The 'Dark Prince of Reggae's mid-'70s marvel gets reappraised on new Cherry Red offshoot
8/10
At just over 30 minutes long and with just seven vocal tracks (the remaining six are dubs), Torch of Freedom perhaps didn't live up to the tough UK expectations and standards set by the likes of Bob Marley, Horace Andy and pretty much the entire Virgin Front Line, Island and Trojan rosters, where most albums issued by major reggae artists during the mid to late '70s serviced their audiences with 40 minutes and at least ten different songs. But, that was Hudson - he basically helped innovate, perhaps accidentally, the soon-come widespread practice of showcase versions following vocal tracks on reggae albums released in the '80s.
So, what exactly did Torch of Freedom have going for it? Keith Hudson's ability to craft bass-heavy roots rock-steady anthems cannot be questioned - just check out the title-track, the single Lost All Sense of Direction and the sombre Don't Let The Teardrops Fool You, all recorded in England at a time when Hudson was keen to make his mark as a producer, as well as a singer.
Released on the Brent Clarke imprint Atra and Hudson's sixth album, the primitive arrangements (when compared to the likes of Perry or Tubby) are also its charm perhaps. Tracks take nearly ten seconds to fade in, channels drop out, the overdubs occasionally don't sit with the vocals and the mix wavers hesitantly, a far cry from his landmark Pick A Dub set some years earlier. It must be the tunes themselves that are the delight - Don't Look At Me So is a Hammond-heavy slice of love-lorn blues that gives other similar singers a run for their money (yes, even the occasionally sorrowful Burning Spear and Johnny Clarke in this case), while Turn The Heater On is of interest to New Order fans - the band covered the track for a Peel Session in the '80s. The late Ian Curtis had been a Hudson fan and his band-mates, only just fresh out of Joy Division and getting into their New Order stride, paid props to both people, as well as John Peel who also adored the man. This version is vastly superior, if only for the fact that Bernard Sumner didn't quite have the tonsils for the song's, er, warmth. Good try though.
The accompanying dubs are of variable quality with So Cold Without You (Heater), Look At Me (Don't Look...) and My Time (dub of the excellent Five More Minutes Of Your Time) being the most enjoyable. So what does Torch of Freedom have going for it? Overall, if archiving the forgotten Jamaica/UK dub and reggae gems of the formative mid-'70s is your food, your appetite will be satiated by Hudson's heartfelt, if a little haphazard, approach to creating harmony with the drum and the bass. Newcomers, ignore the shifts in sound and crazy channeling and give this a whirl. Top sleevenotes complete the package.
8/10
So, what exactly did Torch of Freedom have going for it? Keith Hudson's ability to craft bass-heavy roots rock-steady anthems cannot be questioned - just check out the title-track, the single Lost All Sense of Direction and the sombre Don't Let The Teardrops Fool You, all recorded in England at a time when Hudson was keen to make his mark as a producer, as well as a singer.
Released on the Brent Clarke imprint Atra and Hudson's sixth album, the primitive arrangements (when compared to the likes of Perry or Tubby) are also its charm perhaps. Tracks take nearly ten seconds to fade in, channels drop out, the overdubs occasionally don't sit with the vocals and the mix wavers hesitantly, a far cry from his landmark Pick A Dub set some years earlier. It must be the tunes themselves that are the delight - Don't Look At Me So is a Hammond-heavy slice of love-lorn blues that gives other similar singers a run for their money (yes, even the occasionally sorrowful Burning Spear and Johnny Clarke in this case), while Turn The Heater On is of interest to New Order fans - the band covered the track for a Peel Session in the '80s. The late Ian Curtis had been a Hudson fan and his band-mates, only just fresh out of Joy Division and getting into their New Order stride, paid props to both people, as well as John Peel who also adored the man. This version is vastly superior, if only for the fact that Bernard Sumner didn't quite have the tonsils for the song's, er, warmth. Good try though.
The accompanying dubs are of variable quality with So Cold Without You (Heater), Look At Me (Don't Look...) and My Time (dub of the excellent Five More Minutes Of Your Time) being the most enjoyable. So what does Torch of Freedom have going for it? Overall, if archiving the forgotten Jamaica/UK dub and reggae gems of the formative mid-'70s is your food, your appetite will be satiated by Hudson's heartfelt, if a little haphazard, approach to creating harmony with the drum and the bass. Newcomers, ignore the shifts in sound and crazy channeling and give this a whirl. Top sleevenotes complete the package.