Strictly the Best 30 (VP, 2002)

Another year, another pair of Strictly the Best albums.  This year's singers volume doesn't seem to contain as many cheesy pop remakes as some in the past, but it still continues in the typical lovers rock and light dancehall sound that serves as a counterbalance to the aggressive digital dancehall of the DJ volumes.  The album starts off slowly with a series of weak tracks -- including unwieldy covers of Enrique Iglesias' "Hero" and Usher's "U Got It Bad," which isn't really fit to be adapted to a reggae stylee.  The usually reliable Glen Washington rings hollow with the run-of-the-mill "Your Love," and Mr. Easy's "Drive Me Crazy" exacerbates the already irksome Buy Out riddim by crooning stupid lyrics about wanting to dump his gold digging girlfriend now that she's pregnant (now who's fault is that?).  That said, things begin to settle down with Sean Paul's infectious adaptation of Alton Ellis' "I'm Still in Love With You," followed by Sanchez's soulful rendition of "The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind)," popularized by the Dells and re-popularized recently by Dru Hill (Did I say there weren't as many remakes here?).  Time has treated Sanchez well, as he seems to be as popular now as ever, judging from the inclusion of this and his optimistically titled "Hit Song," which follows in the similar laid-back party vein as his previous hit, "Frenzy."  Most everything else on Volume 30 is decent, although the only tunes that approach greatness are Lloyd Brown's "Bless Me" -- which rides the rhythm from the Mighty Diamond's classic "Have Mercy" -- and Tony Curtis' wonderful adaptation of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head," which should've supplanted "Gimme the Light" as the ganja anthem of 2002.  Yogie's lovers jam "I'll Be Ready" is also quite well done, as he outshines his uncle Beres on this album, not only singing that song but also producing Elephant Man and Jarvis Church's "Run For Your Life," a somewhat comical/somewhat disturbing tale of an obsessed fan, whose chorus sings "Run for your life / She cuts you with a knife / And leaves you lying on the sidewalk / With your heart in your hand."  I don't know about you, but I'd think that someone as little-known as Jarvis Church would be happy just to have a fan ...