IN THE TRUNK: Sheila Hylton -“The Bed’s Too Big Without You” (Video)

taxi-sly-robbieThe Bed’s Too Big Without You” is a classic song by The Police remade by Sheila Hylton with production from the infamous reggae music duo Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. The track was one of many hard hitting jams from their seminal Taxi album released in 1981 on the Mango label. The album featured songs produced by Sly and Robbie highlighting some of Jamaica’s greatest talents in reggae at the time and even still today such as Gregory Isaacs, The Tamlins, Dennis Brown, and Junior Delgado. Sheila was born in London, England and got her musical upbringing as a child in Jamaica. She began working in the music industry in the late 70’s with Harry Johnson (Harry J’s Kingston studio) and later with Sly and Robbie. She recorded two albums and released a string of hit singles throughout the early 80s. She still performs and lives in New York City.

“Lived through the days, but late at night….” To this day whenever I hear this I cannot help but remember childhood. I literally grew up on this song and the album from which I first heard it! When I play it now I feel like reaching for my lover. How many of you have had that feeling before? You are jamming, working, or getting ready to lie down and the absence of someone strikes you. Sheila does an awesome job sticking to the lyrics and paying beautiful homage to the original song, while inserting her own flavor, vocal tones, and cadences. Sly and Robbie literally destroy the beat. It is one of those songs with the heavy bass and electrifying guitar that still pounds on any sound system today. Of course you hear the signature reggae guitar licks, but it has so much more personality. Like a haunting dub track, it echoes, darts in and out with effects that make you feel as though you are walking through a motion picture.

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Parent, illustrator, author, owner of Come Bien Books, muralist, activist, and self-proclaimed believer in the power of music and its infinite sonic vibrations. Follow him @RobertTres