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Reggae Hits 29 (Jet Star, 2001) Reggae Hits continues to be the strongest, most consistent reggae series around with Volume 29 -- which, although perhaps a bit sub-par by the high standards of this British line, nevertheless contains a plethora of great new sounds. Topping the list are Beres Hammond's lush "Thank You" -- one of his best efforts in years -- the poignant modern roots treasure "Bandits" (from Luciano's Great Controversy album), and the righteous, heartfelt roots classic "Won't Flly in Jah Face," a Bob Marley remake from the dream team of Buju Banton and Leroy Sibbles. Also excellent are Don Campbell's cover of R. Kelly's gospel-toned "The Storm Is Over Now," Ambelique's rousing "Back Stabbers" (not the O'Jays song), 14K's Wayne Wonder-like party jam "Fiesta," and the fun rock steady throwback "Just Friends" by Tony Rebel and newcomer Swade. On the other side of the coin, the usually dependable Morgan Heritage and Sizzla provide disappointingly standard tunes, while Mikey Spice and Shabba Ranks' straightforward cover of Frankie Paul's "Pass the Kushempeng" (or "Ku sheng Pen" or "Tu Sheng Peng" or "Kshung Peng" or however you wanna spell it) isn't particularly noteworthy, but the real dog of Reggae Hits 29 -- and which practically brings the whole set to a grinding halt -- is ex-Fugee Wyclef Jean's torturous "Warrior Cause," a fast-paced dancehall track in which Wyclef I believe attempts to chat DJ-style, but he ends up sounding like a rapper with a speech impediment or some sort of Fat Albert character. Considering this gaping hole in its center, Reggae Hits 29 does a great job of surmounting its shortcomings to provide a solid slice of pure reggae entertainment. |
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