;I-Roy - Skyjuice And Festival Dumpling [2:55]
1-8 I Roy;I-Roy - Run For Your Life [2:58]
1-9 I Roy;I-Roy - Tribute To Michael Holding [3:30]
1-10 I Roy;I-Roy - Everybody Ballin' [2:49]
1-11 I Roy;I-Roy - Tribute To Marcus Garvey [4:07]
1-12 I Roy;I-Roy - Semi Classical Natty Dub [2:59]
1-13 I Roy;I-Roy - Musical Dub Attack [3:16]
1-14 I Roy;I-Roy - Dub Sound [2:55]
1-15 I Roy;I-Roy - Is Dub I A Deal With [3:22]
1-16 I Roy;I-Roy - Dub Development [2:15]
1-17 I Roy;I-Roy - Jamboree Dub [3:47]
1-18 I Roy;I-Roy - Skyjuice And Festival Dub [2:57]
1-19 I Roy;I-Roy - Dub For Your Life [3:00]
1-20 I Roy;I-Roy - Dub For Michael Holding [3:32]
1-21 I Roy;I-Roy - Everybody Dubbin' [2:50]
1-22 I Roy;I-Roy - Dub For Marcus Garvey [4:05]