Junior Kelly Essentials

Junior Kelly is a classicist, in the richest sense of the term. A Kingston-born Bobo Ashanti Rasta (same branch as Sizzla and Luciano), Kelly makes roots reggae, but his old-school songwriting fills the form with new life. Whether calling for change or meditating on love's contradictions, Kelly knows how to write a simple, catchy melody and make a direct turn of phrase—"If love so nice, why does it hurt so bad"—piercing. This is a singer who can affirm life even while singing about how tough it often is.