Boom Tunes Volume 1 (Signet, 1993)

An uneven collection of dancehall from Sting International -- best known as producer of much of Shaggy's material -- Boom Tunes Volume 1 rarely rises above the level of the most pedestrian of Shaggy's tunes.  Of course, Shaggy contributes a track to this album -- the under-whelming "Bumper Move" -- as do several of his cohorts: Red Fox, Sylva, and Bajja Jedd.  Of these, only Red Fox brings anything much to the table, as his "Jessica" is a fun, funky tale of groupie obsession.  Bajja Jedd's "Bed Work Sensation" is OK, but the use of the "Peter Gunn Theme" music -- popularized in Shaggy's "Oh Carolina" -- is a bit tired.   Better use of that riddim is displayed on Echo Minott's hit "Murder Weapon."  A couple of singer/DJ combination tunes that are included hit the spot: Beres Hammond and Josey Wales in "Free & Single" (the DJ version of Hammond's "Sweetness") and Jesse Jender and Sir Raphael in "One Time Doctor," a magnificent update of The Techniques' immortal "You Don't Care."   Also decent is Private P's "Hoist the Callico," but while the good tracks on Boom Tunes Volume 1 are quite good, the bad ones are awfully generic.