It's a bit ironic that CLIFFHANGER earned Jimmy Cliff a Grammy Award in 1986.
Stylistically, it is a far cry from the recordings that made him a star in the previous decade.
The record shows off a smoother, more homogenized sound, with big guitars that spread like a wash or wail in the Van Halen style, chirping synthesizers, programmed drums, and other '80s touches.
Lyrically, Cliff is less confrontational than in the past.
With the exception of "Nuclear War," these songs generally avoid the social themes that one associates with classic reggae.
Of course, Cliff still works within the reggae style, but here it sounds less like the rhythm of resistance than the rhythm of the dance floor, with a souped-up beat and "biddly bongs" and "rub-a-dubs" aplenty.
Upbeat, fluffy numbers like "Reggae Street" and "American Sweet" both rhyme their titles with "reggae beat." On a few songs, the Kool and the Gang horn section adds to the jaunty party atmosphere.
Besides the ballad, "Now and Forever," most of CLIFFHANGER consists of simple light reggae that goes down as easily as Coca Cola on a hot day.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hitting with MusicJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 2 | American SweetAmir Bayyan | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | ArrivalJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 4 | Brown EyesAmir Bayyan | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 5 | Reggae StreetJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:29 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 6 | SunriseJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 7 | Dead and AwakeJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 8 | Now and ForeverJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 04:55 | 11 MB | 25 MB |
| 9 | Nuclear WarJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 10 | Hot Shot | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 40 mins | 92 MB | |||||
| 40 mins | 229 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cliff Adams | Trombone |
| 2 | Amir Bayyan | Composer, Drum Programming, Guitar, Keyboards, Producer, Synthesizer |
| 3 | Ronald Bell | Keyboards, Sax (Tenor) |
| 4 | Harold Butler | Keyboards |
| 5 | Jimmy Cliff | Composer, Piano, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | Wilburn "Squiddley" Cole | Drums, Vocals (Background) |
| 7 | Ansel Collins | Keyboards, Organ |
| 8 | Derrick Culler | Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | Peter Dlugokencky | Programming |
| 10 | Peter Duarte | Horn |
| 11 | Frank Heller | Programming |
| 12 | Gary Henry | Keyboards, Piano, Synthesizer |
| 13 | Paul Higgins | Producer |
| 14 | Cynthia Huggins | Vocals (Background) |
| 15 | Rick Iantosca | Guitar, Keyboards, Producer |
| 16 | Syd Judah | Horn |
| 17 | Kool & the Gang | Horn |
| 18 | Fernando Luis | Guitar |
| 19 | Bertram "Ranchie" McLean | Guitar (Rhythm) |
| 20 | Christopher Meredith | Bass |
| 21 | Meekaeel Muhammad | Vocals (Background) |
| 22 | Kim Palumu | Guitar (Rhythm) |
| 23 | Jaco Pastorius | Guest Artist, Guitar (Bass) |
| 24 | Michael Ray | Trumpet |
| 25 | John Rollo | Engineer, Mixing |
| 26 | Isidro Ross | Percussion |
| 27 | Robbie Shakespeare | Guitar, Guitar (Bass) |
| 28 | Sly & Robbie | Guest Artist |
| 29 | Earl "Chinna" Smith | Guitar |
| 30 | Kendal Stubbs | Guitar (Bass) |
| 31 | Dennis White | Horn |
| 32 | Curtis "Fitz" Williams | Sax (Alto), Saxophone |
| 33 | Sidney Wolfe | Percussion |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |