Roots Reggae for Sunday Cooking | WHAT IT COST — Full Album

Eight things one woman paid for across her life, in order of price, cheapest first: a penny, sixpence, two shillings, ten shillings, three pounds, twelve pounds, ninety pounds, four hundred pounds. Every chorus says the sum out loud, says what it bought, and then says what it actually cost her — which is never the same thing. 00:00:00 - A Penny Sweetie 00:03:26 - Sixpence on the Bus 00:06:29 - Two Shillings for the Stamp 00:09:49 - Ten Shillings for the Shoes 00:12:44 - Three Pound for the Ring 00:15:49 - Twelve Pound for the Machine 00:18:33 - Ninety Pound for the Passage 00:22:03 - Four Hundred for the Land Album notes: the record is sequenced by money, and it is built so the axis argues with itself — the amounts climb and the weight falls. The penny in track one is a sweet bought for a child who was not hers, and it is the purchase she is still paying for at eighty. The four hundred pounds in track eight is two acres, a deed with her name on it, and the only thing on the record that cost her nothing but money. She says it plainly on the last track: the list is in the right order for a ledger and exactly upside down for a life. Two female voices sing in parallel open fifths on every chorus and in unison on the verses — not octaves, not harmony, but the interval that sounds like arithmetic. Melodica carries the melody, which is the correct instrument for a record about small money: breathy, cheap in the best sense, an instrument you can buy for a few shillings. Full band from bar one, offbeat guitar chop, fat analog bass and organ, cut in the manner of the mid-seventies Kingston studios. Tempos run 70 to 84 BPM. Album: What It Cost Artist: Guinep Lane Style: Slow to mid roots reggae, one drop, 1970s analog production Lead instrument: Melodica Vocal: Two female voices in parallel fifths on the choruses, unison on the verses Lyrics are on screen for every track. This music was generated with the assistance of AI. The lyrics, concept, sequencing and album notes were written by hand. #rootsreggae #reggae #fullalbum #jamaica #1970sreggae #reggaemusic #vinyl #guineplane #melodica