When discussing unique voices in JA music, he name Lee Perry usually leads the pack by virtue of his unique perspective on wrecking personal possession, drug use and a wealth of other issues, most would be stunned by.

The guy who usually gets passed over in conversations like this one, though, is Leonard Dillon. Even saying his name in this context probably won’t clue most people in as to who he is – saying the Ethiopians usually does the job. The band isn’t generally associated with a singular composition transcending the entirety of reggae music. But its blend of nyabinghi percussion and what we all know as JA popular music wound up make the Ethiopians a formidable force during the ska and reggae eras. Dillon’s still kicking around today. And there’s no way to properly pick the group’s strongest effort even if you were to divvy up works into decades or era. A 1977 disc entitled Slave Call, though, sticks out.

Just to get it out of the way, the band reimagines its sixties’ classic “Train to Skaville.” The song served as the title to a long player dating back to a different musical time, but the band updates it, in seventies’ terms, at least. There’s not a tremendous difference, but enough that aficionados should do well to investigate.

If the disc were notable only for the Ethiopians re-worked hit, though, it’d be a travesty. “Mus Follow Babylon” almost gets into soul territory while still maintaining its JA vibe. Making the track such an unmitigated success is Dillon’s leadership in those vocal harmonies. Musically, it’s a low key affair with the band never galloping into rock territory as groups were wont to do towards the end of the decade. Its restraint makes for taut backing, one perfectly suited to Dillon’s not quite gruff vocals.

Considering the disc doesn’t sport any significant high points, it’s all staid and confident, it’d be hard to make a case for Slave Call sitting alongside Burning Spear’s finest efforts. At the same time, the Ethiopians easy going delivery and consistent level of performance easily grants them status most are incapable of attaining. Some earlier efforts from the group might be just as a good, if not a better starting place. Slave Call’s not exactly representative of the group at its pinnacle, but the disc makes use of pretty much everything contributing to the genre’s broad popularity.