Word: jamaican
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Capleton's I-Testament comes on forcefully from the start. On the Jamaican-born singer's previous CD, Prophecy, he performed alongside rapper Method Man of the American hardcore hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. I-Testament also boasts street-wise, street-tough swagger. Capleton's vocals are a mix of slurred rap, chanting and Jamaican patois, supported by R.-and-B. backup singers. His songs are often built around samples; Original Man draws liberally from the bass groove of Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side. Capleton's talent lies in his ability to fuse gangsta-rap energy...
Floyd Lloyd, a Jamaican singer working with several different bands, has tried to create just that: ska for the subdued. This is an interesting proposition, but one which, unfortunately, requires more talent to be implemented successfully than the singer/writer is able to demonstrate. His new CD, Tear It Up: The Ska Album, consists of a collection of tunes that, for the most part, try to be to ska what soft rock is to rock and roll. But while the album offers a few songs with fair instrumentals, the CD does not succeed, lapsing into tedious and uninteresting music backing repetitive...
With a funky mix of dance hall reggae and sugar pop, Mr. Boombastic (a.k.a. Shaggy) is back with a new CD, Midnite Lover. Shaggy has taken the concept of Jamaican reggae to another level by mixing heavily constructed R&B, rap and heavy bass beats. Radio D.J.'s love to play it, the kids on the street try to imitate it and the club floors pound with Shaggy's honey-coated voice. Midnite Lover does not stray from the typical Shaggy tradition; it works because it is Shaggy, rather than just another Jamaican reggae artist who is attempting to capitalize...
...contrast, Redlight, the first effort on Hellcat for the Slackers as well, offers up the ska beat at its finest. The Slackers combine Latin rhythms, big band and Jamaican reggae to create their own unique sound...
...that mark the album's two opposite musical poles. "Cooking for Tommy" is the opening number on Redlight and is described by the band as "a major key, Latin-goes-ska number" that showcases the band's horns. "Tin Tin Deo," with guest percussionist Larry McDonald, exhibits the significant Jamaican reggae influence on the band's rhythm section...