Ragga Essentials ina Dancehall Style (Hip-O, 2000)

The well-written liner notes and carefully chosen music on Raggae Essentials combine to provide an informative review of that uniquely Jamaican digital offshoot of reggae known as ragga (dancehall to us in the U.S.).  This album traces the digital revolution back to its start in 1985 when Wayne Smith's "Under Me Sleng Teng" broke the dancehall mold, following it through the different raggae variations that evolved during the '80s and '90s, from slack ragga (Bounty Killer's "Benz & the Bimma") to conscious ragga (Sizzla's "Praise Ye Jah") to British ragga (Apache Indian's "Boom Shack-A-Lack" and Tenor Fly's "Don't Dis the Jungle") to American ragga (Born Jamericans' "Boom Shak-A-Tack") to lovers ragga (JC Lodge's "Telephone Love") to rootsy ragga (Luciano's "It's Me Again Jah") to straight-up ragga (Capleton's "Tour").  Indeed, many of the tracks here are "essentials" for anyone wanted to experience the landmarks in dancehall history -- "Greetings," "Ring the Alarm," "Murder She Wrote," "Under Me Sleng Teng," and "Tempo" topping the list.  Tunes like "Tour," "Hot Steppa," "Rush the Tonic," and "Boom Shak-A-Tack" might not be universally accepted as "essential," but they're pretty damn good.  The only songs on Ragga Essentials that I have qualms about are the two British tracks -- partly because I don't think they were popular anywhere outside of the UK and partly because they stink.  Also, ideally I'd have this compilation stick more closely to the pure digital ragga sound; as nice as "Untold Stories" and "It's Me Again Jah" are, they are closer to roots reggae than to dancehall.  Their spots could easily be filled by international hits like Mr. Vegas' "Heads High," Tanto Metro & Devonte's "Everyone Falls in Love," Beenie Man's "Who Am I," Mad Cobra's "Flex," or any number of cuts from Barrington Levy, Johnny Osbourne, Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, Sugar Minott, or (wince) Shaggy.  I could nitpick all day anything with the words "essential" or "ultimate" in its title, but as a whole, Ragga Essentials provides an effective, nostalgic overview of where ragga has come from and an indication of where it's going.