Toppa Top 10: Top 10 Beres Hammond Classics

Words by Eddie STATS Houghton, Martei Korley and Jesse Serwer, Photo by Martei Korley.

Trying to win a Caribbean woman’s heart? You’ll probably want to brush up on your Beres Hammond then. For more than three decades, the “King of Jamaican Lovers Rock” has been making ladies throughout the West Indies (and the diaspora) swoon—all in spite of his regular-guy image and appearance. As fans of both sexes will tell you, it’s all in the smoky-sweet, “Bourbon on the rocks” voice—a blend of Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye’s rich tones, with a Caribbean lilt. Today, Beres’ long-time label VP Records is releasing Our Favorite Beres Hammond Songs, a compilation of covers by Jah Cure, Busy Signal, Tarrus Riley, Marcia Griffiths and more. We’ve got our own list of favorites, and although his well of hits is virtually bottomless, we’ve winnowed things down to an even 10. Ladies only now… leave your favorites/opinions/messages for Beres in the comments.

10. “They Gonna Talk” (2001)

Beres was still scoring hits as his career past the quarter-century mark at the start of the new millenium. This one, from the 2001 album Music is Life, came exactly 25 years after his emergence in 1976 with quasi-disco soul tunes like this.

9. “Can’t Stop A Man” (1995)

Remaining relevant in the fast-paced reggae/dancehall market is almost impossible, even for artists who enjoy great fame abroad. For instance, Cecile is huge in Europe but doesn’t enjoy the same fame at home in Jamaica. Recently we heard Gyptian attest to the same thing at a show in Kingston. Yet Beres Hammond is something of a teflon Don. He quite simply remains Jamaica’s favorite living singer. Raw soul and grit has always worked in Jamaica but when matched with uncanny phrasing, smooth arguments and the ability to make a classic riddim sound like it was actually produced for you, the result is something like this.

8.”Groovy Little Thing” (1985)

This record is a Jamaican favorite, sort of a yard version of The Commodores’ “Easy (Like Sunday Morning)”. It is cool and understated, in the way most Al Green tracks are—the musicians are tearing it up, but are tempered in the mix—while Beres diligently phrases 100% raw soul between the easy groove. Sly Dunbar actually invented a new riddim pattern here which has withstood the test of time. Just try playing it without tapping your feet or rockin’ some part of your body. Thought so!

7.”Doctor’s Orders” (1993)

Gil Bailey, the famous WNWK 105.9 FM DJ,premiered this track to New Yorkers in the middle of winter, early 1993. As he kept pulling up the record that Saturday morning on his show, everyone listening was “feeling the shiver.” It stuck,  like the snow outside, and became a bonafide mid-winter reggae hit.

6. “Show It Off” (1993)

This song is the ultimate “I told you so” of Beres’ catalog.  Not only is it fit for the dancehall—the riddim is a muscular reworking of the ultimate clash record “Death in The Arena”— but the lyrics are truly heartfelt. Beres sounds almost giddy as he re-tells the story of ‘The Ugly Duckling”… Show them what you got now, Honey!

5. “Putting Up Resistance” (1993)

Beres’ voice was created to sing love songs. That we have established. But just like Marvin Gaye, he produced some of his most searing work by putting his voice in service of more serious subject matter. On this all-time classic of conscious dancehall produced by Tapper Zukie, Beres is more effective than any dreadlocked prophet precisely because the listener never questions for a second that the singer is NOT a born rebel but a hard-working family man who’s patience is pushed to the breaking point by circumstance. It also showcases his incredible talents as a songwriter and storyteller, painting vivid and unexpected scenes with each couplet (blow wind blow, blow wind blow/I don’t want to go out tonight) that lay the emotional foundation for the defiant chorus—a stark contrast to the one-verse, one-concept format of so much dancehall.

4. “My Wish”/ “A Little More Time” f/Buju Banton (1993)

While Beres’ lyrics are essentially the same on these two tunes, it’s not just the appearance of Buju Banton that makes them different. The Buju tune “A Little More Time” is the better known of the two but engineer Steven Stanley’s mix on Beres’ “My Wish” gives that version an ethereal, eerie and haunting quality that sets it apart from other tunes on the ubiquitous Tonight riddim.

3. “Falling in Love All Over Again” (a.k.a. “Who Say”) f/ Buju Banton (1992)

Beres’ recording career began all the way back in 1976 but it wasn’t until the early 1990s that his career really began to peak.  This heartwarming tune about reigniting long-cold emotional sparks (which appeared on Love Affair, the same album that featured “Tempted to Touch”) was one of several classic classic combination tunes Beres recorded with Buju Banton (see below) in this period. With its offbeat, falsetto harmonics, this might be the tune where Beres most recalls Marvin Gaye.

2. “Tempted to Touch” (1990)

This is the definitive tune on the definitive lover’s riddim (“Love I Can Feel”) from the definitive label (Penthouse) of what is undoubtedly the most definitive period of dancehall music (1990) and it is no surprise that it has spawned multiple spin-offs (Rupee, Busy Signal). Speaking for DJs, there is no question whether this tune will play at a reggae dance. The only question is: Cutty Ranks version or no Cutty version?

1. “What One Dance Can Do” (1985)