Shelene (Tan Yah, 1996?)

A good debut album with all the elements to be great. Don't let the cheesy packaging fool you -- it's quality stuff. The song "I Ain't Having It" typifies the album -- confident vocals, lyrics, quality production -- but there is an unnamable something missing from the equation keeping Shelene from moving to the upper echelon of reggae. Perhaps she just needs to hone her songwriting skills a bit more, although she had a hit in the wonderfully romantic "Can You" (included on Strictly the Best 14), and the R&B-ish, smooth "Look No More" has the feel of mainstream hit. Still, I'm not concerned for her career; this is only her first album, and the best is likely to come.