Reggae 2000 (ERC, 2000)

Reggae 2000 is an album that will endure through time and make its mark in reggae history...just ask it!  This is how the liner notes describe it, at least.  Now, I know there's a lot of shameless self-promotion going on in the industry, but if you're going to make such a bold proclamation, you better back it up.   Reggae 2000 does no such thing.  If this album makes a mark in reggae history, it'll be the skid marks from the listeners running away.  OK, OK, it's not that bad, but it's certainly very unremarkable.  Mixing established names like Triston Palmer, Pinchers, Kenneth Dayes (of Culture), Bushman, Anthony B, Tanya Stephens, and Norris Man with lesser-knowns like Leba, Bad Dog, Pinchie P, and Stevie Face (who appears on no less than 7 of the 15 tracks -- guess who has an album coming out on ERC soon?), Reggae 2000 manages to level the playing field by making everyone sound mediocre.  Part of the blame belongs to bland, often overly sentimental songwriting and part to what seems to be low-budget, lazy production.  Although formidable musicians like Sly & Robbie and the Firehouse Crew appear, the music -- a blend of roots, lovers rock, and a touch of dancehall -- sometimes sounds cheaply done, like a homemade demo.  Further, the rhythms -- each of which after the first tune appear on two consecutive tracks (e.g., tracks 2 and 3 have the same rhythm, as do 4 and 5, 6 and 7, etc.) -- aren't particularly striking, two of them being a pair of the most re-used rhythms in reggae, that from Alton Ellis' "Breaking Up" (which Stevie Face covers) and that made famous on Sly Dunbar's "Unmetered Taxi" and Foxy Brown's "Fast Car."  That said, the talent of the artists on this album still shines through the murkiness.  Triston Palmer's rootsy "My Father's Love" is probably the best tune, while Pincher's catchy old-school "Big Deal" is also a treat.  Bushman performs admirably on "Love You Forever," but borderline sappy lovers rock isn't the style I'd prefer to hear him perform.  Stevie Face, though having a decent singing voice, does little here to make a name for himself, mostly due to sub-par songwriting.