While U-Roy has been around as long as any other singer from Jamaican musical history, his performances haven’t begun to show his age. Last summer, I was lucky enough to watch a set that he did in Seattle, and I would suspect that, even if he hadn’t been performing for a full house, the songs would have had roughly the same ebullience. He was able to include a litany of classics – including that one about wearing you to the ball. It was all pretty stunning to witness despite the inclusion of some out of place synthesizer noises. But the toaster – who I can’t recall ever seeing without some sort of head covering - comes from a very specific place in Jamaican music history.

While some touted the influence of experimental music in the development of hip hop, U-Roy really should be considered as good a source as any for that American genre. Along side King Stitt, U-Roy even during the pretty early ‘60s, found himself toasting over Studio One versions. And while any number of groups by this time were exploring the repetitive capabilities of tape loops, no one had figured to have a singer (if he can be referred to as such) spontaneously create lyrical content for the music.

U-Roy might not have been the first to do this – and probably not the first to put it all down on tape, but he was around during the early development of this style. And even if he can’t count any firsts amongst his almost fifty year career as an entertainer, he was one of the first superstars in Jamaica.

The 1979 collection of singles entitled With Words of Wisdom functions as a companion to Versions Galore. But on this collection, most of the versions that U-Roy has a go at don’t sport any of the original singing. And while U-Roy is as entertaining as any other toaster – or rapper – at times his gleeful yelps would benefit from some further accompaniment. It is just short of wonder some as to how this man came to a career in music without too much singing ability. Although, U-Roy’s talent is obviously chatting, as early as he began, it would have been jarring to here him on the mic at a party.

“Merry Go Round” has an all too brief vocal snippet, and while it does the trick, a bit more could have provided the disc with some much needed variety. And I suppose that would be the only real criticism of With Words of Wisdom. As a listener, you already know what’s coming. U-Roy doesn’t speak on anything all that demanding, intellectual or pressing. And in this than, the ties between U-Roy and some lesser modern rap albums finds itself all the more apt. But with those discs, as well as this effort from U-Roy, its fans already know what’s to be unleashed when the needle hits the wax. It’s the simplicity and comfort that’s found in something so familiar that serves to make this disc – or any other U-Roy album – more than entertaining.