Album: Various artists, 100% Dynamite! NYC, (Soul Jazz)

For most people, the crossover between American and Jamaican music starts and ends with Shaggy. The Shagster does show up on this compilation – subtitled “Dancehall Reggae Meets Rap in New York City” – but what Soul Jazz have achieved is not only to gather proof that Yankee-Caribbean fusion runs a lot deeper, but also to make it an enjoyable lesson.

The ratio of the fusion is something like one shot of USA to a tall tumbler of the West Indies, with familiar names such as Shinehead and Super Cat.

Pick of the album: Ante-post favourite: Shaggy’s ‘Mattress Jockey’