Recorded in 1997, ‘The Cool Ruler’ Gregory Isaacs woos the women and sets the men rocking with a top-rate selection of his hits from the 70s and 80s. The band were tight and laid down the instantly recognisable rhythms to Mr Isaacs’ best selling recordings, such as Soon Forward, Tune In, Night Nurse and The Border perfectly. Isaacs himself is sprightly and, after a slightly croaky start, his smooth, seductive tones open up the songs so beloved by his fans worldwide.
While the DVD and audio CD (which has more tracks than the former) are both live recordings, they’re certainly not the same, as the performances differ considerably between the two shiny discs. The sound is sharp and clear on both, although the DVD’s picture quality has a typical, slightly fuzzy, live look to it as the lighting changes tone.
It’s a nice set for any Isaacs fan, the only disappointing aspect being the cameraman’s habit of jerking the view to keep Isaac centre-picture, which induced a feeling that one’s comfy armchair was suddenly tipping to one side.
