As a sampler of some the hottest dancehall artists of the moment,
Dancehall Hits '99 is serviceable, even as it highlights what is best -- and worst -- about the music. The biggest names in dancehall are here, and if the songs are somewhat oddly chosen, the selections are not so out of the blue as to be unrepresentative. "Seed a Gal" is a typically raunchy sex track from
Spragga Benz, while "Buck Them Up" is every bit the hardcore rhyme
Lady Saw had been doing since the early '90s. The disc also contains some witty uses of classic pop tunes. "Fire" pinches the melody from the
Bruce Springsteen song, and "Gal A Look Yuh Man" uses the vocal line from "Karma Chameleon." So while hardcore dancehall fans will be happy to have a disc with all of these cuts in one place, there are a couple of caveats for newcomers. For one thing, the standard practice has always been for producers to recycle the same beats for multiple artists. So while that may sound great in a club, on CD it will serve to confuse unwary listeners who will wonder why the last four songs sound exactly the same apart from the vocals, and several other cuts on the album repeat backing tracks as well. Perhaps some more variety in the music would serve as a better introduction. The biggest flaw, though, is the inclusion of
Elephant Man's "A Nuh Fi We Fault," a song that encourages violence against gays. It's another sad aspect of dancehall, and the fact that not only was the song included, but appears at the beginning, leaves a sour taste throughout the album. While hardcore dancehall fans may find this an enjoyable sampler, newcomers will be put off by the lyrical and musical excesses and curious song selection, and should probably start elsewhere. ~ Victor W. Valdivia