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Soca developed in Trinidad and Tobago, and while it's a music that has been documented, there are many areas in its history that are relatively murky. Bear Family's 2015 compilation Nappy: Music Man shines a spotlight on Richard "Nappy" Mayers, a singer, guitarist, producer, and arranger who began his career with a band called Embryo and had some solo singles in addition to working with other artists. Bear Family's disc -- which is exceptionally well-annotated by Dave Elcock -- contains 19 of these sides, all recorded between 1975 and 1981, drawing heavily from Embryo's discography and containing a fair share of singles from Nadie La Fond, in addition to singles by Ceasar, Sound Revolution, and Nappy himself. There's a wide variety of artists and the sounds are diverse, too, more than a soca novice might expect: it's Caribbean but it often plays like exceptionally lithe disco or smooth gossamer soul, dipping into perhaps expected funk and reggae, but there's also a bit of country-rock/soft rock on the closing "Let Me in Your Life." This wide range of sounds underscores how Nappy was indeed a music man but it also winds up sounding like an album of the greatest soulful ideas of the late '70s.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Embryo, MainArtist - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Embryo, MainArtist - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Embryo, MainArtist - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer - Nadie La Fond, MainArtist
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Embryo, MainArtist - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Embryo, MainArtist - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Embryo, MainArtist - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer - Nadie La Fond, MainArtist
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer - Richard ‘Nappy’ Mayers, MainArtist
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer - Sound Revolution, MainArtist
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer - Richard ‘Nappy’ Mayers, MainArtist
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Embryo, MainArtist - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Embryo, MainArtist - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer - Nadie La Fond, MainArtist
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer - Nadie La Fond, MainArtist
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer - Richard ‘Nappy’ Mayers, MainArtist
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Ceasar, MainArtist - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Felix Ceasar, Composer
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Embryo, MainArtist - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Embryo, MainArtist - Copyright Control, MusicPublisher - Richard Mayers, Composer
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
Album review
Soca developed in Trinidad and Tobago, and while it's a music that has been documented, there are many areas in its history that are relatively murky. Bear Family's 2015 compilation Nappy: Music Man shines a spotlight on Richard "Nappy" Mayers, a singer, guitarist, producer, and arranger who began his career with a band called Embryo and had some solo singles in addition to working with other artists. Bear Family's disc -- which is exceptionally well-annotated by Dave Elcock -- contains 19 of these sides, all recorded between 1975 and 1981, drawing heavily from Embryo's discography and containing a fair share of singles from Nadie La Fond, in addition to singles by Ceasar, Sound Revolution, and Nappy himself. There's a wide variety of artists and the sounds are diverse, too, more than a soca novice might expect: it's Caribbean but it often plays like exceptionally lithe disco or smooth gossamer soul, dipping into perhaps expected funk and reggae, but there's also a bit of country-rock/soft rock on the closing "Let Me in Your Life." This wide range of sounds underscores how Nappy was indeed a music man but it also winds up sounding like an album of the greatest soulful ideas of the late '70s.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 19 track(s)
- Total length: 01:19:45
- Main artist: Various Artists
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Bear Family Records GmbH
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B Soul
(C) 2017 Bear Family (P) 2017 Bear Family
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