Reggae Max (Jet Star, 1996)

This is a nice collection of quality lovers rock from a talented British singer not well-known in the U.S.  He has a light, buttery voice that draws you in -- sort of like a combination between the airiness of Horace Andy and the smoothness of Maxi Priest.   Almost all of the tracks have a crisp lovers rock sound -- with the standard swaying, subtle reggae rhythm with an R&B edge -- that suits Hunnigale's voice well, although some of the beats may not be distinct enough to stand out from the others.   He wrote most of the tunes himself -- quite a feat in a genre that contains so many remakes -- and he shows a talent for crafting charming melodies in songs like "Girl on the Side," "Be My Lady," "Giving Myself Away," "Candy," and "Perfect Lady."  (Fun fact: He wrote Maxi Priest's marvelous "Best of Me.")  However, with 20 tracks, he can't keep up the quality writing all the way through; he seems to get bogged down a bit, particularly after the first half of the album.  Luckily, a few good covers help greatly, namely Anne Murray's "Hold Me Tight," The Temptations' "Heavenly," and Aretha Franklin's "Until You Come Back to Me."  Strangely, one of his biggest hits (in the U.K., at least), "Raggamuffin Girl," is one of my least favorite cuts here and is one of the few that breaks out of the lovers rock sound with its poppy dancehall vibe.  There is a constant danger when listening to lovers rock that it will degenerate into sappy R&B or pop-heavy drivel, but Hunnigale manages to avoid this for the most part, providing a great soundtrack for a romantic evening by the fire (preferably with someone other than your hand).