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’
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