Strictly The Best 36 (2006)

Product Summary Label: FONTANA UPC: 00054645177023 Release Date: 11/21/2006 Buy.com Sku: 203331749 Item#: M39R9X Format:  CD Song Listing Disc 1 Song Title Sample 1. Always On My Mind - Da'Ville ~ Various Artists 2. Beautiful Lady - Gyptian ~ Various Artists 3. Brown Skin - Richie Spice ~ Various Artists 4. Real Thing - Bitty McLean ~ Various Artists 5. Love & Affection - Wayne Wonder ~ Various Artists 6. Do You Know - Mr. Vegas ~ Various Artists 7. Deeper - Alaine (remix) ~ Various Artists 8. Love You Right - Morgan Heritage ~ Various Artists 9. What Will It Take - Jah Cure ~ Various Artists 10. Old Skool Love - Devine Brown ~ Various Artists 11. Coming Over - Chuck Fenda/Cherine ~ Various Artists 12. Memories By The Score - Voicemail ~ Various Artists 13. Stay With You - Tarrus Riley ~ Various Artists 14. Good Love - Cherine ~ Various Artists 15. For Life - Roger Robin ~ Various Artists 16. Wrong Address - Etana ~ Various Artists 17. Life Seeds - I Wayne ~ Various Artists 18. I Know - Della Manley - (featuring Mutabaruka) ~ Various Artists   Album Notes and Credits Notes & Personnel Info The 36th entry in the consistently profitable Strictly the Best series breaks away from the line's usual dancehall focus and instead offers a solid hour of modern lovers rock -- most of it quite good, some of it excellent, but one or two entries mystifyingly awful. The best offerings come from Morgan Heritage (whose "Love You Right" is the kind of sweet, solid pop reggae that this band was born to play), from up-and-coming singer Cherine (whose "Good Love" somehow manages to sound more innocent than it is) and Roger Robin (whose "For Life" is a surprisingly sweet avowal of fidelity and permanence -- sentiments not often encountered in modern reggae, and practically never in the dancehall). Chuck Fender and Cherine team up for a nice combination track on "Coming Over," and Jah Cure does a decent job on "What Will It Take," though the whininess of the song's title is eclipsed by the even greater whininess of his vocal. The album's two real let-down tracks come courtesy of Mr. Vegas, whose "Do You Know" is just far enough out of tune to make the track a chore to sit through, and I Wayne, whose "Life Seeds" is just plain horrible -- an unlistenable voice-and-guitar ballad that has neither a good melody nor any compelling rhythm nor even pleasant vocals to recommend it. The album ends on a mixed note: Della Manley sings beautifully on the rather folky "I Know," but Mutabaruka is completely wasted on this track: instead of toasting with his usual political incisiveness, he grunts brief, repetitive and content-free phrases between her stanzas. A mixed bag, but very good overall. ~ Rick Anderson Producer: Christopher Birch; Devon Wheatley; Nigel Burrell; Patrick Henry; Wayne "DJ Wayne" Morris; Ricky Genious; Orville Thomas; Carl James; Everton Hardware; Lloyd Campbell; Michelle Campbell; Robbie Shakespeare; Sly Dunbar; Bitty McLean; Donovan Bennett; Joel C Musical Guests Mutabaruka   Technical Info Release Date : 11/21/2006 Original Release Date : 2006 Catalog ID : 1770 Label : VP Records Number of Discs : 1 Studio/Live : Studio Mono/Stereo : Stereo SPAR Code : n/a UPC : 00054645177023    Related Videos Christmas In The Heart : ... A Cherry Cherry Christmas... In Search of Solid Ground... Draw The Line: David Gray