You Must Hear 7

roots

Last updated: Tue Oct 28 2025 07:58:02 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Description

Roots music encompasses authentic reggae and dub sounds that emerged from Jamaica in the 1960s-70s, characterized by heavy bass lines, steady one-drop rhythms, and socially conscious lyrics. The genre emphasizes spiritual themes, often drawing from Rastafarian culture, while addressing social justice, unity, and liberation. Its organic, stripped-down production style celebrates traditional instrumentation and raw vocal delivery that captures the essence of Caribbean musical heritage.

100 chronological releases

Place	Cover	Date	Artist	Album	Tags	Other places
32		1959	The New Lost City Ramblers	Songs From The Depression	americana bluegrass folk roots traditional	traditional # 42
54		1969	Bukka White	The Complete Bukka White	delta blues	delta blues # 100
52		1973	The Silvertones	Trojan Box Set: Roots (3 Of 3)	jamaica reggae roots	jamaica # 44
80		1974	Various Artists	Strictly The Best Vol. 36	reggae roots roots reggae
6		1975	Burning Spear	Marcus Garvey	reggae	jamaica # 4
22		1975	The Abyssinians	Forward on to Zion	reggae roots roots reggae
88		1976-08-18	Burning Spear	Man In The Hills	reggae
59		1977	Culture	Two Sevens Clash	reggae	roots reggae # 22 jamaica # 30
18		1980	Burning Spear	Hail H.I.M.	reggae
48		1980	Israel Vibration	Israel Dub	dub roots
85		1981	Toots and The Maytals	The Very Best of Toots and the Maytals	jamaica reggae roots	jamaica # 80
33		1981	Misty In Roots	Wise and Foolish	roots
63		1982-04-16	Desmond Dekker	King of Kings	reggae roots
95		1984	Steel Pulse	Reggae Greats	roots roots reggae	roots reggae # 68
86		1985	Black Roots	In Session	reggae roots roots reggae
69		1986	Another Day	Moods	dub reggae roots
90		1986	Black Uhuru	Brutal	roots
47		1987	Lamine Konte	La kora du Sénégal, vol. 2 : Chant et poésie d'Afrique noire		traditional # 61
84		1987	Various Artists	Superior Riddim	dancehall reggae roots roots reggae
61		1989	Gavin Friday	Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves	cabaret irish pop roots singer-songwriter	cabaret # 11
26		1989	Phil Ochs	The Broadside Tapes 1	folk roots
94		1990	The Gladiators	Dreadlocks the Time Is Now	ragga-reggae reggae roots roots reggae	roots reggae # 55 ragga-reggae # 99
65		1990-10-08	Augustus Pablo	Blowing With The Wind	dub reggae roots roots reggae
67		1992	Bob Marley & The Wailers	Rastaman Vibration (Deluxe Edition)	classic rock reggae roots roots reggae ska
15		1992	Bob Marley & The Wailers	In Dub, Vol. 1
37		1994-10-24	The Roots	Do You Want More?!!!??!	hip-hop rap
36		1995	Bob Andy	Fire Burning	reggae roots roots reggae ska
83		1996	Michael Rose	Be Yourself	dancehall reggae roots	dancehall reggae # 51
5		1996	Bush Chemists	Dub Convention	dub reggae roots
8		1998	Various Artists	Easy Star Volume 2: Dancehall Culture	jamaican reggae roots roots reggae	jamaican # 67
96		1998-10-06	The Gladiators	Bongo Red	reggae roots roots reggae	roots reggae # 84
42		1999-03-23	Augustus Pablo	Valley Of Jehosaphat	dub reggae roots roots reggae
100		2000	10 Ft. Ganja Plant	Presents	dub reggae roots ska	reggae # 48 ska # 84 dub # 94
39		2000	Beef	Flexodus	roots roots reggae
46		2000	Etna	Na Syjon	polish reggae roots
56		2000	Augustus Pablo	The Great Pablo	dancehall reggae dub reggae roots roots reggae
21		2000-05-01	Cornell Campbell	Boxing 'round	reggae roots roots reggae
30		2001	Kapela ze wsi Warszawa	Wiosna Ludu	folk
68		2001-06-19	Cultura Profética	Cultura en Vivo	dub roots roots reggae
73		2002	Dazaranha	Tribo Da Lua	reggae rock roots
75		2002	Gondwana	Made In Jamaica	reggae
76		2002	Lauryn Hill	Unplugged	female vocalists hip-hop roots
79		2002-04-02	Seeed	Waterpumpee	berlin reggae roots	berlin # 68
58		2002-07-02	Ras Shiloh	From Rasta To You	dub reggae roots roots reggae
81		2002-08-13	Burning Spear	The Best Of Burning Spear	roots
40		2002-11-19	Elephant Man	Higher Level	dancehall ragga reggae	ragga # 58
3		2002-11-27	The Roots	Phrenology	hip-hop rap	philadelphia # 79
9		2003	Boubacar Traoré	The Best Of Boubacar Traoré	mali african world blues	african # 36 mali # 85
49		2003	Max Romeo	A Little Time For Jah	reggae roots world
7		2003	Various Artists	Uncut: 2005.02 - The Devil's Music (Keith Richards' Selection of Blues, Soul and R&B Classics)
35		2005	Manuto	Vieille ecole	blues chanson francaise francais francophone french french pop funk nouvelle scene francaise roots	francais # 20 francophone # 47 nouvelle scene francaise # 58
12		2005	Linval Thompson	Inna de Yard	reggae roots
29		2005	Ital Skurk	Öppna dörren	dub reggae roots roots reggae
34		2005	Cracklin Moth	Redbird EP	alt-country americana folk rock roots singer-songwriter
50		2005	Black Roots	On the Frontline	reggae
