Mr. Bass Man All Stars (Young Tree, 2004)

If you think that Andrew "Bassie" Campbell plays anything but the bass, then maybe you were dropped on your head as a child.  He's a veteran bass player whose notoriety is just taking off with the release of this solo debut.  Given that he's been the band leader for both Yami Bolo and Junior Reid, it's not surprising that the music on Mr. Bass Man All Stars features a mix of the edgy roots and dancehall sound for which those two artists are known.  Of course, scanning through the track listing, it's evident that none of the artists gathered on the album are of that level of fame, but don't let that cloud your judgment.  Honestly, I wasn't expecting a whole lot from a bunch of acts I'd never heard of, but one listen made me a believer.  These songs are frankly better than most releases featuring "known" artists, and the album as a whole is one of the best original various-artist compilations I've heard in the last few years.  While you may not know the acts, you could easily assume that other, more famous acts were performing.  Squidley Cole, for instance, sounds (appropriately enough) like Yami Bolo on the leadoff track, "Mr. Bass Man."  The Organs' haunting "Living in a World," meanwhile, could be mistaken for a Lucky Dube tune, while Dentin Screechy's "Cry fi di Youths" has a distinctly old school dancehall Half Pint vibe.  Furthermore, "Bloody Street" by David "Jahvid" Gooden could very well be Michael Rose (or Junior Reid, for that matter), the smooth "It Takes Two" is quite Sugar Minott-like, and King David's "Mount Zion I" has a chanting, acoustic Nyabinghi sound that harkens back to Ras Michael.  Of course, this isn't to imply that these acts are mere impersonators.  At this point, everyone sounds a bit like someone else.  I'm sure that some people have called Bushman a Luciano clone or Sizzla a Buju Banton rip-off, but that hasn't stopped them from evolving their own styles and identities.  Indeed, the quality of your material is the ultimate deciding factor, and the work on Mr. Bass Man All Stars is top-notch.  The music, brought together by Campbell's production, is tight and original, a spirited blend of roots and dancehall suitable for all tastes.  Campbell should be commended also for his choice of performers.  Each one brings a different sound, and each delivers a wonderful product.  Indeed, if these songs are demos, we should be hearing more from them soon.  Kind David in particular has half of a great album here already, with five strong tracks that showcase his Turbulence-like sing jay style.  But really, everyone is an "All Star" here.