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Dancehall Attack & Dee-Lite (Heartbeat, 2003) This showcase for producers Colin “Bulby” York and Lynford “Fatta” Marshall -- collectively known as Fat Eyes -- gathers two hard-to-find albums released separately on the Fat Eyes label in 2001 and marks a bit of a departure for the Heartbeat label, which doesn't release much hardcore modern dancehall (and usually doesn't have cheesy hand-drawn album covers of overly buxom women on a bench press machine -- or is it some sort of dominatrix jet pack???). To be fair, though, only the first half of this two-disc set -- Dancehall Attack -- has a heavy digital dancehall sound; the other, Dee-Lite, leans more toward lovers rock and modern roots reggae. As great a deal as it is to get these two albums for the price of one, keep in mind that these tracks are generally a few years old, so don't be surprised to find some that strike you as overly familiar -- especially Terror Fabulous' "Jah Works," the Yami Bolo/Capleton duet "Put Down the Weapon," Sanchez's "Always Be True" (all 3 of these can be found on the 1997 Fat Eyes-featured collection Reggae Select), Freddie McGregor's "Jah Never Fail" (from the Universal Message compilation) Bounty Killer's "Look Good Time" (from his Art of War album), Morgan Heritage's "Kebra & the Father" (from their More Teachings album), Junior Kelly's "Jewel of the Nile" (from his Love So Nice album) and Beres Hammond's "Good Love" (from Love From a Distance). Unfortunately, these familiar tracks account for about 75% of the best songs on this set, with much of the rest sounding like ho-hum filler. Dancehall Attack, which spreads 7 rhythms over 17 tracks, is a particularly flat affair, as the only decent tunes not readily available on other albums are Wayne Wonder's "Victims" and Mega Banton's "Rewind." Bounty Killer's "Mr. Wanna Be" (from his 5th Element album) is a poor man's attempt at his own "Lodge," Beenie Man's "Verbally" revolves around an annoying rendition of Ce Ce Peniston's "Finally," Elephant Man's "Come Out Yah" sounds like a hollow attempt to regain the magic of his great "Headache," and Capleton's work here is definitely sub-par. Dee-Lite (not to be confused with Fat Eyes' 2003 release of new material, Dancehall Dee-Lite) is somewhat more balanced; apart from the previously mentioned songs, the Mighty Diamonds' "Slave Ship" is a serene work of art, while Yami Bolo's "Willow Tree" is a wonderful cover of the Alton Ellis classic, and Coco Tea's "Babylon Is Falling" has a nice, conscious Nyabinghi flow. |
Dancehall Attack:
Dee-Lite:
Dancehall Attack & Dee-Lite: 
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Track Listing CD 1: Dancehall Attack 1. Victim -- Wayne Wonder 2. Hands Up -- Capleton 3. Jewel of the Nile -- Junior Kelly 4. Mr. Wanna Be -- Bounty Killer 5. Pare Sodom -- Capleton 6. Jailbreak -- Sizzla 7. Come Out Yah -- Elephant Man 8. Verbally -- Beenie Man 9. Look Good Time -- Bounty Killer 10. Jah Works -- Terror Fabulous 11. Put Down the Weapon -- Yami Bolo & Capleton 12. Cry & Bowl -- Bounty Killer & Tanya Stephens 13. Ole Taker -- Beenie Man 14. Rewind -- Mega Banton 15. King & Queen -- Capleton 16. There's No Feeling -- Chevelle Franklin, Elephant Man & Harry Toddler 17. Ain't No Stopping -- Future Troubles CD 2: Dee-Lite |
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