Tings an' Times explained

Tings an' Times
Type:studio
Artist:Linton Kwesi Johnson
Cover:Tings an' Times.jpg
Released:1991
Studio:Sparkside Studio, Dulwich Road, London
Genre:Reggae, dub, spoken word
Label:Shanachie
Producer:Linton Kwesi Johnson, Dennis Bovell
Prev Title:In Concert with the Dub Band
Prev Year:1985
Next Title:LKJ in Dub: Volume 2
Next Year:1992

Tings an' Times is an album by the Jamaican dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, released in 1991.[1] [2] It was Johnson's first album in six years.[3] Tings an' Times also served as the title of a book of Johnson's poetry.[4]

Production

The album was produced by Johnson and Dennis Bovell.[5] Johnson was again backed by the Dub Band, with the sound fleshed out by the addition of accordion and violin. Steve Gregory contributed on flute and saxophone.[6]

Critical reception

Robert Christgau wrote that "the riddims skip by on Dennis Bovell's ska-speedy tempos, graced with tricky guitar hooks and colored with fiddle and accordion that sing Hungary and Algeria and Colombia and the Rio Grande." The Los Angeles Times lamented that "Johnson’s delivery is both tentative and buried a bit in the mix, lessening the impact." The Orlando Sentinel opined that "Johnson's thoughtful lyrics float over gorgeous elongated reggae tracks flavored with jazz-influenced horns, accordion, piano, violin and flute." The Commercial Appeal noted that Johnson's "spry quips and brusque cadences [ride] over tough rhythms."[7]

AllMusic thought that Johnson's "outlook is intensely African, and his socio-political lyrics (some in English, some in an African language) are a passionate call for democracy in Africa." The Spin Alternative Record Guide praised the "increased doses of joy and irony in LKJ's meditations." Trouser Press deemed Tings an' Times "an upbeat but stringently critical album that is at once traditional and modern."[8]

Personnel

The Dub Band
Technical

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Linton Kwesi Johnson | Biography & History. AllMusic.
  2. News: Poet on the front line. May 3, 2002. The Guardian.
  3. News: Point . Michael . Reggae rappers return in full force . Austin American-Statesman . 18 Apr 1991 . Onward . 13.
  4. Book: Matterson . Stephen . Jones . Darryl . Studying Poetry . 2011 . Bloomsbury Publishing PLC . 150.
  5. Album Reviews . Billboard . July 6, 1991 . 103 . 27 . 62.
  6. News: Pick . Steve . 'Tings an' Times' . St. Louis Post-Dispatch . 10 May 1991 . 4F.
  7. News: Wynn . Ron . Jamaica's 'dub' poets laid rap foundation . The Commercial Appeal . 28 Apr 1991 . G3.
  8. Web site: Linton Kwesi Johnson . Trouser Press . 21 July 2021.