Born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1951 Gregory Isaacs initially struggled to get a toehold in the burgeoning reggae scene. He has rightly been described as having one of the most 'exquisite voices in reggae' and he began his thirty-year recording career as a seventeen year old in 1968. Having established himself in the early 1970s he quickly became one of the most prolific recording artists in the country, releasing what many would consider to be a lifetime's work in the three years between 1973 and 1976. The highlights of his early career can be found on the album, The Winner: The Roots of Gregory Isaacs. When he signed to Island's Mango label to record More Gregory, which he wrote, arranged and produced, it proved to be his breakthrough outside of his own country. In 1982 and (co-produced by Hot Chocolate's Errol Brown) a year later, followed.

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For many, is Isaac's crowning achievement and it's an album full of the smooth reggae that he made his own and it sold well, particularly in Britain. Among his best-known songs from this time are Tune In, Permanent Lover and Wailing Rudy. It's estimated that Isaacs may have released in excess of 500 albums in Jamaica and around the world; whether this is an exaggeration is hard to quantify, but he can still claim to be the most recorded reggae star, which made him hugely popular as a live act too. Isaacs passed away in 2010 having been diagnosed with lung cancer. On this effort, Gregory Isaacs and the Roots Radics band continue to be a potent combination, though Out Deh! Tones on tail pop download mail. Never does rise to the same level of genius as that displayed on Night Nurse and Lonely Lover.

It does offer a rather unusual (for Isaacs) mix of lovers rock and political/spiritual lyrics, reflecting in part the time he had spent in prison on a gun charge prior to recording this album. Highlights include the typically sly 'Private Secretary' and the album's title track, a quietly powerful meditation on Isaacs' prison term. This reissue features crisp remastered sound and a couple of bonus tracks - the brilliant 'Cream of the Crop' and a rather superfluous remix of 'Love Me With a Feeling' - as well as informative liner notes courtesy of David Katz, author of the definitive biography of Lee 'Scratch' Perry. Words: Rick Anderson. October 2010 saw the sad passing of one of Jamaican Music’s most loved voices Gregory Isaacs. The self-proclaimed ‘Cool Ruler’ grew up in the tough Kingston ghettos but went on to have an illustrious 15 year recording career, which included the cross-over hit ‘Night Nurse’ 'Night Nurse: The Best Of’, the most comprehensive collection of his career released to date, highlights the Cool Ruler's rise from virtual unknown to Reggae superstar.

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Taking in an array of Seventies and Eighties Trojan and Island classics, a number of which make their Universal debut. With extensive sleeve notes by Laurence Cane-Honeysett.