Johnny Nash is the pimp king of Dad Rock. I was totally
unaware of this guy (at least by name – it turns out he had some
huge hits in the Pop Reggae world, and
even produced records for Bob Marley and Peter Tosh before they were famous) before
I found this record at the 46th Anniversary sale at
Shake, Rattle and Read; a
fantastic little independent used book/record/magazine/comic store, which
specializes in Sci-Fi novels, vintage Playboys, and pristine used Rock and Jazz
vinyl, and which has exponentially outlasted a hugely hyped Borders just one
block away (hello, America?). Anyway, back to the record. I knew I had to buy
this record just by looking at it: both the front and back covers of this album
are quite stunning.
On the front, Johnny is dressed in the most immaculate Pimp
suit – complete with matching cane – while he takes a jolly stroll through the park.
There is a bright, fuzzy glow – seemingly emanating from his body – which lends
the notion that maybe he is some kind of
Supernatural Pimp Angel who only you
can see. All of these things might be true. Also, the tall, skinny font used on
this record is really great.
On the rear cover, a man – who might be Johnny Nash (it’s
kind of hard to tell) – is looking like the shirtless, Afro’d Bizarro Zorro who
comes from a world where everything looks like a black and white photograph.
It’s hard to tell whether they (man + horse) were really rendered in black and
white, or whether the costume and lighting departments did a mind-blowingly
good job, either way – the image is eye-catching. The background is in color, but
appears to be muted, save for a very trippy, contrasting purple sky.
Enough with the descriptions of the artwork – the point is,
you can tell exactly why I was originally reeled into this record before ever
hearing it. Oh yeah, it gets better.
Johnny Nash’s music sounds kind of like what it would sound
like if Sam Cooke and the Beach Boys formed a Reggae Jam Band, and then tried
to win the hearts and minds of Southern Rock fans. If you are human (please
verify via
Captcha), this analogy should be one which causes both confusion and
intrigue, in equal measures. But fear not: though the analogy is mostly true,
it is true in only the best possible ways. The production style is very simple
and pleasant – heavily using the powers of stereo mixing to their maximum – which
makes for a really exciting listening experience, especially on a pair of good
speakers or headphones. The music itself utilizes elements of Barber Shop,
Doo-Wop, Reggae, Soulful Ballads, and straight-up Dad Rock, and manages to
create a really unique, groovin’ celebratory sound, much as the album’s title
suggests. Johnny Nash’s vocals are really interesting too – his phrasing seems
unrehearsed, and the melodies seem to expose themselves almost accidentally –
and yet, his vocals are effortlessly beautiful.
This is music that could be found at a beach party or at a
working class divey Cheers bar and achieve the same effect. This feels, to me,
like music that brings people together. Johnny Nash earned his greatest success
just one album previous to this one, with his song “I Can See Clearly Now.” The
material on Celebrate Life still has
that recognizable Reggae influence, but definitely has some great straightforward
Soul and Rock moments as well.
