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Critic's Review
Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
One of Jamaica's most prolific and best loved singers, Delroy Wilson cut his first single in 1961, and continued recording and performing almost to his death in 1995. Over the years, the singer has released innumerable records and scores upon scores of classic songs. Twenty-five of them appear here, and while they certainly are amongst his best, for clarity's sake, this compilation should be subtitled 1967-1974, as nothing outside these dates is included. The album proceeds chronologically, and the informative sleevenotes gives a useful overview of Wilson's work from this time. Kicking off with a handful of cuts for producer Bunny Lee (notably "This Old Heart of Mine"), Once Upon a Time then follows the singer through his work with Stranger Cole (the title track, amongst others), and for Links, the label launched by a group of vocalists, Wilson included. After the company's demise, Wilson went on to record with Sonia Pottinger ("Your Number One" and more), Keith Hudson (including "Adisabada" -- a fabulous version of "House of the Rising Sun"), and a clutch of classics for Leslie Kong ("Gave You My Love" amongst them). Although the singer also recorded with a number of other producers, including Coxsonne Dodd, the man who had launched his career, and to whom he had remained remarkably loyal until late 1967, you'll need to look elsewhere for that material. In 1971, Wilson hooked back up with Bunny Lee, and cut a swathe of classic singles, notably "Better Must Come" and "Cool Operator. The album includes several both these seminal singles and more. A cut for Joe Gibbs and a pair recorded for Douglas Williams feature from 1973. The album is completed by Wilson's self-produced "It's a Shame," a major hit in 1974. Of course, the singer's career didn't end here, but that's a story for another time. A real best-of Delroy Wilson would require at least a three-CD set, but this compilation does gather up a slew of crucial recordings from a great period in the artist's voluminous career.
