Lucky Day (Virgin, 2002)

Following up a multi-platinum album is a daunting task, but based on the amount of publicity (or lack thereof) that Shaggy receives in comparison to other similar-selling acts, he may still feel that he's out to prove something.  Certainly, the smash "It Wasn't Me" and its follow-up "Angel" from 2000's Hot Shot proved that he wasn't a one hit wonder (US pop charts-speaking) with "Boombastic," but it still seems like some think that he needs a successful run by Lucky Day to truly prove that he's here to stay.  It's funny, you hear about all these supposed musical trends -- form the country wave to the Latin wave to the hip-hop wave -- but your rarely hear about the reggae wave.  I mean, Hot Shot was the top-selling album of 2001!  Plus, we've got Beenie Man, Sean Paul, even No Doubt teaming up with Bounty Killer and Lady Saw, all hitting the charts, but will you see the Warlord on "Entertainment Tonight" being interviewed by Mary Hart?  Wow, pause while I take in that visual... Anyway, to his credit, Shaggy knows what the fickle masses want, and apparently, it's a watered-down, R&B and hip-hop-heavy version of dancehall.  This isn't necessarily my cup of tea -- I prefer his earlier Pure Pleasure-era material, which admittedly wasn't that much more edgy -- but Shaggy has honed this sound to a science.  Lucky Day, then is pretty much what you'd expect from him: fun, poppy, occasionally catchy (as on the Barrington Levy-featured "Full Control" and the stalker anthem "Leave Me Alone"), occasionally annoying (as on the Hootie-like "Strength of a Woman" or the too-cute Sergio Leone-inspired "Hey Sexy Lady"), but never fully satisfying.  Still, I buy into Shaggy's pop dancehall-like substance a bit easier than Beenie Man's Virgin material because Shaggy is consistently crossover, while Beenie Man seems to be posturing for the mainstream releases.