Reggae Greats: Toots and the Maytals (Island, 1984)

If there's any doubt that Toots Hibbert and the Maytals are "reggae greats," one need only listen to classics like "54-46 (That's My Number)," "Bam Bam," "Pressure Drop," "Funky Kingston," "Monkey Man," and "Sweet & Dandy" for confirmation (although it would've been nice to have "Never Grow Old" also).  Toots' aggressive vocals are uniquely soulful -- one of the most cohesive mixes of reggae and soul music ever.   Ranging from 1968 to 1984, these tunes span rock steady and reggae, but it is the late '60s and early '70s works (This includes "Bam Bam," although the version included on this album is a 1982 remake.) -- the up-tempo, high-energy romps -- where Toots and The Maytals shine.  The faster rock steady pace allows Hibbert to run free; these songs are pure energy, whipping up a near-religious frenzy.  He is often reminiscent of a Jamaican James Brown -- particularly on "Funky Kingston" -- and if you ever see him in concert, you will see his power (although his style -- even at its best -- is not exactly the sound of today).  Unfortunately, the songs recorded after 1973 or so aren't nearly as captivating or catchy as his early ones (and indeed, when was the last time he had a hit?), but will anyone really notice?

The Very Best of Toots & The Maytals (Island, 2000)

*GUEST REVIEW*
Unlike many greatest hits albums, which turn out to be less than the sum of their parts, with the songs sounding ripped out of context, The Very Best of
Toots & The Maytals is a cohesive package in which the songs retain all of their original punch. The album sounds so vital, in fact, that hardly any of
its nineteen tracks are less than excellent, with the notable exception of "In the Dark," a disastrous nursery-rhyme that reminds me of the most annoying Frank
Sinatra song ever: "High Hopes." Although the quality of the songs does decline somewhat in the last few tracks, even these have an elegant, elder-statesman
vibe and provide the album with a fittingly up-beat coda. There should be no doubt that Toots Hibbert is one of the all-time great lead singers in reggae history, and this collection features him at his legendary best. Toots can sound like almost anyone, but his voice is always uniquely his own. "Time Tough" sounds like Lee Dorsey, "Funky Kingston" sounds like James Brown, and the final three tracks ("Dreams to Remember," "Spiritual Healing," and "Peace, Perfect Peace") prove that not only can Toots Hibbert sound remarkably like Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye, he may be a better vocalist than either of them. Toots' voice is among the most evocative and irrepressible instruments in reggae. Songs like "Sweet & Dandy" and "Pomp & Pride" resonate with sheer joy, while Toots' vocals on "Pressure Drop" and "Reggae Got Soul" are even more intense and passionate. "Funky Kingston" is in a class by itself: Toots simply sets the microphone on fire. If I had to pick two favorite tracks, however, they would be "54-46," which famously, and ferociously, recounts Toots' 1966 arrest for marijuana possession, and "Bam Bam," a supremely elegant expression of militant righteousness. Both songs feature funky and fluid jams from The Maytals, reminders that they aren't just Toots' tour band but a reggae force in their own right. 

- Reggie

20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection (Island, 2001)

*GUEST REVIEW*
This collection of classics by a man whose frantic energy and soulful growl have earned him the title "the Jamaican James Brown" succeeds where others have failed for one simple reason: it's short. At 12 tracks, 20th Century Masters focuses on the essentials while avoiding some of the filler material that other, more wide-ranging best-ofs tend to include. That's not to say Toots Hibbert and company have bad songs, necessarily -- just that this tight, concise set of hits creates a clear snapshot of the Maytals' sound, based entirely around the astronomically high points of the group's career. Throughout this 12 song collection, Toots (ably assisted by Jerry Mathias and Raleigh Gordon) proves why he's still one of the most highly-respected figures in reggae. Tracks like "Funky Kingston," "Pressure Drop," "Reggae Got Soul," and the absolutely divine "54-46 Was My Number" (honestly, how can you resist that opening vocal?) are as powerful and undeniably funky as they were when they were first recorded, and The Maytals' take on covers like "(I've Got) Dreams To Remember" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" actually improve on the originals. This disc is chock-full of the inimitably vibrant and joyous sound the Maytals pioneered, and it's perfect as a starting point for the uninitiated or a reminder of just how good Toots is to the serious fan.

