Wikipedia

Unity (Shinehead album)

Unity is an album by the British Jamaican musician Shinehead, released in 1988.[2][3]

Unity
Studio album by
Shinehead
Released1988
GenreRap, reggae
LabelElektra[1]
ProducerJam Master Jay, Davy D, Claude Evans
Shinehead chronology
Rough and Rugged
(1986) 		Unity
(1988) 		The Real Rock
(1990)

The album peaked at No. 185 on the Billboard 200.[4] "Gimme No Crack" was a minor radio hit.[5]

Production

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"Come Together", "Truth", and "Chain Gang Rap" were produced by Jam Master Jay; the rest of the album was produced by Davy D and Claude Evans.[6][7] Roots Radics contributed to the album.[8] "Who the Cap Fits" is a remake of a song from Shinehead's debut album.[2] "Chain Gang Rap" samples Duke Ellington's "Take the A Train" and incorporates elements of Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang".[9][10] The title track samples "Come Together".[11]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [13]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide     [7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [8]
Tulsa World    [10]

Trouser Press wrote that Shinehead "continues to mix yankee hip-hop and yardee MC."[6] The New York Times noted that "Shinehead will drift into a falsetto voice to sing, parody somebody for a second, change the beat–nothing stays the same for long."[2] The Gazette determined that Shinehead "proves himself one of the most inventive, intelligent rappers on the scene."[14] The Philadelphia Inquirer concluded that Unity "contains rap, dub-poet toasting, and some of the leanest, most concise vocalizing anywhere in black pop."[15]

The Washington Post stated: "A striking major-label debut, Unity is as rhythmically limber as it is well-meaning."[9] The Los Angeles Times determined that "'Hello Y'All' combined a rap-style vocal with hard reggae rhythms ... 'Know How Fe Chat' reversed the equation by setting a patois-laden Jamaican vocal against a funk arrangement."[16] The Toronto Star deemed the album "a comically-inspired fusion of rap and reggae."[17]

AllMusic called the album "too lighthearted and positive to catch the ears of hip-hop heads who were beginning to lean on harsher sounds that were developing."[12] The Chicago Tribune listed Unity as the sixth best album of 1988; the Star Tribune listed it as the fourteenth.[18][19]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Unity" 
2."Chain Gang Rap" 
3."The Truth" 
4."Hello Y'All" 
5."Do It with Ease" 
6."Gimme No Crack" 
7."Ragamuffin" 
8."Know How Fe Chat" 
9."Who the Cap Fits" 
10."Golden Touch" 

References

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  1. ^ Shuker, Roy (March 15, 2012). Popular Music Culture: The Key Concepts. Routledge.
  2. ^ a b c Watrous, Peter (October 9, 1988). "Recordings: Rap Plus Reggae – A Compelling Synthesis". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Marcus, Greil (October 20, 2015). Real Life Rock: The Complete Top Ten Columns, 1986-2014. Yale University Press.
  4. ^ "Shinehead". Billboard.
  5. ^ Darling, Cary (April 28, 1989). "Critic's Choice – Pop". Orange County Register. p. P37.
  6. ^ a b "Shinehead". Trouser Press. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  7. ^ a b MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 512.
  8. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 631.
  9. ^ a b "Records". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  10. ^ a b Widner, Ellis (January 27, 1989). "Record reviews". Tulsa World. p. 6B.
  11. ^ Marlowe, Duff (2 Apr 1989). "The Essential Guide to Contemporary Rap". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 81.
  12. ^ a b "Unity". AllMusic.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. pp. 419–420.
  14. ^ Lepage, Mark (5 Jan 1989). "Shinehead - Unity". The Gazette. p. F8.
  15. ^ Moon, Tom (13 Nov 1988). "Shinehead Unity". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I8.
  16. ^ Snowden, Don (18 Mar 1989). "Reggae/Rapper Shinehead Reaches for Wide Audience". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 10.
  17. ^ Potter, Mitch (30 Mar 1989). "Shinehead mixes rap, reggae 'n' fun". Toronto Star. p. C2.
  18. ^ Heim, Chris (6 Jan 1989). "A year without trend left room for adventure". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 60.
  19. ^ Bream, Jon (15 Jan 1989). "1988 Pop Music Survey: Echoes of '60s, '70s are in '88's resounding hits". Star Tribune. p. 1F.
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