Reggae Ballad
Located in 2 routes
The slow, romantic and emotive side of reggae: tender one-drop grooves at a swaying 60-75 BPM, rich melodic bass, soft organ and rhythm-guitar skank, and lush backing harmonies supporting a lead crooner. Lyrics dwell on love, longing, heartbreak and devotion, delivered with soulful, intimate phrasing. Production is warm and uncluttered, foregrounding the voice and melody. The mood is aching and sweet, reggae's answer to the soul ballad and the backbone of lovers rock. Signature traits include lovers'-lament lyrics and honeyed, sustained vocal lines.
History
The reggae ballad grew from the soulful crooning of rocksteady and early reggae into a defined romantic lane in the 1970s and 1980s, carried by 'lovers' singers such as Gregory Isaacs (the 'Cool Ruler'), Dennis Brown, John Holt and, supremely, Beres Hammond. Jamaican and UK studios refined its smooth production, and it overlapped closely with lovers rock and soft roots reggae. These ballads produced some of reggae's most covered and enduring love songs, and the tradition continues through modern singers keeping the slow, tender reggae love song alive.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Night Nurse(1982) — Gregory IsaacsSpotifyYouTube
- Love Has Found Its Way(1982) — Dennis BrownSpotifyYouTube
- Tempted to Touch(1990) — Beres HammondSpotifyYouTube
- Help Me Make It Through the Night(1974) — John HoltSpotifyYouTube
- Waiting in Vain(1977) — Bob Marley & The WailersSpotifyYouTube
- Just Don't Want to Be Lonely — Freddie McGregorSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- Lloyd Bradley, Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King (Penguin, 2000)
- Steve Barrow & Peter Dalton, The Rough Guide to Reggae (Rough Guides, 2004)
- David Katz, Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae (Bloomsbury, 2003)
- Kevin O'Brien Chang & Wayne Chen, Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music (Temple University Press, 1998)
- Steve Barrow & Peter Dalton, The Rough Guide to Reggae (2004)
- Lloyd Bradley, Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King (2000)