Brutal

By the time Black Uhuru released Brutal in 1986, Junior Reid had replaced Michael Rose as the lead singer, although you'd have been hard pressed to tell the difference at times. Still strongly Rasta, the harmonies still fuelled the sound, and Sly and Robbie still created the sonic backdrop that had moved on from the rockers riddim. The real problem was the songs, or, rather, the lack of them. It was as if they'd gone back to the well, and managed to catch the last few drops as it ran dry. So the title track and "Great Train Robbery" still steamed along, but the rest was remarkably devoid of energy and inspiration. Chris Nickson