Green Light (Pow Wow, 1991)

WARNING: POP REGGAE IN VICINITY. This album is so "poppy" that only about half of it is easily identifiable as reggae. Still, for what it is, the mainstream stuff is fairly listenable in an early '90s dancy-pop-R & B sort of way. Solid production and catchy-hook songwriting bolster up-tempo crossover numbers like "Home," "Tell Me," and "Old Days." On the other hand, there is the borderline drippy-sweet-sappy ballad "If I Could," as well as an unnecessary cover of Bell Biv DeVoe's "Poison" and the title cut, which embodies the nightmarish vision that the words "pop reggae" conjure. Unfortunately, solid reggae tunes like "Summer Nights" and the sublimely effective take on Bunny Wailer's "Ram Dancehall" are overshadowed by sheer virtue of being outnumbered. The song on which the Golds finally put together their reggae and pop influences to excellent effect, however is the hauntingly gorgeous "Can You," a breathtakingly evocative protest against Apartheid. If the rest of the material on Green Light were only half as good as this song, the album would've been stellar. As it is, my suggestion would be to buy the compilation Level the Vibes, on which you can get "Can You" surrounded by stronger songs.