Delroy Wilson was snapped up by Studio One head
Coxsone Dodd in 1961. Although only 13, the singer was a prodigy, Jamaica's first (but far from last) child star.
Wilson spent almost the entire decade at
Dodd's label, recording regularly and notching up numerous hits before finally departing in 1968. Considering this wealth of high-caliber material,
Dodd could easily have flooded the international market with compilations. But the producer always kept a tight leash on his back catalog, and thus most
Wilson fans have far more extensive collections of his later material than his youthful fare. Thus,
Dancing Mood is a real boon, and best of all steers clear of all the tracks compiled on Heartbeat's
Best Of set, also drawn from the Studio One archives. While that focused heavily on
Wilson's output from the late '60s,
Dodd here culled almost exclusively from 1964-1966, bouncing merrily between ska and rocksteady. There are hits aplenty, including the title track (of course), the searing "I Want Justice," and the gorgeous "Won't You Come Home"; spoilers like "Sammy Dead"; and a wealth of other potent 45s, including combo numbers. For "Jerk All Night Long,"
Wilson was joined by
the Wailers; for the even bigger hit "Look Who's Back Again," he paired with
Slim Smith. Even so, there are too many smash singles missing for this to be considered a greatest-hits collection, but it's still a must-have for every
Wilson fan.