A Tribute To Jimmy Riley (1954-2016)

I was saddened to hear of the passing of the great Jimmy Riley this morning... A singer with the ability to beautifully voice heavy roots tunes with conscious vibes and lyrics and then to turn it around it "sexy it up" with songs for the late night lovers, if you catch my drift.  Jimmy Riley just has that sweet soulful voice that makes you want to keep listening and as I was going through his music today in anticipation of this tribute mix, it became abundantly clear to me that Jimmy Riley said a helluva lot during his fifty plus year career and the words he sang obviously came from his heart.  I don't think it would be possible to fake your way through this list of songs if you weren't feeling them.  Years ago I was introduced to Jimmy Riley by a former Jamaican co-worker and friend who asked me if I had any of his music in my collection.  I know I had a Sonic Sounds 20 Greatest Hits CD somewhere in my collection but aside from the classic "Love And Devotion" I didn't recall actually ever giving it a good listen.  It was right around Christmas so I decided that I would rip the CD onto the computer and give her the CD as a surprise gift.  Ingrid was ecstatic, saying so many of these songs reminded her of growing up in Jamaica and how many of them reconnected her with memories of family and friends in a different time and in a very much different place.  So on my way home that night I gave the Jimmy Riley playlist a listen and I could get where she was coming from... I obviously hadn't grown up in Jamaica but the love in Jimmy's voice just makes you feel good... it makes you feel at home, and that's what I will always love about Jimmy's music.  Rest in peace and thank you for being a part of our lives, you will not be forgotten.

What you're going to hear...

1.  Give Me A Love
2.  We're Gonna Make It
3.  Statue Of A Fool
4.  Clean Up The Streets
5.  Feeling Is Believing
6.  Everything's Coming Up Love
7.  Jealous Of Your Boyfriend
8.  Exploitation
9.  Prophecy
10.  Nyah Bingi
11.  Woman's Gotta Have It
12.  Majority Rule
13.  I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
14.  Sons Of Negus
15.  It's So Ridiculous
16.  Poor Immigrants
17.  Long Distance Love Affair
18.  Hard Head Israelites
19.  From The Ghetto
20.  My Conversation

JIMMY RILEY TRIBUTE MIX