Various Artists - The Kings of Reggae, compiled by David Rodigan & Sting International

(Rapster/Inertia)

BBE has done it again with their latest effort Kings of Reggae. UK DJ David Rodigan and Sting International have teamed up to produce this 2 disc compilation, which is one of the best assemblage of reggae music that I’ve heard in a long time. Rodigan has been a big promoter of the Kingston sound for over three decades and Sting International is responsible for producing the likes of Shaggy and Sean Paul to name but a few. I love compilations, purely for their value for money – and value to those not too familiar with the genre. Kings of Reggae features the work of over twenty diverse artists, making it the perfect album you want to broaden your reggae horizons.

Each producer compiles his own disc and I didn’t find any major difference between the two (Rodigan does the first while Sting International sorts the second). Both discs cover a relatively broad range of tracks from pulsating dub beats to down tempo ballads. True to the nature of reggae, a lot of the tracks are religious (*Dennis Brown’s* To the Foundation), political (*Junior Marvin’s* Police and Thieves), meaningful songs of hope or even protests about cops burning down weed plantations (*John Holt’s* Police in Helicopter).

From Disc One I’d have to say my favourite is definitely Junior Marvin’s Police and Thieves. This song was a massive hit for Junior Murvin and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. Murvin shot to fame with his unique falsetto vocals. They really do make you prick up your ears, they’re very androgynous.

The standout track on disc 2 would have to be Yellowman’s Over Me. Yellowman has achieved cult status as one of the biggest contemporary reggae artists to come out of Jamaica since Bob Marley. Growing up in Kingston, he’s is your typical struggle story of overcoming hurdles – being an orphaned albino later to be diagnosed with jaw cancer and given only six months to live. He overcame these hurdles to produce songs like Over Me, a typical down tempo dub, melodic and rhythmic to the core. I’m very glad that Macia Griffith made the King’s list too with Dreamland. It has a very mo-town feel about it with Griffith’s honeyed vocals and crooning backup singers.

Kings of Reggae is a must have if your passionate about your Kingston beats. Alternatively, if you’re fresh meat to the sound – Kings of Reggae is full of classics and is sure to beef up your collection.