Art and Life (Virgin, 2000)

*GUEST REVIEW*
Even though dancehall and hip-hop are closely related they don't always work that well together. Tim Westwood and Goldfinger's programmes follow on from each other on Radio 1, and they oft play similar music. Art and Life contains tracks that would fit into either DJ's playlist. It's a relatively commercial dancehall/hip-hop hybrid. The MTV analysts would classify this as urban but to me its just dancehall lite. Beenie's toasts ands style are alright but are on top of Latin beats, tame hip-hop production, and a host of guest vocalists. Dancehall should make a room gyrate. Despite its commerciality, this album contains few tracks that me move physically or emotionally. A heavier production and slightly more focus may increase the attractiveness of this album.

- ragudave

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Tropical Storm (Virgin, 2002)

Although he hasn't had that single breakout smash pop hit that Shaggy has had (a couple of times), Beenie Man has steadily maintained enough of an audience to justify Virgin signing him (perhaps in an attempt to make up for letting Shaggy go before his multi-platinum smash Hot Shot...oops!).  With the major-label contract, however, comes the increased pressure for sales, and judging from the sound of the two albums Beenie Man has released on Virgin so far (Tropical Storm being the second, after Art and Life), he appears to be tailoring his material for the mainstream market.  Less than half of Tropical Storm is what I would consider dancehall; the rest incorporates elements of hip-hop, R&B, pop, electronica, and even classical, so if this is not your cup of tea, you might want to stick to his non-Virgin work.  Although I generally prefer strict dancehall to the often more watered down sound of dancehall fused with another genre, the straightforward dancehall numbers on this album are pretty standard and don't break any new ground; it's the more crossover tracks that provide most of the punch.  For instance, the first single, "Feel It Boy," featuring Janet (the artist formerly known as Janet Jackson), is a catchy hip-hop/R&B hybrid, as is "Street Life" and "Real Gangsta" (Although Beenie Man's repeated claims of being a "gangsta" seem hollow...which isn't necessarily a criticism; he just seems like a nice, regular guy.  Someone like Bounty Killer carries off the dark, edgy persona more believably.).  The hip-hop-edged dancehall of "Bossman" and the fresh trip-hop/jungle sound of "Yagga Yo" are also OK.  That said, while nothing on Tropical Storm is terrible, nothing is great.  Its appeal to the mainstream listener is apparent, but reggae fans may not find the distinctly non-reggae vibes so palatable.

The Magnificent (2b1, 2002)

The Generic would be more appropriate. It's hard to conceive of an album more repetitive and droning than this one. It's the antithesis of Beenie Man's Virgin releases, sticking to a straightforward dancehall sound -- perhaps to a fault. The riddims are so basic and cookie-cutter, it's hard for me to believe this album wasn't released in 1992 instead of 2002. And Beenie Man doesn't do himself any favors with his bland melodies and stagnant hooks. Although he's no great singer, I at least appreciate the effort to break up the monotony on "Mocking Bird Song." It takes until track #13, "A New Gear," to hear a song that marries a competent beat with a palatable hook, but by that time, it's too late to save the album. "You a Fool" and "The Magnificent" are decent '90s-styled tunes, but they don't really sound like Beenie Man cuts; their hardcore sound is more in the Cutty Ranks mold. Continuing the throwback sound is the ridiculously-titled "Do the Beenie Shuffle," which attempts to go for Mad Cobra's "Flex" stylee with an Earth, Wind & Fire sample. Although the cover art proudly proclaims "studio album," the more I listen to The Magnificent, the less I can buy that these songs are actually from 2002. They smack distinctly of early- to mid-'90s dancehall and sound notably dated in this day and age. If the Beenie Man and his producers were indeed able to reproduce that vintage sound, it's impressive...not smart, but impressive.

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From the Art & Life Tour (2b1, 2004)

Ironically, although this live footage is from 2000's Art & Life Tour, the concert works best because Beenie Man leaves off much of the pop fluff from the Art and Life album and focuses on his prior, more purely dancehall material. He packs a ton of material into the concert, including hits like "$100 Bag," "Murderer," "Girls Dem Sugar," "Has the World Gone Mad," and "Tell Me" (although the latter lasts all of 40 seconds), but it's a tribute to his prolific output that there are a bunch more left off, including "Blackboard," "Bookshelf," "Crazy Baldhead," "Kettle Drum," "Praise Him," "New Suzuki," "Yaw Yaw," "World Dance," and a personal fave of mine, "Turn Around." The track listing is deceptive, because although they're not listed, he does throw in hits "Romie" and "Ole Dawg" as medleys with "Girls Dem Sugar" and "A No Like We," respectively. Plus, "Gimme da Gal" is in fact the smash "Slam," and "Send Dem" is the giddy "Foundation." On top of that, they label "Who Am I" as "Girls Dem Sugar" (Maybe that was on purpose, though, because this rendition of "Who Am I" is so short and unrecognizable that it's bound to disappoint anyone expecting the tune they know so well.). Beyond the more obvious hits, some perhaps lesser-known tunes score, like the rollicking "Badman," the posse cut "Burn di Chronic," a hard-hitting hip-hop remix of "Haters & Fools," and "Look into My Eyes," a spiritually inclined take on rival Bounty Killer's gangsta anthem "Look."  Overall, despite any omissions, From the Art & Life Tour offers plenty of evidence why Beenie Man has remained so popular over the years.  The DVD doesn't offer a whole lot of benefit over the CD, as the picture is fuzzy, the camera angles are pretty much stationary, and the only special feature is a text biography.