Reggae Legends

Freddie McGregor's smooth and seemingly effortless vocals have given him an amazing commercial staying power in Jamaica's notoriously here-today-gone-tomorrow, singles-driven pop music scene, and if he is seldom flashy or particularly innovative, he always sings with the grace and conviction of a true soul singer. This four-disc, 57-track box combines four albums, 1993's Hard to Get, 1994's Carry Go Bring Come, 1997 Rumours, and 2002's Anything for You, in one package, making a nice overview of this later phase of McGregor's career when he was working predominantly with producer Gussie Clarke. It's a bit like arriving at a play in the third act, though, since Mcgregor's strongest work was arguably done over a decade earlier with the masterful Bobby Bobylon LP from 1980 (Heartbeat released a greatly expanded and improved version of Bobby Bobylon on CD in 2006), but there's a lot to like here, including three versions of the smooth and endlessly romantic "Playing Hard to Get," the stirring "Graveyard in Africa," and two very different and equally interesting versions of Justin Hinds' "Carry Go Bring Come." In the end, it's more Freddie Mcgregor than the casual fan would probably ever want, but he always sings with that comforting and steady everyman lover's voice, so even the weakest material gets some redemption. ~ Steve Leggett