Jimmy Cliff's best work was done under the wing of legendary Jamaican producer
Leslie Kong in the late '60s and early '70s, and following
Kong's death of a heart attack in 1971, that certain intangible spark from the
Kong years seemed to dim in
Cliff's subsequent recordings. Although he was too gifted a performer and writer to make patently bad albums,
Cliff seemed to drift off course beginning with
Unlimited, the first of three albums he recorded for
EMI (it was originally released in the U.S. by
Reprise in 1973, and
Trojan reissued it in 1977), and the first done without
Kong's involvement. The tracks on
Unlimited followed roughly the same successful template as before -- melodic
pop tunes over solid Jamaican rhythms, sweetened occasionally with tasteful string arrangements -- but the results now seemed somehow only partially realized. Oh, there were striking songs on
Unlimited, of course, including the lovely opener,
"Under the Sun, Moon and Stars," the stirring, wise, and historically accurate
"Oh Jamaica," and the bright, poppy
"On My Life," but several tracks seemed oddly lifeless and uninspired, for all of
Cliff's obvious commitment and passion.
Jimmy Cliff at half-speed is still a charismatic
pop artist, and
Unlimited is certainly worth a listen, but don't expect the same magic of his earlier years. ~ Steve Leggett
