Grafton 4 By 4 (Mesa, 1997)

Recorded at Grafton Studios, this album is packed with tracks from 4 of the best and most popular singers in reggae.  As exciting as this concept sounds, it is bound to be somewhat disappointing to those expecting the past greatness of Black Uhuru (Roze's former group) and Third World (Ruggs' former group), combined with Freddie McGregor and Coco Tea, to come blaring through the speakers.  Keep waiting.  While it is a bit disappointing, with 17 songs and crisp production, there's bound to be something here that will tickle your fancy.  The previously mentioned production -- as well as the writing -- of the material on Grafton 4 By 4 comes from one guy, Michael Bennett, assuring that there is a common vibe tying these somewhat disparate singers together.  Bennett deserves credit for pulling this off, as he provides a variety of musical styles -- from roots to dancehall to lover's rock -- and writes decent songs as well, such as "Monday Morning Blues" and "Left at the Lights."  The best song here, though, has to be Coco Tea's "Keepers of the Castle" an up-tempo dancehall tune with a blistering horn and plucky digital string rhythm -- an adaptation of a classic Glen Brown rhythm of the '70s.  The only other really good song is Bunny Ruggs' "Your Mama" (insert mother joke here), which recalls his biggest hits with Third World.  A bit beneath the quality of those two songs, Mykal Roze (or is it Michael Rose?) contributes the solid "Cookie Jar," while Freddie McGregor chimes in with the uplifting "Let the Children Play."  As you can see, not only are the tracks divided evenly amongst the 4 singers, but the song quality is as well.  However, perhaps 3 songs apiece instead of 4 would've made the album a little more efficient, since some tend to border on being a bit sappy.