Hopeton Lewis: Groovin'

I mean absolutely no disrespect to the gentleman. And moreover, I enjoy a great deal of the music that Hopeton Lewis has given the world. But the introductory statement on his website actually made me laugh.

Welcome to the official website of Mr. Hopeton Lewis, International Recording Artiste, Songwriter, Music Producer and successful Businessman.

Of course, Lewis is an international recording artist and all those other things. But successful business man? Is that really something that needs to be included? Who knows, but it’s amusing (maybe just to me, but I doubt it).

For being such a major figure in JA music, Lewis never really recorded a great deal under his own name. There were a few full lengths during the ‘70s, although his stint with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires is decently documented and not too difficult to track down. Certainly, though, there were a slew of singles over time and perhaps the most notable one was “Take it Easy.”

In discussing the development of JA music, some posit that Lewis’ track constitutes the beginning of rock steady. That’s just opinion and conjecture, though. Regardless of that back and forth, though, “Take it Easy” was re-recorded and included on Lewis’ 1971 Groovin' Out on Life.

The disc can’t really be considered a highlight in his career, but seeing as Lewis hasn’t remained in the reggae, ska or rock steady genre, it’s a snap shot of historical import. Today, Lewis trucks in religious stuffs and gospel, which is obviously a natural extension of his earlier work and even some of the tracks represented on Groovin' Out on Life.

“Love is a Beautiful Thing” doesn’t even read like a song coming the tiny island nation. Instead, it’s basically a Motown track that’s been slowed to a snails pace and features a slew of female back ground singers lifting Lewis’ sometimes slight vocals to a place that it wouldn’t have found otherwise. It’s not a bummer of an offering, but certainly not something that JA music fans should seek out. Trust me.

Despite that one musical transgression, Lewis gets into tougher territory even if much of what this album comprises is just an amalgam of American sounds. There’s a version of “Express Yourself,” that begins as if it could be lifted from one of the Skinhead Sevens compilations. It’s not, though, and as Lewis’ screams become more and more frequent, his singing the hook inside of an enormous echo pleases pretty much anyone that’s going to randomly come upon the track. That flute solo doesn’t hurt matters either.

For such a worldly and respected guy, Groovin’ Out on Life doesn’t really deliver the goods as one might expect. That being said, though, the fact that there’s nothing readily available from the guy on a too frequent basis makes it an interesting nugget of JA history to imbibe. Yeah, the covers, of which there are too many, get kinda bothersome, but listeners should deal with it just to get to the few points of interest that the disc actually holds.