Third World – “Now that We Found Love” (1978)
Bunny Rugs described Third World’s sound like this: “Strictly a reggae band, no. Definitely a reggae band, yes.” Along with Inner Circle (of which Cat Coore and Richard “Ibo” Cooper were members prior to forming Third World), the group were among the first to plug an uptown sensibility into reggae following its crystallization in the Kingston ghettos of the early ’70s. This took the form of both Cat Coore’s rock-inspired guitar work, and the band’s embrace of American R&B trends, including disco. Chief among these was their cover of the O’ Jays’ “Now That We Found Love,” the definitive version of a tune later covered by fellow Jamaican Heavy D.