Hobo House of Hits Vol. 1 (Hobo House on the Hill, 2002)

Hobo House on the Hill is one of the leading labels in the current surge of "Jahwaiian" music emanating from the Pacific Islands, and Hobo House of Hits serves as a showcase of tunes from several of the albums they've released over the past 5 years.  I can't say whether these were the biggest "hits" of that period, but I know that as a display of this blossoming offshoot of reggae, you're better off checking out the Island Warriors compilation that was nominated for a 2002 Grammy.  This is largely because I'd consider only about half of Hobo House of Hits to be reggae.  There are no less than 6 drawn-out pop/R&B ballads that are at best reminiscent of Boyz II Men and at worst O-Town.  The best of these is the tender father-to-child dedication "Jorin's Lullaby"...but it's still not reggae.  Likewise, "Sweet Baby" is a fun, funky '80s Kool & The Gang-style jam, but reggae it ain't.  "Never Given Up" is so not reggae, it seems to use the music from the 1995 R&B hit "Heaven" by Solo (or at least it's close enough that somewhere a copyright lawyer's ears are pricking up).  Of the reggae tracks, the best to me is the appealing lovers rock number, "Local Boy in Love."  "Waiting," "Irie," "Island Dream Girls," and "I Like the Way We Do It" are all OK, but the latter two can be found the much superior Island Warriors.