Linval Thompson Productions

LINVAL THOMPSON PRODUCTIONS
CAN'T STOP US NOW
EASY STAR

Linval Thompson was one of the chief architects of dancehall in the late '70s, stripping reggae down to its rawest essentials of mellow guitar and bass, dubby percussion, and conscious vocals. A generation later, Thompson's music, as heard on this compilation of songs he co-wrote and produced, still sounds like the world's most infectiously peaceful vibe, joyful and never dull. Numbers such as the Wailing Souls' "You Can Stay" do something that's eluded everyone from the Grateful Dead to assorted techno DJs, sounding gentle enough for meditating yet funky enough to demand jiggly body movements. That sublime balancing act attracted a slew of then-up-and-coming reggae stars such as Barrington Levy, Sugar Minott and Eek-a-Mouse, and they all turn up in spots on this album. Though there are a few moments when the music on Can't Stop Us Now gets a little dull, it still sounds like perfectly irie sonic wallpaper—a good thing because most of Thompson's tuneage brushes pretty close to Rasta heaven.