Barrington Levy - Bounty Hunter

Bounty Hunter stands as a defining moment in the evolution of Jamaican music, capturing the fiery transition from roots reggae to the early pulse of dancehall. Originally produced by Hyman “Jah Life” Wright, the album unites an extraordinary lineup of legends — Barrington Levy on vocals, Roots Radics providing the rock-solid rhythmic foundation, and Scientist shaping the sound behind the mixing board at King Tubby’s studio. Together, they forged a record that would come to represent not just a sound, but a movement.

Fully licensed and newly remastered, Bounty Hunter re-emerges with renewed clarity and power, letting Levy’s unmistakable voice rise once more through the dub-thick air. His tone is commanding yet soulful, effortlessly gliding over deep, echoing basslines and hypnotic drum patterns. The Roots Radics deliver their trademark precision — tight, sparse, and unrelenting — while Scientist’s touch infuses every track with the sense of controlled chaos that defined Jamaica’s late 1970s and early 1980s sonic revolution.

At the time of its release, Bounty Hunter marked Barrington Levy’s ascent from a promising young singer to one of reggae’s most influential figures. Tracks here bristle with energy and swagger, signaling the birth of a new rhythm-forward style that would come to dominate dancehalls across Kingston and beyond. Yet even within that innovation, there remains a deep connection to the roots tradition — meditative grooves, conscious lyricism, and an ever-present sense of spiritual reflection.

This new edition of Bounty Hunter is more than a reissue — it’s a restoration of a cornerstone in the reggae canon, one that continues to resonate through every bassline and vocal phrase that followed. To hear it now, freshly remastered, is to be transported to that pivotal moment when the studio became both laboratory and altar, and when Barrington Levy’s voice first carved its indelible place in the history of Jamaican sound.