'Til Shiloh
Artist: Buju Banton
Community Score: 7.25

1993's Voice of Jamaica was a stellar set, an aural collage of the island, with its swirl of diverse styles, sounds and themes. Bringing dancehall to the wider world, that album was a revelation, and to attempt to better it would have been futile. And so, Buju Banton didn't try, instead he moved in a new direction. After the completion of Voice... Read More

Maestro
Artist: Beenie Man
Community Score: 8.33

"Well this is the Maestro, I have the doctorate for all things," Beenie Man boasts on the opening to Maestro's title track, and then proceeds to show off his skill across this superb album. A lack of coherent sequencing is the set's only real flaw, for as the DJ is determined to prove himself a master of all things, so the Shocking Vibes Crew,... Read More

My Xperience
Artist: Bounty Killer
Community Score: 8.50

In the 1990s, Bounty Killer became one of the top figures in dancehall reggae, a form also associated with such Jamaican stars as Lt. Stitchie, Shabba Ranks and Ninjaman. In contrast to the melodic nature of mainstream reggae, My Xperience is an abrasive, rhythmic disc that has little use for melody. Those who aren't big dancehall fans may find... Read More

Caan Dun
Artist: Shabba Ranks
Beenie Man Meets Mad Cobra
Artist: Beenie Man
Community Score: 10.00
Hail up the Taxi
Artist: Taxi Gang
Scent of Attraction - #1
Artist: Patra

On her follow-up to her smash debut Queen of the Pack, Patra doesn't change her formula, but the results are just as exciting. Featuring contributions from Aaron Hall and Salt 'N' Pepa, Scent of Attraction is filled with R&B-inflected dancehall. Although Patra borrows from both hip-hop and R&B, she doesn't dilute her dancehall roots -- she just... Read More

A Mi Shabba
Artist: Shabba Ranks

A nice mid-'90s release from Shabba Ranks, the defending champion of dancehall at the time. The fare is relatively standard, with some level of gun talk and slackness involved as a common motif. The more notable thing associated with Ranks is the re-elevation of the reggae DJ in the production of sound. Relatively surprisingly, given the heavy... Read More

Put a Little Love in Your Heart: The Best of Marcia Griffiths 1969-1974
Artist: Marcia Griffiths
Community Score: 10.00

Put a Little Love in Your Heart: The Best of Marcia Griffiths 1969-1974 is a fairly straightforward best-of album focusing on the legendary reggae vocalist's early years. It features a total of 20 well-known performances including "Toil (My Ambition)," "Don't Let Me Down," "Put a Little Love in Your Heart," "Young Gifted and Black," and "We've... Read More