This fourth volume of UB40’s all-covers Labour of Love series is the first since the departure of longtime lead singer Ali Campbell.
Here, he is replaced by his older brother Duncan, a former professional spoon player -- yes, spoon player -- who slips easily into the role with a solid yet soft voice, akin to Ali’s but not a carbon copy.
UB40 groove in unison as they always have, the production is that polished style they’ve favored for the past few decades, and the song selection is an equal mix of reggae and R&B classics that fans have come to expect from the series.
For prime examples, check their version of “Get Along Without You Now” -- which owes a lot to the Melodians’ take on the tune -- or their woozy, almost mystical cover of John Holt’s “Man Next Door.” When bassist Earl Falconer takes over for “Tracks of My Tears,” the use of Auto-Tune is heavy enough that the version becomes a matter of taste, but everything else is handled with care and respect.
Even if it won’t bring back fans who want their UB40 to sound revolutionary, this smooth and comfortable effort is certainly nothing to sneer at.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Don't Want to See You CryKeith Anderson | UB40 | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 2 | Get Along Without You NowGeorge Brevett | UB40 | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 3 | Bring It on Home to MeSam Cooke | UB40 | Play | 04:34 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 4 | Cream PuffJohnny Nash | UB40 | Play | 02:50 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 5 | Easy Snappin'Theophilus Beckford | UB40 | Play | 03:11 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 6 | HolidayJohn Holt | UB40 | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | Close to MeBunny Lee | UB40 | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 8 | Man Next DoorHoward Barrett, Tyrone Evans, John Holt | UB40 | Play | 05:14 | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| 9 | Tracks of My TearsWarren "Pete" Moore, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Tarplin | UB40 | Play | 03:23 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 10 | True, True, TrueKen Parker | UB40 | Play | 02:55 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 11 | Boom Shacka LackaHopeton Lewis | UB40 | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 12 | You're Gonna Need MeErrol Dunkley | UB40 | Play | 03:00 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 13 | A Love I Can FeelJohn Holt | UB40 | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 14 | Baby WhyKable Drummond | UB40 | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 51 mins | 118 MB | |||||
| 51 mins | 323 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keith Anderson | Composer |
| 2 | Howard Barrett | Composer |
| 3 | Theophilus Beckford | Composer |
| 4 | Carole Beirne | Release Coordinator |
| 5 | George Brevett | Composer |
| 6 | James Brown | Drums, Group Member |
| 7 | Robin Campbell | Group Member, Guitar, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals |
| 8 | Sam Cooke | Composer |
| 9 | Tim Debney | Mastering |
| 10 | Highland Dobson | Composer |
| 11 | Doctor X | Liner Notes |
| 12 | Kable Drummond | Composer |
| 13 | Errol Dunkley | Composer |
| 14 | Tyrone Evans | Composer |
| 15 | Earl Falconer | Bass, Group Member, Vocals |
| 16 | Flo "Baggariddim" Galvez | Liner Notes |
| 17 | Steve Gerrard | Photography |
| 18 | Norman Lamont Hassan | Group Member, Percussion, Vocals |
| 19 | John Holt | Composer |
| 20 | Bunny Lee | Composer |
| 21 | Hopeton Lewis | Composer |
| 22 | Cary E. Mansfield | Release Coordinator |
| 23 | John Masouri | Liner Notes |
| 24 | Martin Meredith | Keyboards, Orchestration, Sax (Alto), String Arrangements |
| 25 | Warren "Pete" Moore | Composer |
| 26 | Robert "Moses" Mullings | Guitar (Rhythm) |
| 27 | Tony Mullings | Keyboards |
| 28 | Johnny Nash | Composer |
| 29 | Ken Parker | Composer |
| 30 | Laurence Parry | Flugelhorn, Trombone, Trumpet |
| 31 | Bill Pitzonka | Art Direction |
| 32 | Smokey Robinson | Composer |
| 33 | Dan Sprigg | Mixing, Pro-Tools |
| 34 | Lanval Storrod | Photography |
| 35 | Marvin Tarplin | Composer |
| 36 | Brian Travers | Group Member, Horn Arrangements, Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor), String Arrangements |
| 37 | Jamie Travers | Engineer, Mixing |
| 38 | UB40 | Arranger, Mixing, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 39 | Jeff Widener | Photography |
| 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). |