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Reggae Gold 2001 (VP, 2001) If nothing else, you can usually count on the annual Reggae Gold compilation for at least a couple of the biggest boom shots of the year (It's the supporting material that can disappoint.). Such obvious greatness is harder to pinpoint on Reggae Gold 2001, however. Instead, the overall quality is spread out across the board, with enough consistently middling appeal to go around. Cuts like Cecile's "Changez" are typical -- moderately enjoyable but unspectacular, this particular tune notable because DJ/singer Cecile's lyrics call out a who's who of male DJs, pointing out each one's alleged shortcomings as her potential lover. Not to be outdone, Elephant Man retaliates with "Wrong Application," which similarly rattles off female performers. These two tracks and Lady Saw's "Son of a Bitch" are nice enough, but have a gimmicky feel. As with many of the cuts on Reggae Gold 2001, every good quality seems to be counterbalanced by an off-putting quality. "Ain't It Good to Know," for example, is a fine ditty from Beres Hammond's Music Is Life album, but inexplicably the sloppy-sounding DJ version featuring Buju Banton is included. TOK's "Shake Your Bam Bam," meanwhile, is enjoyable enough, but I could do without the Ricky Martin "Shake Your Bon Bon" overtones. On top of that, Shabba Ranks and Mikey Spice's remake of Frankie Paul's "Pass the Kushempeng" (see Big Blunts) is OK but so straightforward it's pointless, and I had to learn to look past the inherent crossover sound of Beenie Man's "Girls Dem Sugar" remix to enjoy its equally inherent catchiness. Other tracks, for the lack of a better description, just fall flat: TOK's homophobic "Chi-Chi Man" (which borrows the melody from the Christmas carol "Do You Hear What I Hear"!), the usually dependable Morgan Heritage's schmaltzy "Take Up Your Cross," Capleton's grating "Gimmi the Woman," George Nooks' reggae gospel hodgepodge "God Is Standing By," and the "We Are the World"-wannabe group effort "Peace Cry," which doesn't do justice to Little Roy's "Tribal War," from which it takes its chorus. Still, just as none of the good tracks are really good, none of the bad ones are really terrible. In the end, the best tunes -- Baby Cham's simple, rugged "Man & Man," Sizzla's blistering "Taking Over" (tempered by a smooth acoustic guitar), and Lexxus' "Spy," which adapts the melody from Eminem's "Stan" (actually, Dido's "Thank You") -- make Reggae Gold 2001 a much more pleasant experience than it could've been. |
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