53		2005-07-07	Bröder Glöder	Det Du Förtjänar	dub reggae roots
98		2005-10-09	10 Ft. Ganja Plant	Bass Chalice	dub reggae roots ska	ska # 19 dub # 61
28		2006	The McDades	Bloom	celtic folk jam band jazz fusion percussion roots world fiddle world fusion	jam band # 15 fiddle # 62 percussion # 73
19		2006	One Foot In	Songbook	acoustic americana folk folk rock roots roots rock singer-songwriter
78		2006-03-06	Steve Adey	All Things Real	alt-country alternative americana folk roots singer-songwriter
44		2006-11-29	Diskreetse Mango Trio	Prigadi-pragadi	estonian folk folk rock neofolk roots traditional world	traditional # 58 estonian # 90
77		2007	Goldi	Am Mike	dancehall reggae riddim roots	riddim # 87
82		2007	Ijahman Levi	Africa	reggae roots
74		2007-06-11	Cornerstone Roots	Free Yourself	reggae roots
41		2007-07-24	Bob Marley & The Wailers	Roots Rock Remixed	reggae roots roots reggae
92		2008	Lion Vibrations	So Much Better	dub reggae roots roots reggae swedish	roots reggae # 32
2		2008	Anti Babylon System	Światło	reggae roots roots reggae
66		2008	Mike Zito	Today	blues blues rock rock roots
24		2008-05-02	Cali p	Lyrical Faya	dancehall dancehall reggae ragga reggae roots	ragga # 11
17		2008-05-21	John Mayall	Find a Way to Care	blues roots
87		2008-07-28	Hanggai	Introducing Hanggai	asia chinese folk roots	chinese # 67 asia # 92
23		2008-10-28	Roxanne Potvin	No Love for the Poisonous	blues female vocalists jazz roots soul
31		2008-12-09	Uncle Sinner	Ballads and Mental Breakdowns	acoustic blues alt-country americana banjo blues contemporary folk country blues delta blues folk gothic country outlaw country roots	outlaw country # 33 gothic country # 48 delta blues # 60 acoustic blues # 64 banjo # 78 country blues # 81
97		2009	Various Artists	O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)		americana # 13 bluegrass # 81
10		2009	Conil	Strange Part Of The Country	acoustic americana blues blues rock folk folk rock indie folk roots singer-songwriter
51		2009-03	Chasing Shadows	It Was Written / Flashing Lights	dubstep roots
99		2009-05-26	Fat Freddy's Drop	Dr. Boondigga & The Big Bw	dub jazz reggae roots	dub # 64
70		2009-10-22	Mike Zito	Pearl River	blues rock blues rock roots
25		2010	Boo Boo Davis	Undercover Blues	blues blues rock delta blues roots	delta blues # 56
91		2010-08-13	Vavamuffin	Mo' Better Rootz	dancehall polish ragga reggae roots	dancehall # 20 ragga # 85
45		2011-07-19	Mike Zito	Greyhound	blues blues rock rock roots texas	texas # 31
93		2013	The Blackwater Fever	The Depths	blues garage grunge roots	garage # 68
4		2013	Assembly of Dust	Sun Shot	roots
64		2013-11-27	Augustus Pablo	Dub, Reggae And Roots From The Melodica King
38		2014	Justin Johnson	Smoke & Mirrors	americana blues roots
27		2015-01-26	Uncle Sinner	Let the Devil In	acoustic blues alt-country americana banjo blues contemporary folk country blues delta blues folk gothic country outlaw country roots	outlaw country # 28 gothic country # 46 delta blues # 58 acoustic blues # 63 banjo # 75 country blues # 80
89		2015-09-25	Desmond Dekker	Israelites: The Best Of Desmond Dekker	reggae roots ska
55		2017	Justin Johnson	Drivin' It Down	americana blues roots
57		2018	Bruce Springsteen	We Shall Overcome the Seeger Sessions	americana classic rock folk folk rock new jersey roots singer-songwriter	new jersey # 90
11		2022-09-09	Maskavo	Ao Vivo Em Atlantida	brazil jamaican reggae roots	jamaican # 70
60		2022-11-01	Klein	STAR IN THE HOOD	dark ambient drone electronic folk metal roots
1		2023	Various Artists	Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru	brazilian roots
43		2023	James Call!	sickness cartridges rain from the aero-blimps. they're handing out leaflets calling the infections "happiness" and "beauty."	dance electronic new york roots soundtrack
13		2024-06-14	Bob Marley & The Wailers	The Complete Lee "Scratch" Perry Sessions	dub reggae roots roots reggae
14			Mbuguah	Together	africa jamaica reggae roots	jamaica # 10
16			Michael Garlington	Baloney Pony!!!!!!	acoustic alternative american americana anti-folk bluegrass country dixieland emo folk garage hardcore improvisation jam lo-fi memphis new orleans pop psychobilly roots san francisco soul soundtrack	new orleans # 9 jam # 24 san francisco # 46 memphis # 47 anti-folk # 58 improvisation # 58 dixieland # 79
71			Crazy Mountain Billies	Badlands II	americana banjo bluegrass country roots alt-country folk	outlaw country # 24 banjo # 92
72			Crazy Mountain Billies	Badlands III	roots americana banjo bluegrass country folk	outlaw country # 15 banjo # 87
20			Swan Bwoy [Fyahbwoy]	Ni Chance Ni Try...	reggae
62			Shango Axe	Shango Axe	roots

Related genres

• reggae
• dub
• folk
• americana
• roots reggae
• rock
• blues
• acoustic
• traditional
• singer-songwriter