Dancehall Massive 2 (November, 1993)

When you buy a dancehall album with a bunch of big-name performers, sometimes the material is good, but oftentimes it fails to live up to the level of the artists.   Luckily, the songs on Dancehall Massive 2 are representative of the talent.   Unfortunately, though, many of rhythms here are recycled and will be recognizable as backing more well-known tunes.  Coco Tea's "No Treat," for instance, uses the music from Barrington Levy's "Murderer," while Dennis Brown's "Dancer of the Night" usurps the music made famous in Steely & Clevie's production of Dawn Penn's "You Don't Love Me (No No No)."  That said, these are great rhythms, and although these tracks recycle them, they do it well.  Another re-used beat comes in the form of Buju Banton's cover of Tenor Saw's "Ring the Alarm," but producer Winston Riley  (who produced the original and its predecessor, the instrumental "Stalag 17") throws in an ultra-wicked kick drum to set it off.  Other strong cuts are the surprisingly poignant "It's a Wonder," by Beenie Man and Risto Benjie, Bounty Killer's "Dem Nuh Have No Heart," Ninja Man's "Underground," and Garnett Silk's "Kingly Character."