Jamaica (Putumayo, 2001)

Putumayo World Music showcases music from around the globe, so it's not surprising (and in fact, it could be deemed overdue) that they'd release an album dedicated to arguably the most musical nation in the world (given production and influence per capita): Luxemburg.  No, wait, Jamaica.  Now, summing up Jamaican music in 11 songs is darn near impossible, and honestly, this album doesn't do it.  Aside from the opening rock steady track, Jamaica is basically a roots reggae compilation.  Even the two dub tunes aren’t very "dubby" in terms of incorporating sound effects, echoed vocals, etc.  They're basically instrumental roots songs.  Overlooked are ska, lovers rock, and particularly dancehall, the most dominant sound in Jamaica over the past two decades.  Frankly, you could even throw in non-reggae music from Jamaica, such as mento or Jamaican versions of R&B and gospel.  As such, don't look at this album as an overview of Jamaican music as a whole.  Rather, see it as an excellent introduction to the wonderful world of Jamaican roots reggae.  While Jamaica would primarily be valuable to beginning reggae listeners, what makes it stand out is that its song selection is not as predictable as most introductory reggae sets -- and thus, its value to more seasoned listeners is increased.  For instance, it would be easy to throw in Peter Tosh’s "Legalize It,"  The Gladiators' "Chatty Chatty Mouth," or any of Jimmy Cliff's tunes from The Harder They Come, but the compilers here decided to mix things up with Tosh's "Mystery Babylon," The Gladiators' "Streets of Freedom," and Cliff's "Give the People What They Want" (a personal favorite).  Plus we get instrumentals like Augustus Pablo's "Point Blank" and Rico's (AKA Rico Rodriguez's) blazing horn-fest "Midnight in Ethiopia," which even long-time listeners might not know.  Of course, you have to deal in a few more familiar tracks, the classic stuff that will draw in new listeners -- "Sponji Reggae," "Rudeboy Shufflin'," and "None a Jah Jah Children No Cry" being as good as it gets.  It should be noted that due to licensing issues, there are no Bob Marley tracks on Jamaica, but to be honest, I'm kind of glad.  Even people who hate reggae know what Bob Marley sounds like, but his absence here lets seminal acts like Joe Higgs and Culture get some of the spotlight.