Harsh. Pedantic. Angry. All these words can be ascribed to Peter Tosh’s songwriting. Truthful. Righteous. Powerful. So can these words.

Perhaps the most famous album he ever recorded is “Legalize It,” a paean to marijuana, but that subject matter is downright simplistic when compared with the overriding message of “Equal Rights.” The man who wrote “400 Years” as a member of The Wailers in regard to the America’s atrocious record regarding civil rights, returns to the same topicality with an entire album that angrily addresses an undeniable truth. I

t’s a message that most people of European heritage might not want to hear, and this may be how we unconsciously managed to sublimate his message, and thus prevented him from becoming a superstar like his ex-bandmate Bob Marley. Marley’s message was easier to swallow, and most of the white people who appreciated Marley treated his catalog almost as if it were intended to be feel good summer music a la Jimmy Buffett, which is such a gross distortion of his underlying message that it kind of turns my stomach to even mention the degree of ignorance that is often applied to his songs.

There was no such watering down of Peter Tosh’s music, simply because his intent was impossible to ignore or deny. The song titles on this album speak for themselves. “Get Up, Stand Up” (written by Tosh and Marley, made famous when Tosh was in The Wailers), “Downpressor Man”, “Equal Rights” and “Apartheid” are every bit as strident as their titles suggest, but the message holds strong, even after decades of change, and especially when most of that change amounted to little more than appeasement. “Stepping Razor” is the central track here, a stern warning that things may go horribly wrong if Tosh does not receive equitable treatment. He sounds dangerous, too, and convincing.

Musically, “Equal Rights” is a skanking dance record that is fun to listen to while its underlying message sinks in. Tracks feature the killer, definitive Jamaican rhythm section of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, with Earl Lindo on keys while pairing Donald Kinsey and Mikey Chung on guitar for good measure. Former partner Bunny Wailer also chips in to help with vocal duties.

After the release of “Equal Rights,” Tosh would find himself all over FM radio in the late ‘70s, duetting with Mick Jagger on “Don’t Look Back.” It seemed as though he just might have a path to superstardom after all. In 1987, all hope was swept away when he was pointlessly murdered by thugs during a house robbery, taking away one of the world’s strongest and effective voices for race relations.

 Featured Tracks:

Get Up, Stand Up

Downpressor Man

I Am That I Am

Stepping Razor

Equal Rights

African

Jah Guide

Apartheid