Legalize It
Each of the dreadlocked prophets who made up reggae's "holy trinity"--Bob Marley,Bunny Livingston, andPeter Tosh--sang for "equal rights and justice." But Tosh, the trio's take-no-prisoners militant, came on the hardest. His voice held the threat of danger, turning sufferahs' dreams and Rastafarian complaints into urgent demands. All the tracks in this remastered 1976 set--Tosh's first for an American major and his first collaboration with drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare (who went on to become reggae's legendary "riddim twins")--instantly became anthems, not just in reggae, but within the international pop lexicon. Some vintage roots reggae may strike contemporary listeners as peace and love cliché, even naive. Not Tosh. Against the background of today's turbulent social climate,Legalize Itstill sends chills up the spine with the sheer spectacle of a great reggae warrior's refusal to bow.--Elena Oumano