It’s not very often that I listen to Reggae, but in general if it’s on I will listen. I like the sound, I am just generally not familiar with many of the artists in the industry. However, when this CD was offered I decided to give it a listen and see what the best of the genre had to offer this year. Come to find out, Reggae Gold is released annually and includes the best songs based on a number of factors. This year and perhaps every year the deciding vote is based on roots reggae genres and the hits of the clubs.
If you are a hardcore Reggae fan you might find the club music to be too similar to hip hop and rap for your liking. In previous years it seems that some of the most popular artists tend to go back and forth from one genre to the next and that could add to this rap-filled edition. However, if you are looking for just Reggae you might feel that this CD doesn’t hit the notes that you had hoped it would.
Unfortunately, the first half of this CD feels a whole lot like rap and not much like anything else. If it were a rap CD that would be fine, because the songs aren’t all that bad, but on a Reggae CD it just doesn’t cut it for me. Take the second song on the track, “This Is Why I’m Hot”. It’s a decent song. However, tossing some Reggae voiceovers over a rap song and calling it Reggae is cheap. I mean, were these guys that hard up for another song that they decided to throw this on? It just doesn’t seem to fit with the them at all and it causes a very disappointing start to the CD.
There are some decent Reggae songs and artists on Reggae Gold 2007. You will be able to hear artists such as I-Wayne, Pressure, and Jah Cure amongst others. Buju Banton and Morgan Heritage are also featured with two of their hottest hits. However, the songs that are not Eeggae, as good as they might be, seem to distract from the point of the CD. Had I paid for this CD I would have been unhappy with the results. In fact, I’d probably be unhappier than I am by them now.
Next time around VP needs to build a Reggae compilation with some flat-out Reggae songs and no more mixing. If you like the mix and aren’t hoping for straight up Reggae this is for you, but if you’re looking for Reggae Gold 2007, you might want to save yourself the trouble and download your favorites on I-Tunes.
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Technorati Tags: Reggae Gold, Cd Review, Rap, Music, Compilation
