Toots & the Maytals - Funky Kingston Album

The Funky Kingston album is one of the best from one of the artistic pillars of reggae. "Funky Kingston" includes signature songs like "Pomp and Pride," "Redemption Song" and the title track, along with the band's soulful cover of Richard Berry's "Louie Louie" and a mesmerizing take of Ike & Tina Turner's "I Can't Believe." Frederick "Toots" Hibbert sings with smoothness unmatched in reggae and sounds like a combination of Otis Redding and Ray Charles. Meanwhile, his bandmates provide both call-and-response gospel and sweet harmonizing. Instrumentally, the band's groove is deep and hypnotic, and crackles with the intensity of their early years.