20th Century Steel Band - Warm Heart Cold Steel (1975)

This is a major label release by a band that was heavily influenced by black movements such as Black Power, which flourished in the late 1960s when stars such as Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix emerged, and fused elements of funk with the sound of steel pans. This is the first CD release.

All the instruments except the drums, percussion, and chorus are played on steel pans made by hitting drum cans. The performance is so passionate and creates a unique groove that it blows away the preconceived notion of a "warm tropical" sound. In some songs, the tempo seems a little too fast.

Even so, I was very disappointed with the liner notes, which only say that "This album became famous after being sampled in songs by Grandmaster Flash and Jennifer Lopez," and do not even credit the band members.