Duets the title may be, but more accurate would have been "The DJs Pay Tribute to
Barrington Levy." Within, producer
Jah Screw takes 11 of the dancehall singer's old numbers, re-creates the rhythms for a contemporary audience, and unleashes the toasters on them. The album was sparked by the success of "Two Sounds" and "Under Mi Sensi," which revived two of
Levy's decade-old hits, and are both included within. If
Beenie Man's "Sounds" and "Sensi" set the stage, it was
Bounty Killer's "Living Dangerously" that brought the house down and rocketed
Levy and the DJ into the dance charts around the world. Nothing else here exhibits the kind of crossover appeal those trio of hits boasted; the productions are just too militant, too experimental, and the DJs by and large too gruff and threatening. But for fans of Jamaican dancehall,
Duets is a superb set, reinvigorating
Levy's rootsy sound in a tough new style.
Mega Banton pays tribute to the singer himself, as does the sole female DJ,
Lady Saw, before she launches into a lesson on how boys can please the girls, a class that the boasting
Spragga Benz and slack
Daddy Screw obviously missed.
Fragga Ranks forgot to take his Ritalin, and is too busy bouncing to pay any mind, while
Cutty Ranks turns the tables and lectures the ladies on "Looking Mi Love."
Reggie Stepper offers up a tough sufferer's toast, while
Fragga Ranks also wades into the cultural waters to chastise the gunmen. All in all an excellent set: The rhythms are hot, the productions sizzle and seethe, and the DJs add further spice and power to these old numbers born anew.