Shanty Town Determination 1976 - 1978

The lines between Trinity (born Wade Brammer), Dillinger, Yabby You, and myriad other reggae figures began to blur with the rise of DJs and talk-over artists. Here's Trinity, at 22, riffing so that he'd not be forgotten. His voice sounds startlingly like Dillinger's, especially when he's talking gravelly and with exclamations, jumping around the reverb-soaked instrumental track in a way that's simultaneously meaningful as narrative and as rhythm. There are obvious shadings provided by U-Roy and Big Youth, but even as an early twentysomething, Trinity could go from a near-shout talk-over to a sweet R&B-tinged vocal warble--sometimes over a threadbare bass and drums track--and make it all sound coherent and compelling. The first eight tracks of Shanty Town Determination originate in the vinyl release, circa 1977, which was exhausted after a small 1,000-copy run. With this CD reissue, there are five additional tracks, including Trinity's Big Youth homage, "Z 90"; a remix of the Prophets' "How Long Jah"; a second-generation takeoff of the Heptones' "Fight It to the Top"; and "Blessed Are the Meek," a tip to Slim Smith. --Andrew Bartlett