LINTON: PEAK LEVEL

“IN CONCERT WITH THE DUB BAND.” Linton Kwesi Johnson. Shanachie. This two-album swan song is a superb career retrospective for the poet/activist who helped popularize the blending of poetry with reggae. Johnson (who has retired from performing to concentrate on poetry and community work) delivers his eloquent, militant reflections on growing up black in British society in a deep monotone that is perfectly complemented by the precise arrangements and sophisticated, jazz-tinged flavor of the redoubtable Dub Band. The material ranges from an unaccompanied reading of “Five Nights in Brixton” to the explosive finale “Making History.” The only problem: Barely an hour of music is pretty slim for a double record, and doubly frustrating when Johnson and company are performing at the peak level they maintain here.