U.S. reggae band Groundation’s lead vocalist and front man Harrison Stafford is a man with many hats. Lecturer, music producer, movie producer, musician and singer are some of his talents. He’s probably best known for his work with Groundation, but already in 2011 he started a solo career as Professor with the album Madness, recorded after a pilgrimage to Israel and Palestine.
Now when Groundation is on a break he has a new project under his own name – Harrison Stafford & The Professor Crew. The first album One Dance was recorded in Jamaica in 2015 with seasoned musicians like drummer Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace and bass man Errol “Flabba” Holt.
One Dance is less progressive and more straight-forward compared to Groundation. It’s more traditional roots reggae owing quite a lot to Bob Marley heydays in the mid-70s, particularly album opener Jah Shine and the pulsating Morality, but with a number of detours, for example One Dance, the first single off the album, which is a jaunty ska tune with minor electro influences.
The Music is an infectious tribute to reggae itself with its breezy mento-inspired rhythm, sounding like something Steely & Clevie could have composed in the late 80s, but with live instrumentation.
Harrison Stafford’s bandmates in Groundation also have a solo project – Rising Tide – and their self-titled debut album dropped in March. That set is more traditional Groundation with lots of influences from jazz, funk and soul. One Dance is less jazz and more roots.
You can listen to two songs here: Harrison Stafford & The Professor Crew - Jah Shine
