** Horace Andy

LIVING IN THE FLOOD

(Melankolic/Astralwerks)

What is a 49-year-old Jamaican reggae singer doing on an imprint of the ultra-hip American electronic label Astralwerks? Horace Andy's presence here is due to his association with trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack, who introduced his distinctive quavering tenor to wider audiences on their three albums. Although the collaboration with the Bristol beatheads has been good for Andy, the dub-pop masterpieces they recorded together raised expectations for his solo release. And Living in the Flood doesn't quite meet those expectations. Andy's voice is a high, nasal-inflected tenor that uses a curious trick -- a sly and slippery stutter -- to great effect. The writing, too, is a well-balanced mix of classic reggae topics like gun violence ("Johnny Too Bad") and Rasta spirituality ("Seven Seals") mixed with unusual fare like "After All," which chronicles a suicide attempt. But the greatest of voices and lyrics couldn't save this album from production that favors a faceless and slick studio sheen over both the rootsy vibe of Andy's '70s Jamaican work and the brooding British dub of his Massive Attack tracks.

-- Michael Endelman