- Sam Thompson

Pressure Drop: The Definitive Collection (Trojan, 2005)

I suppose you could argue that Pressure Drop isn't "definitive" if it doesn't include any of the group's work on the Island label, but when you consider that much of their most popular Island output was just remakes of their older works (much like Bob Marley did), then you see why this compilation has the right to label itself so. Trojan culled these tunes from 1964 to 1975 (the group's first Island album coming in '76), so these earlier tracks are a bit more gritty in style and sound quality than their slicker Island output -- which, depending on your taste, could be a good or a bad thing. Whether you prefer the older or newer versions, though, it's impossible to deny the infectious appeal of ska classics like "Pressure Drop," "Bam Bam," "54-46 (Was My Number)," "Sweet and Dandy," and "Monkey Man." Beyond the fun, frenetic music (helped by the group's early partnership with legendary producer Leslie Kong) and the award-winning songwriting, it's Toots Hibbert's powerhouse soul voice that make these songs stand out so much. The song structure and vocals, in fact, are straight soul, gospel, and old school rhythm 'n blues; with different musical backing, Hibbert could just as easily have recorded for an American label like Stax. Pressure Drop is arranged in chronological order, so the earlier tunes have a faster ska tempo, while the latter ones slow down into a rock steady and reggae groove (although Toots is rarely "slow"). With almost 50 tracks, this isn't necessarily the album for newcomers to The Maytals; they might go cross-eyed around the 70th screech from Hibbert (indeed, even if you enjoy the hits, the style could become old after a while), but fans who can't get enough of Reggae Greats might want to check it out. Besides well-known tunes like "Funky Kingston," "Reggae Got Soul," "Time Tough," "Pomps and Pride," and "It's You," you get more obscure gems like "It Must Be True Love," "Johnny Coolman," "Just Tell Me," "She's My Schorcher," "Bla Bla Bla," "Doctor Lester," and a rousing rendition of "We Shall Overcome."

Light Your Light (Fantasy/Concord, 2007)

Toots Hibbert's fun Light Your Light doesn't get bogged down by the forced reggae fusion of the duet-filled True Love. Rather, the fusion here comes naturally from Hibbert's inherent inclination toward blues and old-time soul. Thus, the only featured guests this time around are Bonnie Raitt and blues guitarist Derek Trucks. Trucks lends his slide guitar to a blues rendition of Hibbert's own "Johnny Coolman," while Raitt appears on the wonderfully old-school hybrid "Premature," a cautionary tale about teenage pregnancy that displays the magic that can happen when blues and reggae blend cohesively. Hibbert further ventures into blues/soul territory with the a remake of his own "Love So Strong" (AKA "My Love Is So Strong" from the Pass the Pipe album), which, like "Johnny Coolman," downplays the reggae side in favor of blues, as well as covers of Otis Redding's "Pain in My Heart" (revisiting territory similar to his rendition of Redding's "[I've Got] Dreams to Remember") and Ray Charles' "I Gotta Woman." Another remake, the Skatalites' "Guns of Navarone," is more straightforward reggae, a free-wheeling tribute to Studio One founder Coxsone Dodd with lighthearted "la la la la" vocals in place of the lead horns. That's it for the covers, though, unless you count "Celia," an old-time rock steady feast that Hibbert actually wrote back in the '80s but is just getting around to recording now. Despite Toots' trademark raucous style, there are a number of relaxed numbers featuring a low-key acoustic guitar sound: "Don't Bother Me," the "Rivers of Babylon"-ish "Light U Light," "See the Light," and "Do You Remember," an engaging look back at a schoolyard bully who used to torment Hibbert -- a sort of a nose-thumbing "How ya like me now" that asks:

Remember when we used to go to school?
You took my lunch money and take me for fool.
I have to chase you all over the playground.
Now look at you; you're looking so pitiful.

With all of the covers and throwback sounds -- even the song lengths are old school (only one is as long as four minutes and several are under three!) -- Light Your Light is nothing new, but if it ain't broke, why fix it?