Steely & Clevie Play Studio One Vintage (Heartbeat, 1992)

This is an innovative collection from producers Steely & Clevie in that it contains modern (well, '90s) re-recordings of Studio One classics by the original artists.  The producing duo exhibits an admirable amount of restraint in the album's sound, mixing only small bits of digital dancehall with the rock steady, ska, and early reggae styles in which the songs were originally recorded.  Thus, the tunes sound modern but maintain a classic vibe -- plus, the sound is crisp and clean, certainly an improvement on most of the crackly originals.  Dawn Penn's "You Don't Love Me" was the smash hit off of this album, and its sound gives you a good indication of what the other tracks are like.  As with Penn's tune, many of the other tracks are not so well-known that a remake is unwelcome ("Melody Life," "Ain't That Loving You," "Seems to Me You're Losing," and "Fatty Fatty" being perhaps the most famous).  I personally hadn't previously heard all of the originals, and so I particularly enjoyed the Clarendonians' "He Who Laugh Last," Theophilus Beckford's bluesy "Easy Snapping," the Silvertones' "Smile," and the Righteous Flames' "I Was Born to Be Loved."  Even if you already know these songs, however, I think you'd appreciate Steely & Clevie's modern interpretations.

Track Listing
1. Melody Life -- Marcia Griffiths
2. Smile -- Silvertones
3. Ain't That Loving You -- Alton Ellis
4. You Don't Love Me -- Dawn Penn
5. Easy Snapping -- Theophilus Beckford
6. Money Maker -- David Madden/Dean Fraser
7. He Who Laugh Last -- Clarendonians
8. Seems to Me You're Losing -- Dobby Dobson
9. Fatty Fatty -- Leroy Sibbles
10. I Was Born to Be Loved -- Righteous Flames
11. Be a Man -- Cables
12. Hitomi -- Steely & Clevie