One of the most charismatic and lyrically observant singers of the early dancehall era, Sugar Minott inaugurated his career in the late ‘70s with several LPs' worth of mellow lovers' tunes, hard-driving rub-a-dub, and conscious roots anthems for Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One imprint. Minott was particularly good at reinterpreting classic Studio One rhythms from the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, updating them with unexpected vocal melodies and socially astute new lyrics that resonated with a fresh generation of Jamaican listeners. By the ‘80s, Minott’s musical stature was such that he could break free from the Studio One yoke; he founded his own imprint, Black Roots, and collaborated with the cream of Jamaican producers. 1984’s Buy Off the Bar is one of Minott’s finest efforts from this era. It finds him collaborating with producer George Phang and a host of Jamaican session heavies on a set of particularly rugged dancehall rhythms. The best of these may be “Strictly Sensei”: a brutally tough reworking of Horace Andy’s “Every Tongue Shall Tell” that sees Minott impassionedly decrying the effects of the burgeoning cocaine trade on Jamaican youth.