Record of 1994

SPLASHING DASHING

The legacy of the late Garnett Silk can be heard most clearly in the vocal stylings of such modern roots acts as Morgan Heritage, Ras Shiloh and Rolex. In fact, many commentators attribute the entire return to cultural topics in Jamaican music to the stunning records he cut for producers like Richard Bell, King Jammy, Jack Scorpio and Bobby Digital. The last named, in particular, established the young Garnett Silk's name within the reggae world, paving the way for what was widely thought to be imminent crossover success with Atlantic Records.

Certainly, almost his entire output for Jammy's former chief engineer demands attention, and none more so than modern roots classic Splashing Dashing, released in the spring of 1994 just a few months before the fatal fire at his mother's house. A warning to those who breathlessly splash and dash about, sometimes angry and sometimes sad, Silk makes reference to Psalm 23 as he declares that if they were more like him they too would find comfort in Jah's rod and staff. His vocal performance on this plea for a more spiritual way of life stands as one of his very best - with the 'catches' in his vibrant tenor expressing the intensity that played such a major role in his success with Jamaican audiences.

The rhythm to which his performance was seamlessly grafted was one of those vintage Studio One favourites successfully revived in 1993/4: the Soul Vendor's Whipping the Prince. Philip 'Fatis' Burrell had already scored with several cuts, including Nadine Sutherland's sublime Baby Face, Beres Hammond's Show It Off and Luciano & Selvyn Wonder's Neighbourhood Watch. But employing a looped sample from the original, Bobby Digital created even more excitement with both Silk's version and Tony Rebel's Teach the Children (actually the bigger hit in Jamaica).

Splashing Dashing - like Rod of Correction (Digital B), Complaint (Penthouse), Lord Watch Over Our Shoulders (Jammy$) and Harder (Taxi) - was part of the glorious flurry of Garnett Silk 45s that appeared in 1994, making his accidental death seem even more tragic and senseless.

Peter Dalton, November 1999