Gregory Isaacs 20 Classic Hits CD

The prolific Gregory Isaacs recorded with a plethora of Jamaican producers, and at the height of his career he knocked out hits for virtually every one of them. Even so, some of his best work was done under his own direction, and this compilation bundles up 20 of Isaacs' self-produced singles and album tracks. The earliest date is from 1978, and the comp draws from two of the artist's full-lengths that arrived that year -- Soon Forward and Mr. Isaacs, the latter co-produced with Ossie Hibbert. Both sets were classic roots sets, with "Mr. Brown," "Bumping and Boring," and the title track culled from Soon Forward, and "Sacrifice," "Smile," and "Story Book Children" drawn from Mr. Isaacs (so too are "Handcuff" and "Storm," which are respectively retitled "Mr. Babylon" and "Hang On" here). More hits and albums swiftly followed, but 20 Classic Hits skips forward to 1980's Lonely Lover, two of whose tracks -- "Hard Time" and "Tune In" -- open the set. In this decade, the rise of the DJs saw many singers on the run, but not Isaacs -- he just kept going from strength to strength. "Tune In" was a dancehall smash, while the equally successful "Night Nurse" entitled an excellent album in 1982, from which "Stranger in Town" is also drawn. That pair closes this compilation, but two years later Isaacs unleashed Out Deh!, and the set culls six tracks from that set, beginning with the title track itself and ending with "Private Secretary." Drawing from such classic albums, one should have little complaint about this roundup; still, the set could have been even stronger, for it omits many of these albums' biggest hits and most masterful numbers. Songs like "Universal Tribulation," "Slave Market," and "Motherless Children" (all from Soon Forward) and big hits "Poor & Clean" and "Happy Anniversary" (from Lonely Lover) spring instantly to mind. So, a great compilation, but not a stellar one. ~ Jo-Ann Greene