Prophecy (Rush Associated Labels, 1995)

Capleton comes about as close as anyone besides Buju Banton and Sizzla to perfecting the hybrid of roots reggae and dancehall.  Not that his style is in any way derivative of the pioneering Banton's; Capleton's vocals are higher pitched, more nasal, and less sing-songy, and his tunes are usually more energetic and up-tempo, though also not as happy as some of Banton's cuts (i.e., no love songs).  Banton's style is more readily accepted by the mainstream audience, but perhaps a bigger hindrance to Capleton's popularity is the fact that so many of these songs are just missing that nameless quality that would make them really good.   Possibly it's just the fact that it combines heavy dancehall with heavy roots, and thus, by definition, is not for the mainstream.  Like Capleton's vocal style, the music here is solid, but not spectacular.  The best rhythms come in the second half of the album, on "Glorious Morning," with its flute-like sounds, and "Chant," featuring a straight roots beat that is so intoxicating, I would've preferred it as a dub.  Capleton's smash hit "Tour" is included in both the original and remixed hip-hop versions, both being excellent.  Also irresistible is the so so funky remix of "Heathen Reign," featuring the music from Barry White's "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More, Baby."  A good rule of thumb for any genre: If all else fails, think, "What would Barry White do?"

Gold (Charm, 1998 [orig. released 1991])

Re-released in 1998, this album claims to include Capleton's best up 'til then. Be warned, however; it does not.  Gold was originally released  in '91, and thus there is no "Tour," no "Almshouse," no "Everybody Needs Somebody," no "Buggering," no "Cold Blooded Murderer," etc.   In fact, Gold was released so early in Capleton's career, he only had released one album and a handful of singles to date (He was only 17!).  As such, the sound is a bit dated, and Capleton's style -- along with the quality of his songs -- hadn't fully evolved yet into the respected cultural icon he is today.  The material here is pretty much generic early '90s dancehall, the most notable being the hit "Dem No Like Me" and its remix, here titled "Girls Shock Out" (a better version of which is on the Level the Vibes compilation).  Strictly for the most diehard of Capleton's fans. 

One Mission (J&D, 1999)

One Mission is probably Capleton's most consistent album to date, and is thus one of his best.  His vocals are more listener-friendly here, as he varies his sound with guttural growls akin to, at their peak, Tiger or Busta Rhymes.  This playfulness adds a welcome lightness to the pious Capleton's work.  Take the great hit "Who I Am," for instance.  His melodic back-and-forth interaction with his backing singers, his manic, animalistic growling, and the good old-fashioned dancehall riddim combine to make this a fun, classic jam whose festivity doesn't detract from the seriousness of Capleton's message.  Similarly fun is "Good in Her Clothes," but it and "Who I Am" are the only really good songs on One Mission, as the rest are basically all solid but not spectacular.  "Things Are Happening" may be the best of the rest, although the minimalist dancehall rhythm of "Ready When Yu Ready," the funky hip-hop beats of "What They Gonna Do" and "Life Nuh Easy" -- the latter performed by Anthony B, who does the last 4 tracks on this set -- and the rootsy sounds of "Who Is Dem" and "Dreader Than Dread" (another Anthony B tune) are all nice.  Almost single-handedly ruining One Mission, however, is Anthony B's "Zagga Zow," whose dance beat makes it sound like Backstreet Boys Go Dancehall.  It's so nightmarishly discombobulating, I had to take away half a point (or head) from the rating. 

More Fire (VP, 2000)

Probably the best Capleton album I've heard thus far, More Fire might nonetheless put off some people, since so many of the tunes will be familiar to many listeners.  As I was listening to it, I kept thinking, "Hey, I already have this song. . . And this one. . . And this one!"  In fact, I already had 6 of the first 9 songs (including "Good in Her Clothes," which appeared on his last album; kinda cheap on VP's part, if you ask me).  It's sort of a "best of" collection for Capleton's 1999 and 2000 work, I guess.  Such is the nature of a singles-oriented genre like dancehall, however, so sometimes you just have to go with the flow.  And, of course, the fact that I know the songs already doesn't affect the fact that they're good, the best being "Who Dem?," "Good in Her Clothes," and "Jah Jah City."  Unfortunately, the tracks that I didn't know aren't quite as strong overall, but the rootsy "Witness" is excellent and may be the best song on the entire album.  "Danger Zone," "Critics," and "Boost No War" are also decent, making More Fire a good bet.

Still Blazin (VP, 2002)

 Still Blazin is an appropriate title for this album, for it captures the sense that Capleton remarkably is still hot after more than a decade in the fickle world of dancehall.  In fact, if this album is any indication, he's never been better.  Although he had several hits in the early and mid-'90s, I don't feel like Capleton really hit his stride until the later '90s, when he seemed to settle more into rootsy riddims and a more varied vocal flow.  A string of hit singles and solid albums like One Mission, More Fire, and this one soon followed.  Like the previous two albums, Still Blazin contains some of Capleton's more recent hits -- such as "Woah," "Gimme the Woman" (a hidden track), "Hail King Selassie" (on Reggae Gold 2002 and Reggae Hits 30 [as "Never Want the Youth Dem Die"]) and the awesome "I Will Survive" (on Universal Message Chapter II) -- but unlike with More Fire, this didn't lead me to feel a sense of staleness . . . perhaps because I hadn't heard these tunes quite as much as the ones on More Fire.  At any rate, the supporting songs on Still Blazin are outstanding also, headed by the powerful rootsy opening track "Search Fi a Find."  The album's sound is pretty much evenly divided between roots and digital dancehall, Capleton handling both with an uncommon dexterity.  Speaking of versatility, is that him I hear crooning an R&B love song on "In Your Eyes"???  While he'll never be confused with Luther Vandross, the funky beat and catchy melody actually work, as does the entire album.

