Clever and charismatic, dancehall singer
Tiger influenced countless followers with his never-take-a-breath "vocal drumming" style of singing, but decent compilations of his work are few and far between. VP’s 2011 set
Most Wanted is the first heavyweight contender since 1997’s RAS Portraits and the two sets are almost complementary, seeing as how
Tiger divided his big hits between the two labels. Here, the big numbers include “Bam Bam,” “Boombastic,” and “Ram Dance Hall.” Break a sweat with those and the second line of material is nearly as strong, ranging from minimal productions from the new jack ragga era (“Tempo” being the strongest) to extended versions
Tiger cut with other vocalists (check the
Gregory Isaacs vehicle “Hic Up” for
Tiger in a lovers rock style). Shame that the compilers skipped “Jungle Move” off the
Ram Dance Hall album, but all other omissions -- “Me Name Tiger,” “No Wanga Gut,” and “Puppy Love” -- are due to licensing and can be found on the RAS set. That’s fine, because if you’re a fan of early dancehall, your collection certainly has room for two
Tiger compilations. ~ David Jeffries