The follow-up to Rainford is a dub journey called Heavy Rain. The On-U Sound release finds the legendary Lee "Scratch" Perry joining forces with Brian Eno and others for a truly dubby party. If the presence of Eno and others doesn't entirely re-invent what Perry's doing here, at least the album is, as expected, a reliable dub journey.
"Here Come the Warm Dreads" is a smooth skank, a jam interspersed with weird, space-y hooks, and Perry's own inimitable vocal stylings, while "Mindworker" (feat. Gaudi) is even more of a trip, shades of funk here. "Englightened" (feat. Gaudi) is supple and soulful, and one of the better things here, even as "Dreams Come True" (feat. Gaudi) sees Perry stretch out the groove until it nearly collapses under the weight of the bass and horns. If this is dub, it's dub that has a bit of a swing about it, even if the groove here is a rather languid one. To his credit, Lee "Scratch" Perry still manages to make this sort of thing sound positively unearthly, and one marvels at his ability to record so many things and have them remain such distinctive creations.
This is a record that's not entirely essential, but it is fun for those of us who wanted an immediate follow-up to Rainford. Heavy Rain is out now via On-U Sound.