Reign of Fire (VP, 2004)

When I listen to a CD I plan on reviewing on this site, I usually scribble down which tracks I like on a Post-It note that I keep inside the CD case.  Well, listening to Reign of Fire, I felt like I needed a whole pad.  This album is 20 songs thick, and virtually every one is on point.  Capleton's career, his increasingly intriguing body of work has seemingly been building up for this album, which is a genuine masterpiece.  I don't know if VP ever had plans to release Reign of Fire as a joint effort with Atlantic -- as they have done with Sean Paul, Wayne Wonder, Elephant Man, et al. -- but the quality of the material certainly begs for wider exposure. (I'd imagine that Atlantic may be timid to put its name on the more radical socio-religious statements inherent in Capleton's material.)  That said, despite the "fiery" title (as is now the norm with Capleton), this album feels a bit safer for public consumption than his previous efforts.  A couple of catchy tracks, "Real Hot" and "Sunshine Girl" (with Stephen Marley), have downright pop appeal, as if they were crafted for the radio (not necessarily a bad thing; they're quite fun).  But fear not, this album is no softie.  Most of the tunes (about 13 of 20) have a heavy roots edge, while most of the rest consist of the type of fierce dancehall epitomized by the popular (albeit a tad repetitive, though it grows on you) "In Her Heart", featured on Reggae Gold 2004.  And Capleton himself is in top form, delivering high-energy vocal gymnastics that transcend language barriers.  Check out "Who Yuh Callin' Nigga", for instance, a brazen, over-the-top cut that's downright (ironically?) thuggish in delivery, and "Or Wah", which I found to be the breakout tune here.  This deceptively simple, short track is pure energy, one of those songs that has such universal appeal that it can instantly draw in people who know nothing about dancehall with a "What is that?" look.  Unfortunately, such crossover exposure is unlikely, but I can dream, can't I?  It's hard to pick highlights from Reign of Fire, since, as I said, it's all so good, but roots lovers will want to check out "That Day Will Come", "Number One Song", "Steppin' Up" (my second fave), "Open Your Eyes", "Leaders Let the People Down", and the rather Marley-like delivery of "Never Share (Burn Dem)".  For the dancehall set, there's of course "Or Wah", "Who Yuh Callin' Nigga", and "In Her Heart".  Only the R&B balladeering (!) of "Remember the Days" feels a bit out of place, though still it's not as scary as that prospect sounds.  The remarkable quality that Reign of Fire achieves is all the more amazing considering there were so many different producers involved -- almost a different one for each track.  They make it work, though, with Capleton's magnetic presence as the unifying force.

Live in San Francisco (2b1, 2006)

The thought of Caplelton performing lyrics about "burn batty man and sodomite" in the notoriously gay-friendly city of San Francisco seems a bit surreal, but since I didn't read about any citywide riots recently, I guess things went smoothly. The extent to which you enjoy this live set depends not only on your ability to digest such lyrical content, but also the extent to which you enjoy listening to recorded live performances (oxymoron?). What I mean is, if you don't enjoy hearing an artist stop short his choruses so that the crowd can sing along, or if you find it grating when an artist starts a song and then stops and starts over from the beginning for dramatic effect, then approach Live in San Francisco with caution. I appreciate the strategy of re-starting a song after 10 or 15 seconds, but when you do it for every single song, it starts to get old. And when you have 26 songs, it gets even older. That's right, I said 26 songs...plus an intro. Capleton fans should rejoice at seeing such an extensive track listing but should note that there's nothing here that was recorded after Still Blazin', leading me to believe this concert took place in 2002 or 2003. With that many songs, of course, many are abbreviated -- some, like "Can't Sleep ah Night," clocking in at only a minute long. Still, Capleton is as energetic as ever. He has a towering presence, and the strength of his convictions (and of his performance) comes through loud and clear. The backing band is perhaps even more impressive, not only replicating both one-drop grooves and digital riddims with sparkling accuracy, but also keeping up with all of the stops and starts and the rapid-fire song changes. I'm not sure how many people were in the audience, but the crowd sounds pretty big -- and plenty entertained -- when singing along with tracks like "Jah Jah City" and "Dis tha Trinity." There are too many great songs here to list, but it's a testament to the wealth of classic material that Capleton has released in his career that even with 26 tracks, there are notable exceptions -- mostly early hits like "Almshouse," "Everybody Needs Somebody," "Dem No Like Me," and "Cold Blooded Murderer." As with many of their live releases, the 2b1 label packages the CD with a DVD, so you can double your pleasure.