Freddy McKay – Tribal Inna Yard

His debut LP, Picture On The Wall, arrived in 1971 through Coxsone Dodd. The following years brought a string of albums, including the underrated Lonely Man, produced by Neville Hinds and Warwick Lyn. Alvin “GG” Ranglin followed with The Best Of Freddy McKay, while Ossie Hibbert handled production on 1979’s Creation. McKay later produced Harsh Words and Fire Is Burning himself before joining forces with Linval Thompson and Delroy Wright for Tribal Inna Yard. It proved to be his final album before his untimely death from a brain haemorrhage.

Originally released in the UK on the Scottish Move label, which also gave us Al Campbell’s Forward Natty album, Tribal Inna Yard belongs to that fascinating period when roots reggae was making way for early dancehall. The sound is tough, stripped back and riddim-driven, with the Roots Radics doing the heavy lifting. It’s the kind of music that would soon face serious competition from the digital revolution of 1985.

The superb album gets off to a flying start with the title track. Flabba Holt’s massive bassline and Dwight Pinkney’s talk box guitar create a dark, hypnotic groove that grabs you straight away. McKay sounds completely at home as he addresses the violence gripping Jamaica at the time. The message is serious, but it’s the combination of his voice and the Radics’ relentless riddim that makes the tune hit so hard.

Youths Of Today keeps the pressure on. Here, McKay rides the familiar A Yah We Deh riddim, first heard on Barrington Levy’s Shine Eye Gal album, produced by Henry “Junjo” Lawes and released in 1979. By the time McKay recorded his version, the riddim had already been around for several years. No problem. A riddim this strong doesn’t lose its appeal easily, and it works just as well in this setting.

Hey Stranger aka It’s A Bright Day is another track worth checking. Built on the riddim heard on Linval Thompson’s Curfew, it pairs a hard, metallic backing with McKay’s warm, slightly slur singing. That contrast gives the tune much of its charm. Elsewhere, Lonely Man and Father Will Cut You Off revisit earlier McKay recordings, giving familiar songs a fresh lease of life without losing their original appeal.

Not everything here is groundbreaking, and some of the riddims will already be familiar to seasoned reggae listeners. But that’s hardly the point. What makes Tribal Inna Yard enjoyable is the way McKay’s distinctive vocal style sits against Roots Radics’ heavy, uncompromising early dancehall backings.

In 2013, Tribal Inna Yard was reissued on vinyl through Delroy Wright’s Live & Learn Records and France’s Iroko Records. The Iroko edition featured new artwork by Sil Cunningham. Now, Linval Thompson has teamed up with Roberto Sánchez to bring the album back once more on his Thompson Sound imprint. Featuring recordings made at Channel One between 1978 and 1982, this latest edition retains Cunningham’s artwork.

Tribal Inna Yard may not be the first Freddie McKay album that comes to mind, but it’s certainly one worth having. A solid reminder of his talent and of a period when the Roots Radics could turn almost any riddim into something special.