Apart from the fact that the stable of musicians that Lloyd 'Bullwackie' Barnes kept included a guitarist named Jerry Hilter (which is awesome in its own twisted way), the Bullwackie label is now and was then the most important outlets for JA music in the States. And although, Bullwackie himself may not get the credit that he should actually be afforded, that might change eventually as his label's work is in the process of being reissued by some Germans. Yes, Ze Germans. The Wackie's label, though, didn't just showcase productions from Barnes. It included a number of others who worked behind the boards as well as counting the Love Joys, Junior Delahaye and others as performers it would repeatedly utilize. What's more, the music backing all of these releases, while by no means identical, sported a sort of uniformity not commonly found in any music.

One of the folks that Wackie's was home to was a gentleman named Prince Douglas (aka Douglas Levy). Despite the fact that he sported a Jewish moniker, the Prince was able to dispense some might heavy tracks filtered through the wires the Barnes had laid in place with his own two hands. The Prince apparently only released two discs under his name on top of the production and engineering that he's credited with. But Dub Roots - please forgive the title - is an avowed classic.

Released at the dawn of the '80s, the album doesn't belie its release date, coming in like a mid to late '70s heavy handed King Tubby production. Obviously, Tubby had an impact on just about everyone, so perhaps that's not a fair name check, but frequently, the Prince has so many different layers gurgling up echoes and cavernous drum shots, that it becomes difficult to deny the similarity. Of course, there's that dry sound that Bullwackie was always able to wring out of his sessions and since the label honcho produced the disc, it makes sense.

There are some vocals interspersed throughout the disc, but on "North Of The Border Dub" with the track's phantom toaster at its head, it quickly moves from deejay territory into a simple, but rewarding dub work out. The guitar line, one of the most pervasive outta everything here, while echoed through countless chambers has a certain roundness to it that makes the tone unique at the very least.

The aforementioned Love Joys crop up for a bit as does Junior Delahaye, who also adds some percussion to the session. But what's so remarkable about this album - or anything from the Wackie's catalog, is the fact that these were pretty much self contained sessions that didn't necessarily need to rely on JA artists coming to New York and tossing in the assist. And while, Bullwackie is still at it today, the much diminished record buying market just doesn't yield the same sort of interest in this music as it once did or should now. Although, the producer is still working here and at a studio in Jamaica, he remains, with the Prince, a relatively ignored figure in a genre that needs a bit more attention.