Horace Andy

Since the close of the 1960s, the distinctive vocals of Jamaican singer Horace Andy have lent an air of enigma and yearning to even his most direct performances. Those vocals anchored roots-reggae successes such as the 1972 single “Skylarking,” while his own albums from the 1980s ventured into dub and dancehall; he also supplied key tracks for trip-hop innovators Massive Attack across their defining 1990s releases. Steady output continued in later years through partnerships with Alpha and Sly & Robbie, culminating in the 2022 album Midnight Rocker, produced with British dub specialist Adrian Sherwood, and its companion dub set, Midnight Scorchers, issued months afterward.

Horace Hinds entered the world in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1951. He joined the reggae circuit as part of the second wave of vocalists who followed pioneers Ken Boothe, John Holt, and Delroy Wilson. His clear, forceful high-tenor instrument set him apart from nearly every other Jamaican male singer of the early 1970s, save Junior Murvin. Shifting between intimate croon and impassioned cry while maintaining precise phrasing, Andy proved repeatedly captivating. By age twenty-one he had already recorded the hit sides “Skylarking,” “The Love of a Woman,” and “I Found Someone.” Throughout the first half of the decade he ranked among the island’s most sought-after voices, cutting numerous tracks for Bunny Lee in a collaboration that endured until the decade’s end and yielded some of his strongest material.

Once that association ended, Andy aligned with New York-based producer Everton DaSilva, who granted him greater creative freedom than Lee had allowed. The result was the 1977 signature album In the Light, issued alongside its dub counterpart. Andy’s singing reached new heights, supported by a band that included Jamaican notables Augustus Pablo and Horsemouth Wallace.

Through the 1980s he maintained a busy schedule, working with Lloyd Barnes (also known as Bullwackie) and the elusive Tappa Zukie. In 1990 Massive Attack recruited him for vocals on their debut Blue Lines; pleased with the outcome, the group invited him back for 1994’s Protection, which also showcased vocalist Tracey Thorn, and for 1998’s Mezzanine. Andy kept issuing solo projects, among them a Bob Marley tribute album, while the British imprint Blood & Fire paired In the Light with In the Light Dub on a single disc in 1995. Further releases followed across subsequent decades, including the 2007 Sly & Robbie collaboration Livin’ It Up and 2013’s Broken Beats, which occasionally veered toward dubstep. In April 2022 he reunited with dub innovator Adrian Sherwood for Midnight Rocker, revisiting earlier compositions alongside fresh material; September brought Midnight Scorchers, a classic dub treatment that incorporated Sherwood’s experimental remixes, additional tracks from the same sessions, and new guest spots by dancehall toasters Daddy Freddy and Lone Ranger.