Reggae Gold 1999 (VP, 1999)

What a roller coaster ride this year's edition of Reggae Gold is.  The highs are topped by the tender "Always Be True to You," Sanchez's stellar lovers jam (and it's an original song!...I think.), Morgan Heritage's righteous Bob Marley-esque (both in vocals and quality) "Don't Haffi Dread," and Capleton's slow, funky, apocalyptic thunder-laden "Jah Jah City," all of which are some of the best efforts in the respective artist's career.  Also solid are "Pull It Up," Buju Banton's DJ version of Beres Hammond's "Can You Play Some More," Ward 21's unique-sounding (a monotone chatting style similar to Timbaland) digital "Haters," and a pair of mixes, Mr. Vegas' "Heads High" and a Bounty Killer megamix.  The low points on Reggae Gold 1999 include the sappy, syrupy ballad "From This Moment On" by Fiona & Tony Gold, the corny sing-songy chorus of Tanto Metro & Devonte's "Big Up Yu Status," the played-out operatic chorus of Buccaneer's "Soconuma Clash" (although his pinched-nose vocals are intriguing), and the just plain annoying, happy, soca-like "Big Phat Fish" by Machel Montano.  It's nice to see that there are a full 18 tracks on this album -- many of them inventive -- but such a large number of cuts virtually ensures that not all will be "gold."