Toots Taps Clapton, Richards

Though over the past four decades reggae legend Toots Hibbert has hardly needed more accompaniment than his equally revered backing ensemble the Maytals, for his new album, Toots has enlisted a multi-genre, multi-generation group of guests. Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Trey Anastasio, the Roots, Ben Harper, Ryan Adams and No Doubt are just a few of the acts to lend a hand on True Love, a fifteen-song set due April 6th on V2.

True Love opens with Toots and Willie Nelson's duet on Nelson's own "Still Is Still Moving to Me," but the majority of the album finds the reggae troupe and their guests dusting off old Toots and the Maytals classics like "Pressure Drop" (featuring Eric Clapton), "Time Tough" (Ryan Adams) and "Monkey Man" (No Doubt).

Born in the Jamaican countryside, Hibbert relocated to Kingston in the early Sixties and formed his first ensemble, the Vikings. By 1964, he dubbed his ensemble the Maytals, and the group was known for its soulful vocal approach and live wire performances. Hibbert's 1968 song "Do the Reggay" is credited with introducing the term that would define a genre.

True Love track list:

Still Is Still Moving to Me (with Willie Nelson)
True Love Is Hard to Find (Bonnie Raitt)
Pressure Drop (Eric Clapton)
Time Tough (Ryan Adams)
Bam Bam (Shaggy and Rahzel)
54-46 Was My Number (Jeff Beck)
Monkey Man (No Doubt)
Sweet and Dandy (Trey Anastasio)
Funky Kingston (Bootsy Collins and the Roots)
Reggae Got Soul (Ken Boothe and Marcia Griffiths)
Never Grow Old (Terry Hall and the Skatalites)
Take a Trip (Bunny Wailer and Eric Clapton)
Love Gonna Walk Out on Me (Ben Harper)
Careless Ethiopians (Keith Richards)
Blame on Me (Rachel Yamagate)

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Song Stories

“Help Me”

Joni Mitchell | 1974

Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.

More Song Stories entries »

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