A crooner with a voice that evokes the great falsettos of Curtis Mayfield, Eddie Kendricks and Slim Smith of the Uniques, Jamaica’s Courtney John brings his distinctive timbre to “Strangers,” a brand-new track which could pass for a 40-year-old one. French musician Guillaume “Gee” Metenier’s anachronistic production has a classic feel that evokes roots reggae’s mid-70s heyday — a suitable canvas for John, who we last heard applying a futuristic touch to Errol Dunkley’s “Black Cinderella.”
The track, from an upcoming album release also called Strangers, is a welcome return from a singer who often falls under the radar, but sounds good whenever he emerges.