Gregory Isaacs – Nobody Knows (7")

Gregory Isaacs – Nobody Knows (7") Drawn from the sessions that produced Gregory Isaacs’ 1988 New Dance album, Nobody Knows is a standout example of top-tier digital roots reggae. Backed by the Firehouse Crew and produced by Bunny Gemini and Tristan Palma, the track pairs a taut, rolling digital rhythm with one of Gregory’s most affecting late-era vocal performances. Mixed by Leroy “Fatman” Thompson - whose engineering lineage runs directly through King Tubby before later work with the Jammys camp - the record delivers everything great that digi reggae should: crisp rhythm, deep bass, and spacious dubwise detail. Isaacs sounds weary, vulnerable, and completely compelling, while the dub version strips the rhythm to its skeletal foundations of echo, bass, and atmosphere. A killer late-'80s Gregory cut and an essential digi roots 45. A1. Nobody Knows B1. Dub RIYL: King Tubby, Tristan Palma, Johnny Osbourne, Tenor Saw, Sugar Minott, Firehouse Crew productions, late-'80s digital roots reggae, Jammys-era dancehall Format: 7" Vinyl Genre: Reggae / Digital Roots / Dancehall Label: Bunny Gemini Productions / Dug Out Country: Jamaica/Germany Year: 1988