Strictly the Best 14 (VP, 1994)

I have always liked the Strictly the Best series at least as much as the supposedly superior Reggae Gold series, and this album shows why. . . at least, for the first half.  After the somewhat weak lead-in song, Beres Hammond's "Show It Off," there comes a string of 6 straight great dancehall tunes.  The real boom shot here is Pam Hall's "Missing You Baby," which, even if you don't like dancehall as much as roots, has a timeless sound.  Wayne Wonder's ethereal classic "Saddest Day" also shines brightly, along with a pair of tunes from lesser-known female singers Twiggy and Shelene, and Tyrone Taylor's romantic lovers track "Rainy Sunset," a worthy follow-up to his smash "Cottage in Negril."  Unfortunately, this fourteenth volume can't keep up this pace, as the second half delves into mediocrity, with Sanchez's "Brown Eye Girl" medley and Mikal Rose's (How many spellings of this guy's name are there?) remake of his own (or rather, Black Uhuru's) "Stalk of Sensimenia" being the only (relative) high points.