THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Wondering is a veritable reggae-dancehall holy grail released in 1985 by Robert Ffrench.
Pioneering artist and producer (and cousin of the late, great Pat Kelly) Ffrench was born in central Kingston in 1962, recording his first records in 1979 at the age of 17. Coming out off the back of a slew of roots and early dancehall-style 45s cut with a wide range of producers throughout the early ’80s, the Wondering LP’s orignal release followed closely after two acclaimed LP sets (Showcase, produced with Lord Koos, and The Favourite for Ossie Thomas’s Black Solidarity label) plus a split showcase LP with Anthony “Gunshot” Johnson for Jah Thomas‘s Midnight Rock label).
Ffrench would write and produce the Wondering LP himself in its entirety, laying down the tracks at Herman Chin-Loy’s Aquarius and Michael Carroll’s Creative Sounds studios with the help of engineer Christopher Daley. Representing the sound of an artist first confidently striking out on their own, the album elegantly mixes a classic rub-a-dub and lovers rock-inspired sound with nascent digital flourishes. It boasts an enviable list of contributors too, including Sly & Robbie, Dwight Pinkney, Robbie Lyn, Nelson Miller (Burning Spear) and Ronald “Nambo” Robinson among others, with Beres Hammond also providing backing vocals in places.
Following the release of Wondering, Ffrench would continue to write and produce, soon after releasing two further self-produced LPs for Edgar White’s Parish label. He founded his own label in the late ’80s, through which his productions would start to hit big, most notably alongside Courtney Melody on Modern Girl, and with U.S. rapper Heavy D on the track More Love. Robert’s productions through later label Ffrench would go on to boast the cream of the crop of dancehall artists throughout the ’90s and early 2000s, and he is often credited with discovering Buju Banton after producing his first single Ruler. Ffrench is still actively producing music of his own to this day, having released the single Black Is A Colour earlier this month.”
