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This Is Lovers Reggae (Ariwa, 1991) Indeed, this is lovers reggae. And lucky for you the listener, it is good lovers reggae. This Mad Professor-produced is prototypical lovers rock, with every defining element present: the sugary sweet melodies, the polished production, the subtle, R&B-influenced reggae rhythms, and the soft love song vocals. The unified sound -- aided by the single producer -- threatens to actually meld all of the songs together into one giant mass, but the melodies are strong enough to distinguish many of the tunes here. The best cuts are the ones with the catchiest, most distinguishable melodies (since the music is uniformly understated): Intense's "You Are the One," Paulette Tajah's "Lonely," and the doo-woppy "Hello Stranger," performed by Brown Sugar, the now-defunct trio that included Kofi and Caron Wheeler of Soul II Soul fame. John McLean and Kofi's duet "Things May Come," Robotiks and Fenton Smith's "Blood Is Thicker Than Water," Slim Linton's "Two's Company" (despite its borderline lounge singer sound), and Marie Dawn's "What Is This?" are all nice as well, as this collection is a nice introduction to the sub-genre of lovers rock -- even if it doesn't make you a bona fide fan. |
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