Rebirth

If the veteran Jamaican singer James Chambers helped tremendously in bringing reggae music to life in 1972 with the soundtrack to the film The Harder They Come, the following decades have instead offered us a Disney-fied, mainstream version of this important singer-songwriter. In 2012, at the age of 64, Cliff teamed up with producer Tim Armstrong (Rancid) and delivered 12 solid songs, including Joe Higgs’ classic “World Upside Down” and a cover of The Clash’s “Guns Of Brixton”, evoking the ska and early reggae periods of the 1960s. Rebirth? Let’s call it a reaffirmation of his talent.