Reggae Gold 1998 (VP, 1998)

Probably the worst of the Reggae Gold series to date.  One question this collection begs is: "Where the hell are all of the singers?!"  Of the 16 tracks here, only 5 have singers in them, and only 3 are by singers alone!  This then brings me to another question: "If this is 'reggae gold,' why aren't there more types of reggae represented, other than dancehall (whether by DJs or singers)?  Where is the roots?  Where is the dub?  Where are the live bands?  To be sure, roots and bands aren't as prevalent as they were in the '70s, but there is still good stuff being recorded out there.  Instead of that, though, we get collections of supposedly the best of reggae that seem to have a bunch of filler material like Harry Toddler's "Bad Man Nuh Dress Like Girl" or Luciano's weepy hymn "Sweep Over My Soul."  Even big hits like Beenie Man's "Tell Me" aren't particularly dazzling.  Better is Sean Paul's "Infiltrate," which in itself isn't wholly original, since it uses the rhythm from Beenie Man's "Who Am I."  Vegas' smash "Heads High" is enjoyable, as are Degree's "Boom Boom" and Buju Banton's Bob Marley-ish "Destiny."  But for every decent track on Reggae Gold 1998, there are two or three blah ones.