One of the most venerable franchises in reggae history continues to roll on with this generously packed compilation of recent dancehall tracks. As with dancehall collections of this sort, it's a hit-and-miss affair, though most of the content is well above average. Top picks include
Sean Paul's good-naturedly leering "All Out," the very pretty "Wine" by
Alaine, Idonia's downright strange "Ukku" (much of which, to Babylonian ears, sounds suspiciously like nonsense), and
Assassin's surprisingly lovely "Good Over Evil." The low points in the program come from surprising places:
Bounty Killer never completely disappoints, but his stupid little "hey yo, ya know!" catch phrase has got to go, and when he goes up against
Buju Banton, sharing the same rhythm on "Try Offa You" and "Hunting," his superior delivery is undermined by a run-of-the-mill slackness. And even more disappointingly, the usually stern and powerful
Capleton is reduced on "Hits Pon Toppa Hits" to bragging about his chart performance. Lo how the mighty have fallen. But at least some of the newcomers offer promise for the future. ~ Rick Anderson