From AV Club:

According to numerous sources, Jamaican singer and producer Sugar Minott has died at the age of 54. The cause of death has not been disclosed, although Minott had recently canceled shows in Canada after suffering from chest pains.

Minott (real name Lincoln Barrington Minott) got his start as part of the Sound Of Silence Keystone sound system spinning rocksteady and reggae tunes, then graduated to singing with The African Brothers in 1969. After releasing a series of singles in the early ‘70s, the group split, with Minott moving on to a successful solo career that was marked by his talent for crafting new songs to go over existing beats, a style that would prove to be very influential on the dancehall scene. Minott’s debut Live Loving for the Studio One label—which included songs like “Vanity” and “Mr. DC”—is considered a pioneering dancehall album.

Above is a video of Sugar Minott’s 1981 hit cover of Michael Jackson’s “Good Thing Going”, which can be found on YouTube HERE.  MNSKA would like to send our thoughts and condolences to Minott’s family.  He will be missed.

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album The Best Of Jackie Opel by Jackie Opel (Studio One):

Now that companies are repressing older albums, certain artists are easier to find now, Jackie Opel being one of them!  This album has all of the normal songs associated with Jackie Opel, and would be a great album to have if you DJ (you know, playing only the songs people know).  Nontheless, this is a great album.

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album Do The Rocksteady by The Termites (Studio One):

This album only ranks as “meh” in my book. I’d like to consider rocksteady my favorite genre of Jamaican music, and I just don’t think this is extraordinary rocksteady.  Sorry, I know a lot of people think otherwise, but this album just doesn’t get me going. This album gets repeatative and seems to be lacking originality.  However, I love the cover art, if that’s any consolation.  This would be great for someone who isn’t just a “just the classics” collector, but I don’t think this album is great for more than a few spins and an occasional selection on the tables.

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album Evening Time by Jackie Mittoo (Studio One):

Let me just get this out of the way, and say I absolutely adore the cover of this album! Apparently, Jackie Mittoo has sexy organ parties on the beach with attractive ladies! I wonder where his organ is plugged into? Alright, that’s out of the way…This album is absolutely killer. I’m a huge fan of the organ, and even a bigger fan of Jackie Mittoo. This whole album is just fantastic, not a single downside to any song at all. You need more Jackie in your life.