Power of the People: Nigerian Reggae (Heartbeat, 1994)

Nigeria's preeminent reggae group of the late '80s and '90s, The Mandators have a likeable sound that is similar to much of the African reggae I've heard; that is, upbeat (despite some serious subject matter), celebratory, and catchy.  With this type of music in general and with The Mandators in particular, it depends on the listener's taste (and tolerance) as to how much "happy reggae" he/she can take, but the songs on this collection of material from 3 of the group's most popular albums are strong enough to withstand any resemblance to the theme from The Smurfs.  "Bubbler" is, well, bubbly and buoyant with an old school dancehall edge, while "System" and "Thanks and Praises" are similarly light and airy gems.  After that, some of the tunes are a bit questionable: "Injustice" is more African pop than reggae, while "Power of the People" would be OK without the rock guitar and the little rap/talk that throws it off.  Still, "Apartheid," "Survival," and the Jimmy Cliff-like cover of Dolly Parton's (!) "Coat of Many Colors" are solid.