Search - Reggae Gold :: Reggae Gold 2003

Not Bad, For the Uninitiated

Achis | Kingston, JA/Philipsburg, SxM | 06/18/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Another year, another Reggae Gold Album. 2003's edition of the best-selling reggae compilation picks up where almost every year before it seems to have left off. What this album does is offer contemporary examples of all types of reggae music from the biggest artists around and throws it all on the same disc and puts it out there. Due to its high profile, and its annual star-lineup it usually attracts fans from hip-hop and pop and that accounts for its great sales.
This year is absolutely no different. All the hot artists on the hot riddims. VP really does put their best foot forward on this one. Poster twins, Sean Paul and Wayne Wonder both hold their place with there hits Get Busy, and No Letting Go (LL Cool J's remix), Sean Paul gets in the action twice with supporting role on Busta Rhymes' out of place Make it Clap. You even get Shaggy's Hey Sexy Lady. By virtue of its mere presense on this record the best tune becomes Sizzla's monster Thank U Mamma, with the second best being the legend, Beres Hammond's awesome 360 Turn. Also really like Tanya Stephen's It's a Pity and, of course, Morgan Heritage's She's Still Loving Me. And of course, the sickly addictive Pon Di River by soon to be posterboy, Elephant Man, and Beenie Man's effort along the same lines Row Like a Boat. Bounty Killer is here twice, and two times wicked going solo on his own The Greatest and the second time with reggae royalty Mad Cobra and Spragga Benz and Assassin. And even Buju taking his turn on the "Thank U Mamma Riddim" on One on One (which i admit sounded flat out wrong to me the first time i ever heard it, but its grown on me)
So whats the bad part? If you don't really listen to reggae all that much, or if you listen to the music but don't buy albums, i can see this being a very fun album. BUT! If you're like me, and reggae music makes up at least 80% of the music that you listen to, you'll be hard-pressed to find a song on this album that you don't know, which means that it get's really boring, really quick. In fact you might even already be tired of about half of these tunes before this album was even released. So this album is by no way something for everyone.
Overall, like i said, if you're suddenly enraptured by dancehall vibes now from listening to Sean Paul, Wayne Wonder and Beenie Man, then by all means go out and pick this one up, definitely. But, if you at all fell in love with the music in the previous decade, then avoid this one, you can sing all of these songs to yourself whenever you want to, you know them that well.
On a side note, I have to show respect to Vp for putting out the best music in the world on the world's greatest stage. Reggae Gold will of course sale well (helped by the flat out inevitable video for Elephant Man's Pon Di River) and it serves best to hardcore reggae fans as a reading of VP's mind. Meaning, expect albums from not only Elephant Man, TOK, and Beres Hammond this year, but Tanya Stephens and Sasha's debut as well."

Strictly for Dancehall fans

djDust | California, currently in Taiwan | 03/13/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Strictly for hardcore dancehall fans. If you are looking for Roots & Culture, you won't dig this CD. I like some dancehall but this is too hardcore for me. Three stars because I'm sure the quality is good for the right audience."

Not to be missed

Modern Fix | United States | 09/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The newest installment of the Reggae Gold series is not to be missed by the avid Dancehall head. This one's got all the years hottest Dancehall jams. That includes the year's two biggest jams: "Get Busy" which is the Sean Paul version of "Diwali" rhythm, that had hands all over the world clapping along; "Pon De River, Pon De Bank" is the Elephant Man tune that describes one of the many hot Jamaican dances that are circulating. The fattest thing about the 2 disc set, is that the second disc is a DJ mix of all the songs found on the album, plus a couple of dub plate specials. Other artists include Sizzla, Tony Gold, Ttanya Stephens, Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Spragga Benz, Bounty Killer, Mad Cobra, Tanto Metro and Devonte, and T.O.K. As you can see, the whole thing is filled with stars, and whenever VP Records puts out a compilation, you can expect quality! Rough and Tough."