Reggae Vibes (JamDown, 2000)

A somewhat schizophrenic yet decent (especially for JamDown) collection of tunes, Reggae Vibes at time blurs the line between dancehall and R&B/hip-hop -- as with the use of the music from crooner Freddie Jackson's "Rock Me Tonight" on "Get It On" (an ill-advised remake of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On") and "Baby Lets Do It," the straight hip-hop beat of "Come Nuh" and "Nobody Else" (The latter is actually quite catchy, but not reggae!), and the Jennifer Lopez "If You Had My Love" rhythm of Heather Cummings' "Hanky Panky" and singer Bertus' "Assett."  Not all of these are bad, but be warned that they aren't strictly dancehall.  Even the best riddim on Reggae Vibes -- the one that carries A.R.P.'s "Soon," Anthony B's "No Like What a Gwann," and DJ Little Switch's "Spanish Fly" -- utilizes classical strings and a riff not unlike the James Bond theme.  Still, this beat proves to be eerie and powerful, especially on "Soon," a poignant tune with rich, layered vocals that provide a haunting refrain: "Mama, check out the evening news, 'cause I feel I'm gonna die soon."  Solid, more typical dancehall comes in the form of Ghost's "Midnight Hour," Mark Ice's cover of Shania Twain's "Still the One," Tanto Metro & Devonte and Natch's "What I Can Do," and DJ Frankie Sly's catchy call-and-response track "Papa Proud."