Best Dressed Chicken in Town (Keyman, 1987 [orig. released 1978])

It's no secret that I am not a big fan of the old-school '70s toasting style of reggae.  It strikes me as no different than what made Puff Daddy and Will Smith rich in the '90s: rapping over other people's songs.  Thus, despite its critical acclaim, I was ready to write off Best Dressed Chicken in Town as just another over-hyped '70s toasting album, especially after the first 5 songs conformed to that same DJ-scatting-over-a-distant-backing-roots-track formula, when lo and behold, a fresh sound caught my ear.  It was "Ital Galore," a driving track with lyrics half-chatted and half-sung by Alimantado.  Then, the funkily discordant (in a low-budget Barry White sort of way) instrumental "I Am the Greatest Says Muhammed Ali" proved exhilarating, and the fun, utterly infectious singing on "Johnny Was a Baker" sold me on the Doctor's talent.  In my admittedly biased opinion, he is at his best when not toasting.  His singing voice isn't great, but it's capable enough, and he can write some quite catchy melodies as well as enjoyable instrumentals like "Tribute to the Duke."  I don't dislike all of his toasts -- "Unitone Scank," for instance, features an inventive call-and-response chat with Gregory Isaacs' vocals -- but I just like his singing more, as on the soulful "Ride On."  Alimantado would later sing another great tune, "Born for a Purpose," for his sophomore album (see Forward: A Selection of Greensleeves Top Singles 1977-82), but this, his debut (collecting tracks he recorded between 1973 and 1977), would be considered by most to be his best work.