Volume 21 in the series brings us some of the biggest hits by the DJs in 1998. The past year, in general, has had some of the worst slackness/rude bwoy dancehall cuts in the past decade (with conscious cuts by Buju and Capleton, fortuantely, overshadowing them) as can be seen on the cuts here by Red Rat & General B and Beenie Man & Angie Martinez. For the most part, though, the compilation collects some great cuts by Beenie Man ("Gospel Time"), Mr. Vegas ("Hands Up" and "Everywhere I Go"), and Culture with Tony Rebel ("Hungry People"). If there's any collection from 1998 that focuses on DJs to pick up, STB 21 is the one.
Volume 22 is a lover's rock dream collection for the year, presenting nicities by Glen Washington ("Kindess for Weakness"), Singing Melody ("Want You Back"), and Benji Myaz ("Give it Up"). There aren't quite enough roots tracks for me, but the ones included are good selections: "Reggae Bring Back Love" is yet another incredible cut from Morgan Hertiage, a crew that has released a string of top-notch releases in the past three years; "Stand Up Straight" is another gem from Cocoa T, a singer who I doubt will ever lose his touch; and "Ulterior Motive" by Luciano highlights this young singer's positive vibes we came to love on "Messenger" and "It's Me Again Jah." One strange choice is the lead-off track, Richie Stephens' cover of Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual." Why Stephens' would want to cover this overdone lounge standard, I'm not quite sure.
Being the United States' most prolific reggae label is an advantage when it comes time to release compilations -- a strong stable of artists provide VP with most of their hits for these collection, and only a few come from "the outside" (from Greensleeves or RAS, generally, on the "Reggae Gold" series). VP continues to do a great job promoting the industry's most talented artists and giving the fans strong collections year after year.
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