Icon

Photographer: Malcolm Beckford.
Without homeland hits like "Church Heathen" on it, Icon doesn't represent the impact dancehall singer Shaggy has had in Jamaica -- where he truly is an "Icon" -- but as a representation of reggae's current king of crossover, this is a splendid release, mostly. Putting "It Wasn't Me," "Boombastic," and "Angel" as the first three tracks means the usual Icon style of front-loading hits is in effect, but those massive numbers are all here, along with the breakthrough number "Oh Carolina" plus the reggae power ballad "Strength of a Woman." Go further into his output and there's heavyweight stuff to be had, but as an introduction to Shaggy by way of the crossover hit, it would be hard to do better than this. ~ David Jeffries