Reggae Gold 2003 (VP, 2003)

Every year I tell myself that I'm not going to get the current edition of the Reggae Gold series, and yet somehow every year it ends up in my lap.  Such is the case again this year, and the 2003 volume sadly, predictably does little to make me eagerly anticipate next year's offering.  While this certainly isn't the worst volume to date, it's still an underwhelming enterprise that shows that, as with the pop charts, the songs that are most popular with the reggae-listening public are often, well, crap.  What Reggae Gold 2003 does do well, though, is reflect what a breakthrough period 2002-2003 was for dancehall reggae.  Even non-reggae fans should recognize no less than 3 of the tracks here -- "Make It Clap," "No Letting Go," and "Get Busy" -- all of which received heavy rotation on both radio and television.  Indeed, in the years to come, we could look back at this time as the era when dancehall finally broke through into the American cultural consciousness (soon thereafter to be adopted by a "pioneering" Elvis/Eminem-type and slowly so absorbed into white American culture that in the decades to come it's practically forgotten that this was originally a black Jamaican music...well, we'll see on that one.).  The familiarity of such tunes may please some listeners who'd like to have all of the songs on one album (although the version of "No Letting Go" included here is a pointless remix featuring LL Cool J that sounds like he's just rapping over the pre-recorded original song), while it may annoy others who are already tired of the songs.  I tend to fall a bit into the latter category, particularly when taking into account the presence of several other tracks -- notably Sizzla's "Thank U Mamma," Morgan Heritage's "She's Still Loving Me," and Shaggy's "Hey Sexy Lady" -- with which I was already familiar.  Unfortunately for Reggae Gold 2003, the familiar tunes make up a significant portion of the best cuts on the album, with the exception of the painful "Hey Sexy Lady."  The best of the rest include Tanto Metro & Devonte's fun, fast-paced "Honey I Sugar Pie," Beenie Man's catchy "Row Like a Boat," the hit sound of T.O.K.'s "She's Hot," and what is probably the best song of all on this album, Tanya Stephens' "It's a Pity," a surprisingly funky lovers jam that is head and shoulders above anything else I've heard from this female DJ.  Ultimately, however, too many of the songs on this compilation are disappointingly uninspired, insipid works from usually reliable artists like Elephant Man, Beres Hammond, Buju Banton, and Bounty Killer.  Next year, I won't bother with Reggae Gold 2004...or will I???