Tribute albums have become dime a dozen, mainly stemming from the fact that they are usually a cash-in from the popularity of a certain artist. Such cash-ins can range from awful to ridiculous, there being no difference whether the ‘honored’ artist is handled by just one or a group of other artists.
On the other hand, when a tribute album is handled properly and with love, it can be a real joy to listen to. In such cases, there is double merit. On one hand, you can listen to that tribute as a singular achievement and on the other, it will certainly inspire you to listen to the original artist, for the first or for the 100th time. There, it will make no difference whether the artist(s) giving tribute takes the traditional approach, following along the lines of the original music, or whether it is a completely free-form reinterpretation.
Late Bunny Wailer, as part of the Wailers with Bob Marley and Pete Tosh and as a solo artist has come up with some beautiful Reggae music. It was partly due to his beautiful voice as well as to his equally high-quality songwriting. To handle his material and do it justice you really have to feel it and take it carefully. That is the least it deserves.
And that is exactly what Picstitch, the Grammy-nominated producer and Roots Reggae artist in his own right and his The Reggaestra have done on the simple, but aptly named Tribute to Bunny Wailer.
Picstitch explains it himself, “I was approached by the Solomonic Reggaestra and they informed me that they are planning to record a tribute album for their lead singer Bunny Wailer who at the time was falling ill and could not perform. I was asked to step in and cover some of his iconic hits. I took the opportunity right away and the rest was history!”
And frankly yes, he is right, because he and The Reggaestra handle Bunny Wailer’s music with ease and care that is deserved and which stems from the fact that both Picstitch and The Reggaestra fully love and understand Wailer’s music. Oh, and it surely makes it possible to listen to this album as its own entity and search out all those great Bunny Wailer albums.
