[ NEW ON CD ]
Fans sure to enjoy
winning reggae grab bag
"Ultimate Reggae"
Various artists
UTVEven though the bulk of songs on this listener-friendly compilation can be found on the 2001 "The Reggae Box" four-CD set released from this corporate label, "Ultimate Reggae" (well, that's highly debatable, but we're trying to move "units" here, dammit!) still makes for an instantly appealing grab bag of music on a single CD.
Local fans will find a lot to like here on this, the perfectly marketable summer party collection. Veteran "singjay" Eek-A-Mouse, who just performed at the Summer Jam at the Shell, is represented by his monster hit "Wa Do Dem," and other local faves not found on "The Reggae Box" include Johnny Nash's 1972 pop smash "I Can See Clearly Now" (backed by Bob Marley's Wailers band), Black Uhuru's "Sponji Reggae" and "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" by that sexy albino toastmaster Yellowman.
There are also a couple of special remixed versions of Shaggy's "Boombastic" (the voice and rhythm tracks are brought up) and Mr. Vegas' "Heads High."
The Marley family line is represented by Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, who, along with brother Stephen, redid their dad's "Could You Be Loved," and gave it their own contemporary spin with "And You Be Loved," from a couple of years ago.
The rest of "Ultimate Reggae" is made up of a mix of classic party and social consciousness tunes, from Third World's "1865 (96&DEG in the Shade)," Dennis Brown's uptown soul slick "Love Has Found Its Way" and representative tracks from Gregory Isaacs, Chaka Demus & Pliers and Shabba Ranks, to Burning Spear's "Marcus Garvey," Peter Tosh's "Equal Rights" and Buju Banton's great "Untold Stories."
It's solid stuff, mon!
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