Harmony House Verse Two (VP, 2001)

Like the first "verse," Harmony House Verse Two is produced by Beres Hammond and thus carries his signature lush lovers rock sound, performed mostly by lesser-known artists.  Besides Hammond, U-Roy, Jimmy Riley, and Richie Stephens, the remaining line-up is a who's who of newcomers (Unico, A.J. Brown, Yogie, Nicola Tucker, etc.) and artists who haven't received much recognition thus far in their careers (Jahmali, Mr. Easy, Red Fox, Robert Ffrench, Jah Cure, Jah Mason, etc.).  Given the guiding hand of Beres Hammond, I expected a bit more from this album; while it's solid throughout, it's lovers rock by the numbers, with nothing particularly unique about it.  Of course, if you can't get enough of this sound, Verse Two should satisfy, but if you only want to stick with standouts in the lovers sub-genre, I wouldn't put this at the top of your list.  Still, cuts like Unico's "Say It," Mr. Easy's "Heavenly," Yogie's "Hang On," and "Run Come Love Me" by Jah Cure and Jah Mason are quite enjoyable.

Track Listing
1. Say It -- Unico
2. Under Pressure -- Beres Hammond
3. Run Come Love Me -- Jah Cure & Jah Mason
4. Stranger Heart -- Richie Stephens
5. Don't Play With My Heart -- Beres Hammond featuring U-Roy
6. Get Up and Love Somebody -- A.J. Brown
7. Back to the Beginning -- Nicola Tucker
8. Love Sweeter Everytime -- Jahmali
9. Special Ladies -- Red Fox, Mr. Easy & Robert Ffrench
10. Simple Communication -- Jimmy Riley
11. Heavenly -- Mr. Easy
12. What Have I Done -- Sonia Collymore
13. You Give Me Joy -- Nicola Tucker
14. Hang On -- Yogie
15. I'm Not Amazed -- Natural Black