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| Irie Reggae Hits: Best of Dancehall (Time/Life, 2006) You wouldn't think that the folks at Time/Life know much about dancehall (and really, the title Irie Reggae doesn't instill much confidence), but this album features such a representative sampling of the genre that the compilers had to know what they were doing. Surprisingly, Irie Reggae contains few hits that crossed over to the pop charts (you know, the ones that are typically represented on such major label compilations) -- the most notable exceptions being Ini Kamoze's disco-styled remix of "Here Comes the Hotstepper" (featuring the music from Taana Gardner's old school R&B hit "Heartbeat") and the ubiquitous Sean Paul's "Gimme the Light." More common are tracks that gained some level of mainstream exposure, but remained just outside of the general public's eye: "Living Dangerously," "Heads High," "Murder She Wrote," "Champion," "No Guns to Town." There are even a few bona fide old school joints in "Wicked in Bed," "Ring the Alarm," and "Place Mash Up." The most impressive part of the selection, however, is the newer material, featuring artists who have yet to gain much pop appeal in the US, like I Wayne, Gentleman, Vybz Kartel, and Sizzla. Including these artists on its own is a bold step against the conventional wisdom that such an album should feature only the likes of UB40, Big Mountain, Snow, et al, but Irie Reggae goes so far as to include songs that aren't necessarily even these artists' most known tunes. I Wayne's "Can't Satisfy Her," for instance, was one of his early hits, but I don't think it's at the level of popularity of "Lava Ground." And I'd guess that Gentleman's "Superior" is more known than "Intoxication." Ditto for about 100 of Sizzla's songs vs. his Bob Dylan cover "Subterranean Homesick Blues" (from the Is It Rolling Bob? tribute album). The selection is unique, and its boldness is admirable, but with such gambles come risks, and in this case, choosing lesser tunes like "Tekk," "Can't Satisfy Her," "Subterranean Homesick Blues," and Sanchez's "Place Mash Up" (and one could argue that there are better selections from Capleton and Bounty Killer than "Don't Dis the Trinity" and "Roots, Reality & Culture," respectively) doesn't do much for the album's entertainment value. Neither does the unreleased track from Spragga Benz, the unspectacular, hip-hop-flavored "For You." Still, for a mainstream reggae album, Irie Reggae Hits scores. |
| Track Listing 1. Here Comes the Hotstepper -- Ini Kamoze 2. Gimme the Light -- Sean Paul 3. Living Dangerously -- Barrington Levy & Bounty Killer 4. Heads High -- Mr. Vegas 5. For You -- Spragga Benz 6. Wicked in Bed -- Shabba Ranks 7. Can't Satisfy Her -- I Wayne 8. Murder She Wrote -- Chaka Demus & Pliers 9. Intoxication -- Gentleman 10. Ring the Alarm -- Tenor Saw 11. Subterranean Homesick Blues -- Sizzla 12. Champion -- Buju Banton 13. Tekk -- Vybz Kartel 14. Place Mash Up -- Sanchez 15. Roots, Reality & Culture -- Bounty Killer 16. No Guns to Town -- Natty King 17. Don't Dis the Trinity -- Capleton |
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