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TRACKLIST

1. Heptones Feat. General Trees / Satisfaction [0:03:58.20]
2. Glenn Ricks / Honky Tonk Woman [0:03:49.09]
3. Sugar Black / Jumpin' Jack Flash [0:04:10.09]
4. Steel Pulse / You Can't Always Get What You Want [0:04:23.42]
5. Andrew Francis / Under My Thumb [0:03:52.69]
6. Gregory Isaacs / Wild Horses [0:03:51.08]
7. Toots & The Maytals / Start Me Up [0:04:01.18]
8. Hu Jay / Waiting On A Friend [0:03:52.22]
9. Cahlice / Paint It Black [0:04:26.27]
10. The Gladiators / Time Is On My Side [0:03:25.69]
11. Ken Boothe / Brown Sugar [0:03:27.60]
12. Susan Cadogen / As Tears Go By [0:03:53.10]

The third of Madacy's Reggae Rocks tribute albums to rock legends (not including The Tide Is High, which is devoted to rock 'n roll itself), Paint It Black features the work of the Rolling Stones. Like the other volumes, the line-up of artists features an impressive array of reggae stars (Gregory Isaacs, the Gladiators, Toots & the Maytals, Steel Pulse, the Heptones, Ken Boothe) along with some lesser-known acts, and like any album featuring covers of pop rock songs, the sound is distinctly pop-inclined. Being that the material comes from the Rolling Stones, there is more of an electric guitar sound here (see "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Honky Tonk Woman," etc.) than on Blowin' in the Wind or Here Comes the Sun. This "edge" will appeal to some listeners more than others; I personally don't generally care for rock guitars in my reggae, but on this album, they mostly work. In fact, they accentuate the two best songs on Paint It Black: the atmospheric title track and the freewheeling "Under My Thumb," the latter of which may be the best cover on all 3 Reggae Rocks tributes thus far. The party ska of "Start Me Up," along with "Wild Horses" (despite Gregory Isaacs' voice) and the lovers rock of "As Tears Go By" provide nice support as well.

Part of the Reggae Rocks series (which also has volumes focusing on Bob Dylan and the Beatles), Paint It Black features a dozen reggae covers of tunes from the Rolling Stones' catalog. The set features performances by established artists, such as Toots & the Maytals (who cover "Start Me Up") and Steel Pulse (covering "You Can't Always Get What You Want"), and more obscure acts. The Stones have had a fairly close relationship with reggae dating back to the early '70s, so it's not too far removed to hear some of Mick Jagger's melodies realized as such. As legend has it, "Start Me Up," the Stones' frequent barnburning show opener, began life as a reggae tune. Hearing a reggae version, though, it's immediately obvious why it didn't quite work out. Unlike the Dylan volume, the music here seems to lose much of its vitality. A notable exception is Sugar Black's toast-filled version of "Jumpin' Jack Flash." ~ Jesse Jarnow, All Music Guide

SPOILER (EAC LOG)