Dutty Rock (VP/Atlantic, 2002)

In October 2002, Atlantic Records announced what could potentially be a watershed deal for the oft-snubbed reggae genre: a multimillion dollar partnership with New York-based dancehall reggae giant VP Records.  Under the deal, Atlantic will "share" some of VP's more marketable artists, contributing a major portion of the promotion and distribution for albums with the greatest potential to cross over to the pop charts, including the popular Reggae Gold and Strictly the Best compilations.  First out of the box under the arrangement is Sean Paul's sophomore album Dutty Rock, a strategic choice not only because of the DJ's ever-mounting popularity within reggae circles, but also due to his mainstream potential.  His clean-cut good looks and festive party music lack much of the vulgar slackness and violent gun lyrics from which Atlantic might shy away, at least initially.  Indeed, some might view him as an edgier version of Shaggy; certainly, Atlantic hopes he sells as well as Shaggy's Hotshot did in 2000.  But no, Sean Paul is not Shaggy, and artistically speaking, that's a good thing.  Not that Shaggy is a scourge to reggae purity per se, but he has a particular mainstream sound that most dancehall artists eschew and that many major label dancehall releases unfortunately seem to mold.  Hopefully, though, VP's involvement will ensure that the material from VP/Atlantic lives up to the high standard that the dancehall community expects from it.  And, if Dutty Rock is any indication, they have nothing to fear.  This album is quite simply a scorcher, a party starter packed to the gills with jam after jam.  The material maintains the integrity of the raw digital dancehall sound while remaining accessible enough to a mainstream public seeking spirited, danceable tunes with catchy hooks.  The crossover hit ganja anthem "Gimme the Light" is typical of the overall sound, although frankly I think it's one of the weaker tracks on this album, along with another cut that has been popular on the dancehall scene, "Can You Do the Work," which was featured on Strictly the Best Volume 27 ("Gimme the Light" was on Reggae Gold 2002.).  Based on those two tracks, my hopes weren't particularly high for Dutty Rock, but as it turns out, those were the only songs I didn't like much, aside from the disappointing Neptunes-produced "Bubble," an ill-fated attempt to mix blues/soul with dancehall.  The rest of the album is a blistering display.  Nineteen songs deep, you barely have time to catch your breath from "Gimme the Light" before the popular "Like Glue" erupts, followed by "Get Busy," riding the India-inspired Diwali riddim, and the hip-hop/dancehall hybrid "Top of the Game," featuring Roots crony Rahzel on beat box.  Despite these varied sounds brought together by a host of producers -- including reggae legends Sly & Robbie, King Jammy, and Steely & Clevie -- Dutty Rock still comes off as a cohesive unit unified as a showcase for Sean Paul.  With a laid-back drawl reminiscent of Super Cat (one of his idols), Paul seems more mature and more at ease on this album than on his overreaching debut Stage One.  He seems more in touch with his talent and thus comes out with a slew of tunes that could easily become dancehall anthems of the year, "My Name," "Concrete," "Shake That Thing," "Shout (Street Respect)," and "It's On" among the best.  What really put this album over the top for me, however are the tributes to the old school that Paul includes, from the simple charm of the hit "Punkie" to the Super Cat-like "Jukin' Punny" to the cover of Alton Ellis' classic "I'm Still in Love With You."  Even in one of the rare instances when he performs a song that sounds like one of the attempts to cross over that major labels tend to induce, Paul manages to pull it off; on the infectious R&B/hip-hop track "International Affair," he out-Shaggys Shaggy and out-Beenies Beenie Man to create a jam that blows away any of the crossover cuts on their recent albums.  Dutty Rock isn't only one of the best dancehall albums of the year, but it's easily one of the best dancehall albums of all time, ranking up there with seminal releases like Bounty Killer's My Xperience, Buju Banton's 'Til Shiloh, and Sizzla's Black Woman and Child.