Uwe Banton – The People Need To Be Free

After the recent release of the three 7″ singles from The Freedom Chanters, Earl 16, and Prince Alla, German reggae label Ancient Mountain Records quickly follows them up with a brand new vinyl single, this time featuring Germany’s realest and most prolific roots reggae artist, dreadlocked Rastafarian Uwe Schäfer aka Uwe Banton.

Regarding the dark times the people of Ukraine are facing right now, it’s good to take a listen to Uwe Banton’s appropriate protest song The People Need To Be Free which comes across a lovely reggae backdrop. Its message comes through crystal-clear, no doubt about that. Kumary Sawyers’ harmony singing adds to the appeal of the song, while the dub version on the flip side – with Kumary Sawyers’ angelic voice going in and out of the mix – is also worth hearing.

In all, there’s no huge surprise in listening to Uwe Banton’s new song, because when you’re familiar with the works of this German reggae veteran you know what you’re getting and he’s very good at what he does.