Various Artists - Strictly The Best, Vol. 32 - Music & Performance - CD

The great thing about the annual Strictly the Best series is that they serve as an accurate barometer of reggae musical trends. The not-so-great thing is that sometimes those trends need to be allowed to die. Strictly the Best, Vol. 32 overflows with the unfortunate trend of cheerleader-type chants melded to weak riddims. "Stop" by Soltex, "Bun Bad Mind" by Elephant Man, and "Solid as a Rock" by T.O.K all serve as excruciating reminders of what was wrong with dancehall in 2004. An 18-track CD should be able to offset a few clunker tunes, but the majority of the music is just mediocre. It takes reggae legends such as Beres Hammond with the silky "There for You" and Marcia Griffiths with her melodious tribute to the past, "Back in the Days," to occasionally elevate this album. It's worth noting, however, that with relatively few women represented in reggae, every one of the women on this disc -- Griffiths, Lady Saw with Remy Martin, and Macka Diamond -- turn in strong performances. ~ Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, Rovi