It was Jimmy Cliff's native mix of outlaw roots and hearty pop vigor in his 1972 film and soundtrack performance of The Harder They Come that first broke reggae in America, and Special generally rocks with that same sunny Jamaican soul. Cliff gracefully slips and slides through the eleven tracks here with a voice as bright as a Caribbean afternoon sky, combining the romantic clarity of Sam Cooke with the stylized passion of David Ruffin. Producer Chris Kimsey, in turn, contributes a bright studio sheen and spunky bottom to the rolling rub-a-dub arrangements of Cliff's Oneness band, enhancing such cheery numbers as "Special" and "Love Is All" and adding backup punch to the protest hymns "Treat the Youths Right" and "Roots Radical."

On the minus side, Cliff's lyrics border on the trite, and Kimsey occasionally lets his good intentions get away from him, as in the overdubbed clutter of "Keep on Dancing" and "Where There Is Love," embarrassing schmaltz more worthy of an island hotel lounge act. This is not the best Cliff on record – that honor still goes to The Harder They Come–but it does reaffirm that Jimmy Cliff is as special to reggae as the title of this album suggests. (RS 379)

DAVID FRICKE