|
|
|
Tales From the Dancehall (Pow Wow, 1995) It sounds a bit gimmicky, I know, but this compilation, though erratic, is pretty darn entertaining. Tales From the Dancehall nominally centers around a supernatural theme which, though maintained only for a few songs -- Sancho's "Chase Vampire" stands out in particular -- is not as corny as you may expect and are actually fun. The album is organized by musical rhythm, with 6 dancehall beats supporting the first 12 songs and the final 5 being hip-hop remixes. The first 6 cuts -- featuring the first 3 rhythms -- are all good (and they're "all good"), but the next 7 -- with 3 more rhythms -- are noticeably weaker, and the final 5 remixes are of a high level of quality again, making the album a roller coaster ride. Papa San leads off Tales with the hit "Strange" (on the Strange rhythm), a mellow, sing-songy tune with a likeable melody not unlike Anita Baker's "Fairy Tales." After that comes the Chase Vampire rhythm that carries "Chase Vampire" (natch) and Chilla Rinch's catchy "Black Revolution," followed by the fun Arabian-esque Monsters rhythm on which "Another Day" by Ricky General, the playful "Monsters Medley" by Don Yute, Donovan Steele, and Glamour Murphy, and "Dance Jam" by the underexposed Sugar Moses, run. The subsequent Ghost Town, Sick, and Boiling Oil rhythms are all relatively bland, giving way to some wicked hip-hop remixes that shine bright, particularly Matlock's "The Gardner" (although the non-remixed version is not on this album), the curiously named Balance the Brown Lion's "Positiveness" (ditto), and Sugar Moses' disco-ish "Dance Ram" (AKA "Dance Jam"), featuring a beat similar to that on the popular remix of Ini Kamoze's "Here Comes the Hotstepper." Though a tad uneven, Tales From the Dancehall is as fun and invigorating as a good horror movie. |
Track Listing |
 |