As a big fan of Damian Marley and his previous album, Halfway Tree, I was excited to see that he had teamed with some of the other Marley brothers to release the new compilation titled Educated Fools (Tuff Gong/Ghetto Youths Int'l/Lightyear). Then, I found out that this compilation was going to be a one-riddim affair, based entirely on the "Educated Fools" beat from Damian's 2002 release. I'm not a fan of one- (or two- or three-) riddim albums, but at least this one's based on a solid track.
There are some big names featured on this compilation, including Damian and Kymani Marley, Bounty Killer, Buju Banton, and Capleton. There are also some names we haven't heard from in a while, like Determine. Lesser-known artists like Sli and El Pancho round out the bill. Giving a group of artists creative freedom to do what they will the exact same riddim is akin to giving fiction authors a unifying theme for a short-story collection: there will be similarities, but the real stars will shine by taking common elements and making them their own.
The disc kicks off with a remix of the original Damian Marley track featuring Bounty Killer. The original had an intensity that's hard to match, but this remix doesn't stray too far from the original formula, adding just a bit more of a dancehall feel. Damian gets loose, as you might expect, and Bounty does a solid job of backing him up, providing the confident, deep-voiced delivery we've come to appreciate over the years. Buju Banton's take on the track, titled "Love Haffi Request," doesn't break any new ground for Buju, but serves up a strong performance from Mr. Mention. Other decent versions include Bounty Killer's solo take, "No Pardon," Yami Bolo's excellent "Love Can Save the Human Race," and Capleton's intense "Yuh Nuh Hear."
Even though I get bored with one-riddim compilations, at least the Marley Boyz had the decency to use a decent track as the foundation. There are definitely some weak points... "Put On Da Pressure" featuring Mr. Mojo (Morgan Heritage) and Laza (LMS) feels out of place, almost like it was voiced over another riddim altogether and Sli's "You In Trouble" is just a terrible hip-hop version that's poorly voiced with lame mainstream lyrics. But, overall, the disc is relatlively solid with strong appearances from familiar names. As with any one-riddim compilation, make sure you really like the track before you buy an entire album voiced over it.
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