Blazin' Reggae (Razor & Tie, 2005)

I'm generally not a big fan of mass-marketed reggae compilations that repackage the same 12 songs in bright colors to hypnotize ("Shiny bauble...") a reggae-oblivious mainstream, but looking at the track listing for Blazin' Reggae, I was pleasantly surprised.  This is a well-put together compilation that balances its selection of crossover hits with a nice range of tunes that the average non-reggae fan may not know.  Included in the latter category are tracks like Dirtsman's "Hot This Year," a pre-Dutty Rock Sean Paul's "Infiltrate," the pint-sized Vicious's "Freaks" (still disturbing after all these years, given the kid's age), and Rayvon's "No Guns, No Murder," which provides one of several "that's-my-jam," back-in-the-day, hip-hop reggae moments on the album.  Granted, songs like Beenie Man's "Who Am I," Shabba Ranks's "Mr. Loverman," and Dawn Penn's "No, No, No" seem to be on every other reggae collection, but they're balanced out by some fresher cuts.  Presumably, newer hits like Elephant Man's "Pon de River, Pon de Bank," Wayne Wonder's "No Letting Go," and Lumidee's "Never Leave You" are the main selling point of Blazin' Reggae, and while some reggae fans may balk at the latter's inclusion, it uses the same Diwali riddim as Wonder's smash and thus is no less "reggae" than several songs included on Reggae Gold 2004.  More questionable for me was the techno remix of Bob Marley's "Sun Is Shining" (and perhaps Max-A-Million's cover of "Sexual Healing"), but that is more the exception than the rule here.  Overall, it serves well as a fun, rousing introduction to dancehall or as simply a way to reminisce about the hits of yore.  Of course, hardcore reggae fans won't find a whole lot of use for this album, but they shouldn't be put off by it either.  Besides, it's not really for them anyway.  Note: You can get an expanded 2-CD version of this set on musicspace.com, with additional hits like Terror Fabulous's "Action," Buju Banton's "Champion," and Chaka Demus & Pliers's "Bam Bam."