Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking

This is highly unusual for me as I am not a fan of reggae by any stretch of the imagination – other than the white boy punk/pop versions ala the Clash or Elvis Costello. But somehow in the late 70’s I was exposed to these two women and their pop-reggae British hit, “Uptown Top Ranking” and have never forgotten it.

I finally found this CD and while it is not something that I would listen to constantly, it is a nice treat on a summer Sunday afternoon. Very fitting as we enjoy the warmth and a nice beverage.

Everything on this record is quite poppy, which makes it more accessible to a white boy like me than, say, heavy dub. Some lyrics are quite political, as they sing about Africa and no more war, but there simple love songs, songs for Jah, and one just about the music – “They Wanna Just” (“they wanna just reggae”).

No for everyone but much more listenable than many reggae groups and “Uptown Top Ranking” is still a classic summer song!