Paint It Black: A Reggae Tribute to the Rolling Stones (Madacy, 2002)

The third of Madacy's Reggae Rocks tribute albums to rock legends (not including The Tide Is High, which is devoted to rock 'n roll itself), Paint It Black features the work of the Rolling Stones.  Like the other volumes, the line-up of artists features an impressive array of reggae stars (Gregory Isaacs, the Gladiators, Toots & the Maytals, Steel Pulse, the Heptones, Ken Boothe) along with some lesser-known acts, and like any album featuring covers of pop rock songs, the sound is distinctly pop-inclined.  Being that the material comes from the Rolling Stones, there is more of an electric guitar sound here (see "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Honky Tonk Woman," etc.) than on Blowin' in the Wind or Here Comes the Sun.  This "edge" will appeal to some listeners more than others; I personally don't generally care for rock guitars in my reggae, but on this album, they mostly work.  In fact, they accentuate the two best songs on Paint It Black: the atmospheric title track and the freewheeling "Under My Thumb," the latter of which may be the best cover on all 3 Reggae Rocks tributes thus far.  The party ska of "Start Me Up," along with "Wild Horses" (despite Gregory Isaacs' voice) and the lovers rock of "As Tears Go By" provide nice support as well.