Toots Hibbert's soulful vocals are rich with sincerity, his lyrics about love and blame, pomp and pride, growing old and staying young delivered in either urgent undertones or passionate outbursts of joy. Toots has been captivating fans of reggae since the mid-1960s, before the genre even had a name, when the Kingston artist joined up with fellow up-and-comers Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" Mathias to form The Maytals. Though the original lineup disbanded almost 25 years ago, Hibbert has continued to write and produce music, re-forming the Maytals and picking up the touring pace again in the early '90s. Today, he's still riding the wave of success from his Grammy award-winning 2004 release True Love, a collection of collaborations featuring Toots and a range of artists, from Rachel Yamagata and Ryan Adams to Shaggy, Jeff Beck and The Roots. See the reggae great tonight at Jannus Landing. Tues., Feb. 21, 8 p.m., 16 Second St. N., St. Petersburg, $18 advance/$22 day of, 727-896-1244, www.jannuslandingconcerts.com.
This article appears in Feb 15-21, 2006.