Johnny Nash - The Prince of Peace

Johnny Nash is probably best known for his 1972 hit "I Can See Clearly Now," a song I once thought my Uncle Lloyd had written because he used to sing it when I was a kid. When I finally heard Johnny Nash's version on the radio, I was pretty excited.

"My uncle wrote that!"

Sigh ... the innocence of youth.

But before his big breakthrough, he recorded on his own JAD Records label, which was named after himself, producer Arthur Jenkins, and manager Danny Sims. They recorded in Kingston, Jamaica, which was a pretty tropical place to record a holiday album. It kind of explains why songs like "Baby It's Cold Outside," "Winter Wonderland," and "White Christmas" are absent - but record a Christmas album he did, and in 1969 The Prince of Peace was released.

I'd never heard any of these songs before, which gave me a moment's pause, but the album looked really cool with the 3D image of Johnny on the cover. As an added bonus, it was still in its original shrink-wrap - and while there was no insert, the vinyl itself looked okay. For a dollar, how could I go wrong?

While this is an enjoyable record, there wasn't really anything memorable that stood out the first time through, which is too bad because he has a very nice voice and the arrangements are quite good. There are elements of R&B, gospel, and light orchestrated pop, but nothing for me to really get excited about.

I will say he took a chance with his arrangement of the classic "The Christmas Song" and sang it differently than most versions I've heard, but it wasn't necessarily an improvement on the original. Still, he made a go of making it his own.

That being said, I will give him props for his song selection. For that alone I'm okay putting this on as background music. It's nice to have unfamiliar carols like "The Borning Day," "The Prince of Peace," and "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" playing once in a while. I've played the album a few times now, and it's these songs that have emerged as the centrepieces of the album.

I have to remind myself this was released in 1969 and that I'm sitting in my cozy chair by the tree listening to it in the present and judging it by my standards -which are pretty loose at times. I should know better than to sit and write in real time because, unlike movies, where you're mostly one and done, music is more nuanced.

My first time through it was nice, but it didn't really resonate. So I played it again while I went back and did some editing - yes, I do edit, just not very well - and, as it's Christmas, what better way to close out than with a really badly paraphrased Bible verse that sums up The Prince of Peace:

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but I can see clearly now."

I'll see myself out.

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