Listening to the rowdy and gimmicky numbers by
Capleton,
Elephant Man, and
Assassin in the first half of
Reggae Gold 2004, it's easy to think the usually great annual reggae roundup has run out of steam. The
Elephant Man and
Capleton tracks are too simple and light for the superstar artists and the
Assassin track is a horribly thin one, but things get better, much better. There's the remix of
Beenie Man's massive "Dude" with Shawwna's rap giving the track another lease on life, the great
Tony Touch and
Wayne Wonder team-up "Ay Ay Ay," and the absolutely sultry "Can't Breathe" from
Tanya Stephens. As great as the tracks from Jamaica are, the pick of the litter has to be the mix of
Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name" from Brooklyn-based DJ and Spindynasty member DJ Min One. It sounds almost bootleg or mash-up, but it's inspired, cool, and torrid. The earthy nondigital tracks -- which VP always sticks three-quarters into their
Reggae Gold comps -- include a nice throwback to more organic days from
Beres Hammond. The
Capleton and
Elephant Man tracks fit better on the mix CD, but speeding up "Dude" to almost
Chipmunk speed is a silly mistake. This is one of the more uneven releases in the
Reggae Gold series, but the highlights are crucial. ~ David Jeffries