In 1982 Greensleeves Records released the 4th studio album by Hugh Mundell, simply titled Mundell…
The album would become a cult classic and enhance the prolific 22-year-old singer’s reputation as one of the greatest in reggae. The release was his first on Greensleeves, which was becoming the most relevant label globally for new reggae in the early 1980s, and 1982 was a standout year with Mister Yellowman, Michael Prophet’s Gunman, Michigan and Smiley’s Downpression, and Johnny Osbourne’s Never Stop Fighting all hitting the racks.
Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, with its eight songs, Mundell arguably doesn’t have a weak moment, mixing largely spiritual lyricism, exemplified on “Red Gold and Green” and “Rasta Have The Handle,” and a handful of love songs, such as the spiteful “Jacqueline.” The sound represented a shift from the rough rockers of Augustus Pablo to the sparse rub-a-dub style associated with producer Henry Junjo Laws, the Roots Radics band, and engineer Scientist.
Within 18 months of its release and following one more album, Hugh Mundell was shot to death in a car while traveling with his close friend Junior Reid, depriving reggae of one of its shining lights. Greensleeves acquired Mundell’s debut album Africa Must Be Free By 1983, and began reissuing it in 1986.
Jacqueline
Rasta Have The Handle
Going Places
Red Gold And Green
Tell I A Lie
24 Hours A Day
Jah Music
Your Face Is Familiar
